B365V3.18 - Theatrical economics

An interesting thing ties my most recent vacation to Vancouver and last night's trip to go see the Captain America movie together, that being the "fight for $15" minimum wage thing that has been bandied about.

I know what you are thinking, how can Matt's epically cool vacation and a movie that will crush at the box office be tied into the minimum wage?  Allow me to elaborate.

While I was staying in Vancouver, there was a McDonald's about a block from my hotel.  Now I never went in, after all if I want McDonald's slop I need not go to a foreign country for it.  But the minimum wage in British Columbia is approach $11 an hour right now.  And what should one see when looking in the window at McDonald's on Robson Street.  A touch screen menu.  That's right, businesses are busy figuring ways around the new/higher minimum wages, they are replacing workers at the point of sale.

I saw this last night at the theater too, I had Fandangoed my ticket so I knew I would have a seat opening night (I remembered the debacle I had trying to get reserved seating for Deadpool, which was sold out the first day until the 11 pm showing.  Now I am not an experienced Fandangoer, I had only used the service once previously, but I remembered the terminals were along the wall to the left of the ticket window/counter.   So I enter the theater and make the abrupt left turn and the terminals were gone.  Panic (at the disco) sets in, I am thinking how am I going to get my ticket now, if I bought it online from a online retailer that is no longer here.

Still I was there to see a movie, so I went back out to the ticket counter and that is when I saw it, all of the ticket sellers have been replaced with automation.  My Fandango fears were unfounded, I simply slid my credit card into the machine and the new tangled terminals had a record of my purchase and priced to print out my pre bought ticket.  Others would presumably have to go through touch screen menus and do the picking and choosing before swiping their cards, but the human element has been removed.  More of those $15/hour jobs that will not exist when the cost $15/hour.

See, even a trip to the movies can be a learning experience.