Grasping for the Wind

More thoughts on Fast Food Nation

I don't think that Schlosser is getting the reaction he expected out of me. Instead of outrage or shock at the business practices of McDonald's and KFC, Burger King and Taco Bell, all I can think is what a smart business plan!

I just finished reading the chapter on the peons who end up working in the fast food industry (in the interest of full disclosure, I worked for Chick-fil-A for FOUR years, so I've done my time) and the horrible conditions under which they labor, according to Schlosser.

I'll agree, they aren't great, the business model is built to withstand, even encourage high turnover. And yes, it is true that high schoolers and immigrants usually work for these companies. And Schlosser wonders why the companies seek to have built in profitability resulting from high turnover? These two groups are some of the most notoriously unstable groups. Kids go off to college or move on to a new job or trade as age allows, and immigrants are transient by the very word used to describe them. Most of the immigrants I worked with were working till they could find a job elsewhere with better pay.

Most of the folks i worked with were white, middle class high school kids looking to either own their own franchise, or earn some spending money for high school. Some few, like myself, were saving for college so Schlosser's contention that the majority of the workers are minorities or poor is probably true, but isn't always as he seems to imply.

Schlosser's contention that unions need to be formed for these folks makes me laugh. Teenagers don't care and retirees only work as much as they can before social security policies stop them. Immigrants are the most stable of the fast food workers and perhaps they might benefit from a union, but from what I know of unions, they are either corrupt or deluded as to their effectiveness. Unions are a big part of the destruction of the auto industry, as has been shown by better minds than mine.

I can't really speak to the commentary on the franchisee/franchisor relationship, a I only ever worked the front. I think it's likely it plays the way he says. One thing I do contend with is the assertion that failed franchises are the fault of the corporation. They are the fault of the franchisee, otherwise why would some be successful and some not? There are a lot of factors that go into that success, but the franchisee must take the majority of the blame in that, not the corporation. I did see in my time as a fast food worker that some franchisees ran their businesses better, period, and they often got way more business, even when the locations were only a mile or two apart!

Be back later with some more thoughts. By the way, I don't think the book is all bad, but it is politically dogmatic so that tends to be what I react to the most. I guess it was a good pick for New Notions 5!

Read more of my thoughts on post 1: The Beginning and post 3: Book Review

Posted by John on May 18, 2007 01:26 PM | Posted to Business | Nonfiction
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