Canada hires virtual cashiers
Toronto has come up with a new way to deal with staff shortages.
Toronto-based startup Percy has emerged, offering virtual cashiers to device in restaurants and other establishments.
How it works: The customer talks to a live person, who may be in another country, through a screen on the ordering counter. The cashier takes the order, writes down all of the customer's wishes and uploads the information to the system, which tells the kitchen staff what needs to be prepared.
Percy has already hired about 100 employees from Pakistan, Bolivia and Nicaragua. The company's co-founder says things are going well:
"We have franchise owners who tell us it's a real lifesaver."
Statistics Canada reports that the food and hospitality sector lost more than 171,000 workers during the pandemic, and restaurants were particularly hard hit. Some of them use Percy from time to time when employees suddenly go on sick leave and there is no one to replace them.
While establishments say customers have been enthusiastic and supportive, there are those who are concerned about the ethics of outsourcing. They question whether virtual workers are paid fairly: For example, the hourly rate for such cashiers at Freshii restaurants is $3.75 CAD per hour, which is less than the cost of some meals.
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