LETTER: Robots may work for free …
In response to your recent editorial about minimum wage hikes:
Store check-out scanners (robots) may “work” for free, but the average unit costs $30,000, with a $125,000 investment required for a four-station array, according to industry observers. This initial capital outlay must be recouped through higher prices paid by the customer, and even the robot will eventually “die” from old age or obsolescence, requiring another substantial capital outlay.
Humans can be “rented” by the hour and require little initial capital investment.