'Your lunch was probably 6 times her hourly salary': New Yorker buys $20 curry from remote cashier in the Philippines, sparks debate about customer service work

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Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Apr 12, 2024 12:00 PM EDT

It's been close to five years since working from home became a part of the new normal, yet it seems like it keeps finding ways to push the boundaries and stay controversial. Sometimes it seems like the powers that be want nothing more than to force everyone back into the office, and other times they are taking the phenomenon to crazy new heights.

An example of the latter has taken Twitter by storm recently, after a New York man shared his experience of buying his lunch from a cashier using Zoom to do her job remotely from the Philippines. The unusual setup split opinion, with many criticizing the potential exploitation taking place in such an exchange. It certainly throws up some annoying practical issues, like if you want to pay in cash. If this is the future, a lot of us are going to have to make some major adjustments. 

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  • 01
    brett goldstein ❤ @thatguybg Follow this is insane cashier is literally zooming into nyc from the philippines
    via thatguybg
  • 02
    VEVOR VEVOR 308 FRIED CHICKEN CHICKEN 唐揚げ FRED JAPANESE CHICKE JAPANESE FRIED CHICKEN 鶏もも 鶏むね肉 CHICKEN FRIED CHICKEN CHICKE 唐揚げ JAPANESE FRIED CHICKEN 鶏むね肉 WELCOME 唐揚げ JAPANE B ANESE FRIE TOWNSTRE RIED onn. MID. ZOOM 660 0621006 Pascade. Lausts
    via thatguybg
  • 03
    brett goldstein @thatguybg . 2d Replying to @thatguybg only takes a short hop to imagine the near future where this is an Al avatar 15 1760 brett goldstein ❤3.2K ili 418K @thatguybg 2d • company is called "happy cashier" no website but operating in 5 asian fast food places in new york city
    via thatguybg
  • 04
    brett goldstein @thatguybg . 2d initially i was really excited but now my mind is wandering to this dystopian future where you live in this concrete jungle and none of the businesses you interact with have actual humans in them maybe a punishment for us not treating retail workers more human
    via thatguybg
  • 05
    Josh Dance @Josh Dance · 2d Replying to @thatguybg Saw a dentist do the same thing with receptionist
    via JoshDance
  • 06
    Rishi @rbhuta95. 2d Replying to @thatguybg Was there a tip option? I wonder who gets that since it's % of purchase and would probably eclipse their remote pay. Q4 173 131 ılıı 90.2K brett goldstein @thatguybg. 2d yea there was! good question. I did ask her a few questions - turns out she can control the POS system remotely!
    via rbhuta95
  • 07
    Brett Dashevsky @brettdash_ • 2d . 8 Replying to @thatguybg Nickelodeon predicted this
    via brettdash_
  • 08
    David Lorenzen @David Lorenzen Replying to @thatguybg Follow Welcome to the future. This is closer to taking jobs than any Al robot - at the moment
    via David__Lorenzen
  • 09
    Kasey Klimes (in SF Apr... @kaseyklimes Follow Replying to @thatguybg so what you're saying is, everything here is free
    via kaseyklimes
  • 10
    Bryant Suellentrop ❤ @SullyBusiness Follow Replying to @thatguybg your lunch was probably six times her hourly salary.
    via SullyBusiness
  • 11
    mista hella @HellaMista - 2d Replying to @thatguybg what?! now people have to compete with people on zoom too? Al, Robots, Zoom. This is too much.
    via HellaMista
  • 12
    Jason Scharf / Austin... @AustinNxPodcast Replying to @thatguybg Follow What do you need the cashier at this point for that basic self checkout tech or a chatbot can't do?
    via AustinNxPodcast
  • 13
    Immortal @ImmortalAvatar2.1d Replying to @thatguybg What happens if you wanna pay cash?
    via ImmortalAvatar2
  • 14
    Luke Chen @itslukechen. 2d Replying to @thatguybg Is that how they get around minimum wage but still have some form of human interaction?
    via itslukechen
  • 15
    Gavin Mueller @gavinmuellerphd.2d everyone should know the script by now: digital technology "automates" jobs by splitting work between the user (in this case you were trained on self-checkouts) and outsourced hyperexploited labor in other countries
    via gavinmuellerphd
  • 16
    the citypop a citypop bassist @citypopbassist • 2d bassist it's been hundreds of years of this man market I made a new innovation filipino Real or exploitation? filipino exploitation.
    via citypopbassist
  • 17
    ellie middleton @elliemidds - 2d now let's use this tech to allow disabled people to work remotely instead of using it solely for cheap overseas labour!!!
    via elliemidds
  • 18
    Justin Joque @jjoque. 1d There is a movie called "Sleep Dealer" that is about this exact dystopia, where workers in Mexico are paid poverty wages to operate robots in the US but can't cross the border themselves
    via jjoque
  • 19
    owen cyclops @owenbroadcast • 2d if 15 - 25 year old men cannot meet cute cashier girls and fantasize about starting a life with them civilization is over. not joking. that is the last stopper on an unfathomable amount of male despair that you do not want to uncork
    via owenbroadcast
  • 20
    Healthy chronicles V... ❤ @bighealthyfr Follow Asking the zoom cashier if it come wit egg woah then stealing the tip jar
    via bighealthyfr
  • 21
    ⚫ doomer ❤ @uncledoomer 2d bro just cover the webcam with your hand and take your food without paying. what is she going to do, send the police a zoom invite??
    via uncledoomer
  • 22
    Kevin Liu @ckevinliu 2d Replying to @thatguybg Was it still a $10 coffee though? Q2 tz 10 37.1K brett goldstein @thatguybg . 2d $20 chicken katsu curry
    via ckevinliu

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remote work work philippines lunch customer service twitter Twitter Thread debate cashier food
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