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Percy was a Canadian technology company that specialized in providing virtual cashier services. The company's system utilized videotelephony technology to employ remote workers, often from developing countries. It was based in Toronto, Canada.

History

Percy was founded in 2021 by Matthew Corrin, Angela Argo, and Ali Aqueel. The concept of Percy originated as a response to staffing shortages experienced by Freshii, a fast-food chain. It was named after the character of the "reliable and eager-to-please" tank engine from the children's television series Thomas and Friends. In an effort to mitigate these challenges, Matthew Corrin, then-CEO of Freshii, initiated a pilot project in November 2021. The project involved the deployment of Percy devices: video-calling units attached to cash registers at selected Freshii locations. These devices would activate when customers approached, connecting them to cashiers who were physically located in distant locations, such as a call center in Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Pakistan.

The remote cashiers, equipped with headsets, managed customer orders from their offshore locations. This system allowed for operational cost savings, as the wages paid to these virtual cashiers were significantly lower than the minimum wage in Ontario. Despite being part of the customer service process, these remote employees were distinctly separated from the on-site staff who performed tasks such as food preparation and maintenance.

In February 2022, after its initial testing and development phase, Percy was officially launched.

In January 2023, Crazy Pita, a local restaurant in Las Vegas, started using Percy.

In August 2023, Freshii announced its decision to discontinue the use of its virtual cashier system, Percy.

Controversy

Freshii, a user of Percy virtual cashier system, faced controversy for replacing some Ontario-based in-store cashiers with Nicaraguan workers operating remotely, at a wage of $3.75 per hour. Labor organizations, including the Canadian Labour Congress, condemned the move, highlighting the negative impact on local employment and international labour laws.

References

1. "Freshii introduces 'Percy' virtual cashier, outsourcing jobs to Central America | Globalnews.ca". Global News.
2. "The Outrage over Freshii's 'Percy'" – via PressReader.
3. "Meet your new offshore cashier" – via PressReader.
4. Lorinc, Jacob (July 8, 2022). "Freshii's 'virtual cashiers' make $3.75 an hour and have been called 'outrageous' — now the chain's founder wants to go global". Toronto Star.
5. https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/virtual-cashiers-how-a-toronto-company-is-addressing-a-staffing-shortage-from-a-distance-1.6005238
6. ^ Carroll, Patrick (July 15, 2022). ""It's In-Your-Face Capitalism." Low-Paid 'Virtual Cashiers' Provoke Outrage among Labor Activists | Patrick Carroll". fee.org.
7. https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1126167551
8. ^ "Freshii's new virtual cashier "Percy" speaks out in attempt to curb outrage | Dished". dailyhive.com.
9. ^ Lorinc, Jacob (April 26, 2022). "Apr 2022: Meet Freshii's new 'virtual cashier' — who works from Nicaragua for $3.75 an hour".
10. Report, Profit (October 31, 2022). "Virtual Cashiers: a new outsourcing opportunity?". Profit by Pakistan Today.
11. ^ Hassan, Taimoor (November 6, 2022). "Hello, can I take your order from 6500 miles away?". Profit by Pakistan Today.
12. "Las Vegas business using 'virtual cashiers' to make up for lack of workforce". January 8, 2023.
13. "Las Vegas business using technology to make up for lack of workforce". January 6, 2023.
14. "Canadian fast-casual restaurant chain scraps controversial virtual cashier | Dished". dailyhive.com.
15. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/freshii-virtual-cashiers-bc-1.6467798
16. ^ "Freshii under fire for paying workers $3.75/hr in Nicaragua". CTVNews. April 27, 2022.
17. "Want to Order Food From a Minimally-Paid Call Center Employee from Central America? Visit a Freshii in Canada". Gizmodo. April 26, 2022.

• 2021 establishments in Canada
• Defunct software companies of Canada
• 2023 disestablishments in Canada