A proposed Senate bill would prohibit self-checkout lanes for customers at all California grocery and retail drug stores unless certain conditions are met. It’s all in an effort to combat theft.
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California could be the case study that changes how retailers use self-checkout.
Senate Bill 1446, introduced by Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas earlier this year, would require that at least one employee is available to monitor two self-checkout stations. That one employee would need to be “relieved of all other duties,” the filing said.
At times, using self-checkout was the only option many of us had when shopping at certain stores. But recently, several retailers have started to curb their reliance on these machines amid rising theft and customer complaints. And now, a new law could force some stores to ban self-checkout altogether.
California bill SB 1446, introduced by Senator Smallwood-Cuevas, aims to regulate self-checkout systems in grocery and retail drug establishments. If passed, the bill would impose conditions on self-service checkout, such as limiting the number of stations per employee and ensuring the availability of manned checkout counters. It also restricts the use of self-checkout for certain items and requires businesses to assess the impact of such technology on jobs.
Self-checkout stations at grocery stores are fast, convenient, and fairly easy to use. But they're also a magnet for theft and, as losses for retail stores pile up, California may try to do something about it.
A new California bill has the potential to ban self-checkout options in grocery stores in an attempt to curb retail theft.
Senate Bill 1446, introduced by Democratic state Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, would “prohibit a grocery or retail drug establishment from providing a self-service checkout option” unless conditions such as ensuring that no more than two self-service checkout stations are monitored by one employee are met, according to a summary of the proposed legislation.
A newly proposed bill in California could ban grocery stores and certain retailers from offering self-checkout options for customers in an effort to cut down on theft.
A newly proposed bill in California could ban grocery stores and certain retailers from offering self-checkout options for customers in an effort to cut down on theft.