City officials in Costa Mesa, California, are monitoring developments in Long Beach regarding self-checkout regulations as they consider implementing a similar ordinance, reports the Los Angeles Times.
In August, Long Beach passed an ordinance requiring retailers to staff self-checkout areas with at least one employee for every three self-checkout stations and to limit self-checkout purchases to no more than 15 items. Customers also cannot use self-checkout to purchase age-restricted items such as alcohol and tobacco or items locked to prevent theft.
The Safe Stores are Staffed Stores law applies to grocery and pharmacy retailers larger than 15,000 square feet, as well as some big-box stores.
About 20 miles southeast of Long Beach, Costa Mesa is considering a similar measure that would affect 14 grocery stores and five drugstores.
When a city official recently audited the stores, he said drugstores already met the proposed staffing requirements for self-checkout. Of the 14 grocery stores offering self-checkout, six had such stations, and only one employee staffed each station.
Long Beach announced that stores failing to comply will face fines starting at $100, increasing by $100 per day, up to a maximum of $1,000.
In response to the new law, Albertsons closed self-checkout at all four of its Vons supermarkets and at one Albertsons store.
Costa Mesa officials have interviewed grocery store workers and community members. Worker unions support the proposal, saying it would increase oversight of self-checkout areas.
However, the California Grocers Association opposes the measure, arguing that it does not prevent theft because employees are prohibited from intervening in such incidents.
At the last Costa Mesa City Council meeting, members made a motion to draft an ordinance for consideration.