Left-leaning members of the NYC Council are considering bizarre new legislation that aims to curb retail theft \u2014 by penalizing customers and business owners rather\u00a0than criminals.<\/p>\n
NYC supermarkets and pharmacies would be forced to impose a 15-item limit for customers using self-checkout lines, and have at least one employee assigned to every\u00a0three of those lines, or face daily fines of at least $100.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve seen the consequences of removing workers from these spaces: increased retail theft, less oversight, fewer protections for both workers and customers, and generally decreased safety,\u201d said Councilwoman Amanda Farias (D-Bronx) while introducing the legislation Tuesday.<\/a><\/p>\n Left-leaning members of the NYC Council are considering bizarre new legislation in a bid to curb retail theft by penalizing customers and business owners instead of criminals. Helayne Seidman for the NY Post<\/p>\n \u201cThis bill is about protecting good jobs, supporting workers on the front lines and creating a more secure shopping environment for New Yorkers,\u201d added Farias, contending the 15-item limit is to \u201cmaintain safety, accountability, and fairness in the checkout process.\u201d <\/p>\n The legislation\u2019s rollout comes on the heels of the Council\u2019s far-left faction trying to drum up support for a separate bill backed by socialist Mayor Mamdani to increase the city\u2019s hourly minimum wage<\/a> from $17 to a nationwide-high of $30 \u2014 a plan business leaders warn would be a costly disaster for employers and likely cause NYC to lose many jobs.<\/p>\n Farias\u2019 bill is already co-sponsored by four other Dems: Manhattan\u2019s Gale Brewer and Harvey Epstein, Tiffany\u00a0Cab\u00e1n of Queens, and Shirley Aldebol of The Bronx.<\/p>\n However, critics such as Councilwoman Joann Ariola said those pushing the bill have their priorities wrong.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is typical backwards leftist logic,\u201d the Queens Republican said. \u201cInstead of actually trying to punish criminals, my colleagues are pushing to make life even harder for businesses and consumers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve seen the consequences of removing workers from these spaces: increased retail theft, less oversight, fewer protections for both workers and customers, and generally decreased safety,\u201d said Councilwoman Amanda Farias (D-Bronx) while introducing the legislation Tuesday. Paul Martinka<\/p>\n She also took aim at the separate push to nearly double the city\u2019s minimum wage.<\/p>\n \u201cDemanding that struggling businesses hire even more staff \u2014 and at $30 an hour, no less, if some on the Council have their way \u2014 is a surefire way to drive business out of NYC and make it even more difficult for New Yorkers to get their medicine and groceries,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n If elected officials really want to help businesses crack down on shoplifters, they should put tougher laws in place to hold criminals accountable and help provide more police presence when needed, said Jason Ferraira, a board member of the National Supermarket Association, which represents more than 700 NYC and East Coast stores.<\/p>\n \u201cI think this is a horrible idea,\u201d said Ferraira, who has self-checkout at two of three Foodtown supermarkets he runs in Queens. \u201cSelf-checkout helps us because we don\u2019t have to man as many registers, that\u2019s true, but at the same time, it\u2019s the benefit for the customer. People like options.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t prevent shoplifting by making me have a certain ratio of employees,\u201d he added. \u201cPeople shoplift in a lot of different ways. Some shoplift through self-checkout. Some through the regular cashier checkout. Some people bypass the checkout altogether, and go straight to the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n John Catsimatidis, owner of the Gristedes supermarket chain, said he believes the motivation for the new bill is preventing retail stores from replacing workers with self-checkout lines as the Council \u201ctries to impose\u201d a higher minimum wage.<\/p>\n NYC supermarkets and pharmacies under the legislation would be forced to impose a 15-item limit for customers using self-checkout lines and have at least one employee assigned to every\u00a0three of those kiosks or face daily fines of at least $100. Helayne Seidman for the NY Post<\/p>\n \u201cThey think people are really stupid and don\u2019t realize the real reason they\u2019re doing this,\u2019 said the billionaire, who also owns WABC-AM radio.<\/p>\n Gristedes doesn\u2019t have self-checkout lines and likely never will because they\u2019re easy targets for shoplifters, he added.<\/p>\n Shoppers also think the Dem plan is misguided. <\/p>\n The City Council should be dealing with more important things \u2014 like passing laws to combat crime \u2014 than trying to dictate how supermarkets should deploy staff or how many items customers can have on a self-checkout line, said Tommy Bayiokos, 60, who regularly shops at Key Food supermarket and CVS pharmacy. <\/p>\n \u201cGovernment should stop being disruptors of businesses,\u201d said the Brooklyn-based actor. <\/p>\n \u201cIf anything, force businesses to hire more security guards that will actually crack down on shoplifting, but it seems like no one is watching the store anymore. And what is the point of inconveniencing people who use the self-service line?\u201d<\/p>\n A pandemic-era surge in shoplifting ravaged stores statewide \u2014 including in the city \u2014 and lead to\u00a0$4.4 billion in losses<\/a>\u00a0during 2022 alone, spurring mass closures by CVS, Rite Aid and other major retailers.<\/p>\n