SHOPPERS are looking for creative checkout solutions as concerns grow about what will happen to thousands of retailers if new self-checkout rules become law.
Millions of shoppers will be affected if California passes SB 1446 — a bill currently in the state Senate that aims to regulate self-checkout policies at retailers across the state.
4
4
4
4
The bill would require stores to limit self-checkout to 10 items or fewer, limit workers to overseeing more than two kiosks at a time and adapt to other requirements.
Large retailers like Walmart and Kroger, which have integrated self-checkout into their store plans, may be forced to abandon the machines entirely if SB 1446 becomes law.
The regulations have been hotly debated since they were introduced in the state Senate earlier this year by Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, a Democrat from Los Angeles.
Supporters of the bill say the new regulations would protect both retailers and customers, and many labor unions have said they support the law.
Read more about self-checkout
But opponents, many of whom come from the business sector, argue that the regulations are excessive and will have a negative impact on companies.
‘THIN MARGINS’ NOW
Retailers are “operating on very thin margins,” Ashley Hoffman, senior policy advocate at the California Chamber of Commerce, told ABC News affiliate. KGO In San Francisco.
“When you have to make these drastic adjustments or adjust staffing ratios, it can have a huge impact on costs,” she said.
Hoffman said the bill was “cumbersome” and interfered with “the granularity of how a business or a store needs to operate.”
And now, some consumers say they agree the legislation may be excessive.
One buyer even suggested creating a third category for checkout – one that offered security and anonymity.
“There needs to be a special cashier where the cashier doesn’t chat,” Sara (@snobbigsara) wrote on X in response to news about SB 1446.
Other customers shared more concerns.
“We as consumers are going to have to pay for it to take it down and redo it or whatever is decided, you know?” one San Francisco resident told KGO.
“The cost shouldn’t be ours. It should be theirs as a corporation.”
“I understand the concern about theft,” began another worried shopper.
“I would be concerned, however, if supermarkets were required to have more checkout aisles, it would represent a huge increase in costs for them and they would pass that cost on to customers.”
VERY HIGH THEFT
Lawmakers who wrote SB 1446 said they wrote the bill with the goal of helping retailers curb shoplifting in their stores.
Recent studies have found that removing self-checkout kiosks entirely may be the best option for reducing theft levels.
A recent survey carried out by loan tree revealed that 15% of shoppers admitted to intentionally stealing an item while using self-checkout – and 44% of those people said they planned to do it again.
And 69% of respondents said they believed self-checkout made shoplifting easier.
California state congress members are expected to vote on SB 1446 later this year.
Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The US Sun.
SB 1446: FIVE NEW RULES FOR RETAILERS
California’s new self-checkout law, officially known as SB 1446, includes five key requirements for retailers:
- Self-checkout must be limited to ten or fewer items
- At least one cashier-led checkout must be open
- Customers using self-checkout are prohibited from purchasing alcohol and tobacco
- Employees will be limited to overseeing a maximum of two self-checkout machines at a time
- Self-checkout workers must be relieved of all other duties when monitoring the area
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
