Costa Mesa residents and shoppers could soon see more employees working self-checkout stands at their local supermarkets and drug stores after city leaders narrowly approved new rules on how the automated lanes can function.
The city’s new rules are based on Long Beach’s program, the first city in the state to require self-checkout lanes to have a staff member attached to them.
Self-checkout lanes will be limited to people buying 15 items or less under Costa Mesa’s new ordinance to help keep the lines moving, and if stores are found to not keep at least one staff person per three booths at the self checkout lanes, they can be sued by their workers.
The new rules apply to just under a dozen stores throughout the city, including two Targets, three CVS pharmacies, two Vons and a Northgate market, which altogether hold 57 self checkout stands, with the goal of reigning in retail theft, according to the ordinance.
“It is in the public’s interest to require grocery and drug stores to adopt effective preventative measures that will address the impacts on public health and safety that retail theft creates,” reads the city’s ordinance. “Regulating the staffing of self-service checkout operations will address the hostile and unsafe working conditions for employees, and unsafe shopping environments for customers.”
Derek Smith, political director for the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 324 union, praised the program’s draft and also asked city leaders to limit any carveouts for stores and provide notification directly to branch stores when they’re out of compliance.
“We appreciate the effort from the city to put together an ordinance that we can be proud of, one that addresses not only rampant shoplifting but also the pernicious effect that the increased reliance of self checkout has on grocery workers,” Smith said.
The move was opposed by the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce, with president and CEO David Haithcock calling it a “one size fits all” solution that doesn’t work well for store owners.
“Originally this was built around safety,” Haithcock said. “However, the way this ordinance is written we respectfully oppose this draft ordinance.”
He also raised concerns over ambiguity in the city laws opening up the possibilities of lawsuits, including questions over how scan and go checkouts could work and what other work people can do.
“I’m going to close on this. Costa Mesa should be a city where businesses want to open, operate and grow,” Haithcock said. “Without clear, measurable standards, we respectfully ask the council to reconsider this approach.”
The California Grocers Association also opposed the move, saying the ordinance will raise prices. They also launched an email campaign urging council members to vote against it
It’s unclear what benefits the program could bring to the city, with city staff noting during their conversations with Long Beach city staff they’d found no evidence of “any substantial increase in staffing” and seen frustration from customers over the item limit at check outs.
Some retailers, like certain Wal-Marts, have instituted a 15-item limit on self-checkout lanes without local laws.
Costa Mesa’s new law was ultimately approved in a 3-2 vote by city council members, with Councilmembers Arlis Reynolds and Mike Buley absent.
Councilman Loren Gameros said it was a necessary step to stop overworking grocery store employees.
“Everybody in the room gets to enjoy weekends, where do you think those came from? Yeah, unions,” Gameros said. “All we’re asking is you don’t have someone look at nine registers … I’m always going to support workers.”
Councilmembers Andrea Marr and Manuel Chavez also voted in favor of the new rules.
Councilman Jeff Pettis opposed the rules, highlighting how state legislators are looking at regulating the issue and that it should be between the union and store management.
“I don’t know what we’re talking about here,” Pettis said, encouraging the two sides to speak together.
Mayor John Stephens – who voted no – said he didn’t like they were only the second city in the state to jump into regulating self checkout, and also questioned why stores like Home Depot wouldn’t be included if they also have self checkout.
“I would normally support pretty much anything that’s supported by organized labor,” Stephens said. “I think there were some reasons for sure … I just didn’t think they were sufficiently compelling to get the city, a municipality, into this regulation of the details of a private business.”
Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org.