Long Beach is regulating self-checkout lanes; large retailers are not happy about it
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As my luck would have it, I was stuck in the longest line inside the Monterey Park Costco when I visited last week.
Shoppers in the self-checkout queue varied from those with carts jam packed with 20 to 30 items, to flatbed carts loaded with 72-inch television screens along with a random dude waiting to pay for a single rotisserie chicken.
The chaos of the self-checkout line is real, not just at Costco but in supermarkets, retail outlets and stores throughout Southern California.
Long Beach is trying to do something about it by recently adopting an ordinance to regulate self-checkout lanes, primarily to curtail shoplifting, as detailed by my colleague Caroline Petrow-Cohen.
Many employees are in favor of the new standards, most store owners are not and shoppers generally seem confused or oblivious to the dispute.
Let’s jump into Petrow-Cohen’s article and see what’s going on.
Changes adopted by Long Beach
The city’s “Safe Stores are Staffed Stores” ordinance is the first of its kind in the country.
The Long Beach regulations require that large stores have at least one staff member for every three self-checkout stations in use.
It also sets a limit of 15 items per customer for self-checkout. Meanwhile, any items locked inside a case in the store can not be bought through self-checkout, according to the ordinance.
What’s the rationale behind the move?
The surge in shoplifting has become a headache for retail customers who are witnessing more theft or dealing with security measures to stop it, such as products displayed in locked cabinets.
The city said it passed the ordinance to “advance public safety and prevent retail theft,” citing “hostile and unsafe” conditions.
Theft is common and underreported particularly at self-checkout, according to the ordinance.
The National Retail Federation estimates that shoplifting incidents in the U.S. increased by 93% from 2019 to 2023. In 2023, retailers surveyed by the federation reported an average of 177 retail thefts a day.
Who’s in favor?
The Long Beach ordinance adds store personnel and puts the protection of employees and shoppers from dangerous situations at the forefront, said Matt Bell, secretary-treasurer of UFCW 324, the union that represents grocery workers.
“The checkers and the cashiers are on the front lines of this,” he said. “It really is necessary to provide them safety and security and better staffing.”
Who’s against it?
Groups representing grocers and retailers such as Target and Walmart said the ordinance will increase labor costs for employers, leading to higher price tags on the shelf. It will also reduce sales in stores where self-checkout lanes are closed.
“These efforts will ultimately damage self-checkout,” said Nate Rose, a vice president at the California Grocers Assn. “We’re seeing that worst-case scenario play out where a number of grocers have decided it’s not worth it to keep the self-checkout lanes open.”
The California Retailers Assn. said retailers need freedom to decide on their own what is the most efficient way to deal with theft.
In response to the requirements, some Albertsons and Vons in Long Beach have closed their self-checkout lanes entirely.
Notes from the reporter’s notepad
The article’s author, Petrow-Cohen, said customers she spoke with were oblivious about the ordinance.
“The public isn’t exactly up in arms about this,” she said. “I think that there are definitely people who are annoyed that the self-checkout lanes are closed at plenty of Vons and Albertsons and they had no idea that this fight was going on.”
Petrow-Cohen also saw the regulations seemingly ignored at a Target, where five self-checkout stations were open and staffed by one employee. Under the ordinance, Target would have needed to add another employee to the self-checkout lanes to open another lane.
For more, check out the full story here.
The week’s biggest stories
The Dodgers are heading back to the World Series
- Shohei Ohtani hit three home runs and struck out 10 batters over six scoreless innings in the Dodgers’ 5-1 sweeping win over the Brewers in the NLCS.
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- California made it through another summer without a Flex Alert.
- The Monterey Bay Aquarium reprints vintage T-shirt worn by Taylor Swift, raises millions for sea otters.
Crime, courts and policing
- An ex-LAPD officer is arrested on a murder charge in the 2015 killing of a homeless man in Venice.
- Dozens of stolen Proposition 50 ballots are found in a homeless encampment in Sacramento.
- L.A. County is expected to pay out an additional $828 million for victims of alleged sexual abuse.
- New details emerge in the murder of an L.A. model found stuffed inside her own refrigerator.
- A SoCal couple hopped into the hot tub for an early-morning soak. A grisly, coordinated attack followed.
State and national politics
- State Sen. Scott Wiener is expected to run for the congressional seat held by stalwart Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
- How U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is winning over Trumpworld on striking Venezuela.
More big stories
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- Susan Stamberg, NPR ‘founding mother’ and ‘All Things Considered’ host, dies at 87.
- ‘They smashed into me’: Activist says video shows ICE rammed his truck. Agents claim the opposite.
- Dazzling satellite photos show California mountains before and after snowstorms.
This week’s must-reads
Salomon Delgado offers his secrets for longevity, which include finding something that gives you joy and purpose.
More great reads
- From McDonald’s flash mobs to Whittier gyms, the KnuckleHeadz Punk Rock Fight Club transforms lives.
- Opinion: Trump has turned the White House into a government of ‘snowflakes.’
- Opinion: Katie Porter turns out to be a mean boss. Voters should know better than to hire her again.
- Opinion: What’s really happening at the ‘No Kings’ rallies nationwide.
- Opinion: Shohei Ohtani could pull off a playoff feat even Babe Ruth never achieved.
For your weekend
Going out
- Out and about: What do travelers love about these nine hotels around Joshua Tree? The highly specific vibes.
- Lovely homes: How Pasadena fell in love with Craftsman homes.
- You scream, I scream, we all scream: Ten of the best L.A. scoop shops for vegan ice cream.
- Movie Review: Ethan Hawke brings complex pain to a lyricist who’s lost the melody in ‘Blue Moon.’
Staying in
- Television Review: CBS spinoffs ‘Boston Blue’ and ‘Sheriff Country’ will please fans of the originals.
- Television Review: ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ reaches its 450th episode. Meet the people who’ve been there from the start.
- Music Review: When making ‘Deadbeat,’ Kevin Parker wanted to be ‘free from sonic perfection.’
- Streaming review: Inside Netflix’s shocking, ‘undeniable’ new indictment of ‘stand your ground’ laws.
- Recipes: Here’s a recipe for Mary’s clubhouse cracker bars with chocolate butterscotch topping.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.
Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team
Jim Rainey, staff writer
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew J. Campa, reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
Diamy Wang, homepage intern
Izzy Nunes, audience intern
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.
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