A SELF-CHECKOUT bill has been put forward that could end up shaping the future policies of major retailers including Walmart and Aldi in a US state.
Lawmakers in Washington State proposed the legislation that could have impacts on checkout policies if it came to pass.
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But, certain membership clubs like Costco would be exempt, as per the Washington State Standard.
Lawmakers proposed a new framework for self-checkout stations, but the bill has stalled.
Under the proposal, self-checkouts would only be open when a register is in operation.
Shoppers would be limited to a maximum of 15 items at the kiosks.
And grocery store workers would only have to monitor a maximum of two kiosks.
If the bill became law, then stores with a size of more than 15,000 square feet would be impacted.
On average, the size of a Walmart supermarket is around 178,000 square feet.
Aldi officials revealed that the size of a store ranges between 17,825 and 18,000 square feet.
More than 10,000 square feet is used for sales.
The average size of a Kroger location is 57,000 square feet.
It’s not dead as Mary Fosse, the Democratic politician who sponsored the bill, has said it will be “fine-tuned.”
The proposals are being revised after grocers flagged concerns.
“We would need to demand one person for every two checkout stations, which is overkill, and honestly just kind of defeats the purpose of self-checkout,” Brandon Housekeeper, of the Northwest Grocery Retail Association, told KIRO.
Not all labor unions representing grocers voiced concerns.
Latest self-checkout changes
Retailers are evolving their self-checkout strategy in an effort to speed up checkout times and reduce theft.
Walmart shoppers were shocked when self-checkout lanes at various locations were made available only for Walmart+ members.
Other customers reported that self-checkout was closed during specific hours, and more cashiers were offered instead.
While shoppers feared that shoplifting fueled the updates, a Walmart spokesperson revealed that store managers are simply experimenting with ways to improve checkout performance.
One bizarre experiment included an RFID-powered self-checkout kiosk that would stop the fiercely contested receipt checks.
However, that test run has been phased out.
At Target, items are being limited at self-checkout.
Last fall, the brand surveyed new express self-checkout lanes across 200 stores with 10 items or less for more convenience.
As of March 2024, this policy has been expanded across 2,000 stores in the US.
Shoppers have also spotted their local Walmart stores restricting customers to 15 items or less to use self-checkout machines.
Some actually welcomed the move, highlighting the amount of checkout stations store workers have to monitor at one time.
“When grocery workers are left to monitor six, eight, or even a dozen self-checkout machines at once, they’re not only overwhelmed, they’re exposed,” Joe Mizrahi, who is part of the UFCW labor union, told KIRO.
Retailers like Target have rolled out a policy limiting shoppers to a maximum of 10 items.
This policy has proved controversial with some shoppers threatening to boycott the retail giant as a result.
Target chiefs initially trialed the policy at a select number of stores, before implementing a widespread rollout.
Certain Walmart stores limit self-checkout users to a maximum of 15 items.
Aldi has come under fire over its self-checkout policy.
Lawmakers in Washington state are not the only politicians that have proposed self-checkout related laws.
In August, Californian lawmakers proposed a law that was designed to combat retail theft.
The bill outlined workers would only have to monitor a maximum of two self-checkout stations.
And it contained provisions for retailers to impose limits at checkouts.
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