Self-Checkout Is Under Fire Across the Country. Is Theft Really the Reason?
Legislation to restrict self-checkout machines has emerged in multiple states and cities, often justified as a measure to reduce retail theft. However, the details of these bills suggest a primary goal of increasing staffing levels and creating unionized jobs. Labor unions, particularly those representing grocery workers, are the main supporters of these proposed regulations.
- ▪At least six states have considered rules to limit self-checkout machines in grocery stores.
- ▪Bills often require stores to maintain a specific ratio of employees to self-checkout machines and limit the total number of automated lanes.
- ▪The Connecticut bill mandates one manual checkout station for every two self-checkout lanes and restricts employee multitasking during supervision.
- ▪Support for the legislation comes predominantly from labor unions such as the UFCW, SEIU, and AFL-CIO.
- ▪A 2019 Oregon ballot measure sought to limit stores to two self-checkout lanes, showing long-standing union interest in the issue.
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Labor Unions Self-Checkout Is Under Fire Across the Country. Is Theft Really the Reason? The restrictions are often framed as a crime prevention measure. But the fine print points to a different motivation: adding union jobs. C. Jarrett Dieterle | 5.2.2026 7:00 AM Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google Media Contact & Reprint Requests <img src="https://d2eehagpk5cl65.cloudfront.net/img/c800x450-w800-q80/uploads/2026/05/self-checkout-unions-800x450.jpg" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto" width="1200" height="675" title="A self-checkout machine" alt="A self-checkout machine | Illustration: Lex Villena; Daria Nipot | Dreamstime.com" /> (Illustration: Lex Villena; Daria Nipot | Dreamstime.com) Self-checkout machines…
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