ALBERTSONS bosses have provided an update on the status of its self-checkout machines after a law impacting the kiosks came into force.
Policies are now in place limiting shoppers to a maximum of 15 items and users are banned from scanning certain items at the machines.
The change has come into force across stores in Long Beach, California.
And, it has prompted store bosses to take their own action.
Albertsons bosses have provided an update on self-checkout machines in stores.
“These changes were made due to a new Long Beach City Council ordinance (25-0010) regulating self-checkout operations,” a spokesperson for the company told the CW affiliate KTLA-TV.
“The ordinance requires that locked or secured items cannot be purchased through self-checkout.
“As a result, our self-checkout lanes are currently unavailable.”
Four Vons stores in the city have also closed self-checkout stations, as reported by the CBS affiliate KCAL-TV.
Vons stores are owned by Albertsons.
Under the fresh measures, one supermarket staffer has to supervise three self-checkout stations.
Shoppers cannot buy products such as alcohol at self-checkout because ID checks are required.
Items that are locked away or secured cannot be paid for at the self-checkout either.
And, these restrictions are on top of the policy limit that is in place.
Shoppers are greeted by a sign that states the self-checkouts are closed.
And customers have already seen the impact of the policy in supermarkets.
“The lines were pretty long,” Maleah Walley, a Vons shopper, told KCAL.
City officials took the action after reporting rises in petty theft.
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.
Petty theft jumped by 16% between 2023 and 2024.
Retailers such as Target had already implemented self-checkout-related measures before the Long Beach policy came into force.
The beloved chain rolled out its Express Self-Checkout concept in March 2024, limiting shoppers to a maximum of 10 items.
The U.S. Sun reported how the policy has proved to be divisive.
Other supermarket chains like Walmart have introduced policies on a store-by-store basis.
Rumors swirled that Aldi bosses were planning to make a self-checkout change, but representatives have since clarified their stance.
Shoppers were convinced that execs at the budget supermarket had made a change after documenting their experiences on Reddit.
