Workers Applaud Costa Mesa City Council’s Action Regulating Self-Checkout
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 5, 2025
Contact: Jenna Thompson, 949.246.1620, jthompson@ufcw324.org
WORKERS APPLAUD COSTA MESA CITY COUNCIL’S ACTION REGULATING SELF-CHECKOUT
Buena Park, CA – Today, the 22,000 members of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 324 applaud the Costa Mesa City Council’s introduction of an ordinance to address staffing and operational standards for the use of self-checkout in grocery retail stores and retail drug establishments in the city of Costa Mesa. This ordinance will be the first in Orange County to proactively address retail theft and advance public safety.
“We’re fed up with seeing the grocery and retail drug companies where we represent members implement technology designed to eliminate workers’ jobs while creating a range of problems for retailers, workers, and the public alike,” said Matt Bell, secretary-treasurer, UFCW Local 324. “It’s clear companies use self-checkout to drastically cut staffing and reduce labor costs, and the consequence is now that our members have to oversee as many as nine self-checkout stations while also having to ring up customers at a full-service lane or clean up spills. This impacts customers’ shopping experience and puts customers at risk. Costa Mesa’s ordinance will protect good jobs and keep workers safe and we’re proud to stand behind the workers fighting for it.”
Self-checkout has rapidly spread since its introduction in 1986 and now accounts for approximately one-third of all transactions in retail grocery and drug stores. While companies tout self-checkout as a solution to streamline operations and increase customer convenience, these systems have rapidly become a source of critical safety and service challenges. Retail workers are increasingly overwhelmed by the responsibility of overseeing multiple self-checkout stations with insufficient staffing, putting both employees and customers at risk. The lack of human oversight makes it increasingly difficult to prevent theft, and when theft does occur, workers are forced to deal with the fallout, resulting in hostile work environments and unsafe conditions.
The practice of understaffing and the increasingly widespread reliance on self-checkout create an unsafe environment for both shoppers and workers. Customers, particularly seniors and people with disabilities, are frequently left to struggle with technology that they may not be able to use effectively. These vulnerable populations are underserved and isolated, without the assistance they need, and often face long delays in service.
“Stores push customers towards self-checkout instead of the manual cashier line, and the person in charge of the self-checkout area has to supervise multiple machines while still performing other duties,” said Matt Walters, a Produce Manager at Pavilions. “This is unsustainable and ultimately leads to increased theft. And when we try to prevent theft, customer interactions become more dangerous. This ordinance will help protect workers and lead to better shopping experiences for customers.”
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