Copyright NBC10 Boston
Massachusetts state lawmakers are considering new regulations on self-checkout stands following complaints about tense interactions with customers from grocery store workers. "It manifests itself in different forms," said Stop and Shop employee Celine Blaisdell, "It can be a look, it can be in your face, it can oftentimes be swearing." A new bill from state Sen. Paul Feeney aims to address those issues by limiting stores to only eight self-checkout stations running at one time and requiring one employee to supervise every two that are in operation. A traditional checkout stand would also need to be open for every two self-checkouts. "It's good for consumers -- people get frustrated -- it's good for the working people and it's good for our communities to have jobs that aren't thrown away," Feeney said. But grocery and food store advocates argue staffing is hard enough right now and these added requirements put an undue strain on businesses while taking away a key tool. "Self-checkout stations allow many businesses to keep their operations moving smoothly despite worker shortages," said Ryan Kearney, with the Retailers Association of Massachusetts. "To dictate how they should be working in a food store environment is too restrictive," said Brian Houghton, with the Massachusetts Food Association. Feeney says those concerns will be part of the process going forward. "It's an important discussion to have," Feeney said. All the same, grocery store employees are urging the state legislature to move quickly and, in the meantime, asking customers to be more patient while checking out. "A little understanding would go a long way," Blaisdell said.
