 |
|
6/11/2026
|
Assembly approves President Lawson, Rep. Cotter bill to establish limits on grocery self-checkouts
|
STATE HOUSE — The General Assembly today approved legislation from Senate President Valarie J. Lawson and Rep. Megan L. Cotter to establish limits on the use of self-checkout lanes at grocery stores in Rhode Island.
The legislation (2026-S 2342B, 2026-H 7290A) now goes to the governor for his consideration.
The legislation would require grocery stores with self-checkouts to have a minimum of one staffed checkout for every three self-checkouts operating, with at least one of the self-checkout stations meeting the accessibility standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
It would also require that grocery store employees be relieved of all other duties, including operating a manual checkout station, while monitoring self-checkout stations.
President Lawson and Representative Cotter said they introduced the bill out of concern for those who work as cashiers, and for customers who struggle with frustrating self-checkout experiences, particularly elderly customers.
“Overreliance on self-service checkouts is frustrating for customers and the workers who are manually covering self-checkout stations on top of all their other job duties. We’ve all experienced an issue using a self-service checkout and had to wait for an overtaxed employee to come over to resolve it, an experience that can be far more challenging for elderly members of the community,” said President Lawson (D-Dist. 14, East Providence). “This bill would provide options for the consumer by making sure staffed checkout lanes are always available while also improving the store environment for workers and consumers.”
“In addition to the frustration and inconvenience self-checkouts represent to many shoppers, this is a jobs issue. Self-checkouts are specifically used to reduce the number of people that stores employ, and the number of hours that their employees work. As cashiers move from full time to part time, many are forced to turn to government assistance like Medicaid and food stamps,” said Representative Cotter (D-Dist. 39, Exeter, Richmond, Hopkinton). “The big corporations that own grocery chains no doubt hope the public will just slowly continue to accept this effort, but many people still want the advantages of checking out with a real human being. This bill places a limit on this trend and ensures that those who want to check out with a human can do so.”
The bill contains exemptions for off-peak hours before 8 a.m. and after 8 p.m. and during a declared state of emergency.
Increased use of self-checkouts has allowed grocery stores to rely more heavily on part-time employees, positions that do not provide retail workers with a living wage or access to benefits. There are costs to the public as well, since many retail workers, particularly those with a part-time schedule, qualify and receive income-based public benefits such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits (formally known as food stamps) and subsidized health care. Additionally, the move disproportionately harms people of color, who are overrepresented in cashier positions, typically the lowest-paid positions in retail businesses.
For more information, contact:
Tristan Grau, Publicist
State House Room B20
Providence, RI 02903
401.222.4935
|
|