Overview
- The measure limits stores to eight operating self-checkout stations and requires one staffed register for every two self-checkout lanes open.
- It would restrict any one employee to monitoring no more than two kiosks and require that person to be relieved of other duties while monitoring.
- Enforcement would fall to the state Attorney General, with initial fines set at the equivalent of one full day of pay and benefits at the highest retail clerk wage for each day of violation.
- Labor groups, including the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and UFCW Local 1445, support the bill, citing job protection, worker safety concerns, and customer frustration with malfunctioning machines.
- Retail associations oppose the proposal, warning it would reduce customer choice, strain staffing, and likely raise prices, and questions remain about how it would apply to big-box chains versus pharmacies like CVS.