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Council asks staff to study staffing rules for grocery self-checkout after industry pushback
Summary
After a caller from the California Grocers Association urged delay, the Glendale City Council voted to agendize a staff report to study a proposed ordinance on staffing levels at grocery-store self-checkout stations; Council member Kasakian proposed a model of one employee per three to four stations.
The Glendale City Council voted to direct staff to prepare a study and potential draft ordinance examining staffing requirements for grocery-store self-checkout stations after hearing industry comments and council discussion.
Tim James, representing the California Grocers Association, asked the council to pause and engage local grocers before moving forward. "We were surprised to see the issue of self checkout regulation listed on this agenda without any prior outreach," James said, urging the council to hold off until grocers are consulted and warning that some jurisdictionsdata show regulation can remove self-checkout options.
Council member Kasakian, who brought the agenda request, said his intent is modest and consumer-facing: to ensure stores provide staff assistance when customers need help. "I personally call me old fashioned. I like to actually talk to someone," Kasakian said, and described a possible staffing standard of "one dedicated employee per 3 to 4 self checkout stations." He asked staff to research how other cities have approached similar measures, citing Long Beach as an example.
Why it matters: The study could lead to a local ordinance that affects store operations, staffing and accessibility; it raises labor and disability-access questions and intersects with existing collective-bargaining agreements that some council members said already address aspects of self-checkout usage.
Council debate and outcome: Council members voiced mixed views. One member raised concerns about accessibility for people with disabilities and urged sensitivity to those needs; Mayor Najarian noted an existing collective-bargaining agreement between grocery workers and industry representatives and cautioned against immediate unilateral action. After discussion the council voted to agendize the staff report; the clerk recorded several yes votes and the mayor voted no.
Next steps: City staff will prepare research and possible draft language for a future agenda item; council said they will seek input from local grocers, labor representatives and disability advocates before any ordinance is proposed.
