Blue City Council Members Tackle Self-Checkout Retail Theft By Threatening To Fine Business Owners
(Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty Images)
New York City Democrats are seeking to curb shoplifting by placing more responsibility on stores and shoppers rather than the individuals committing theft.
On Tuesday, Councilwoman Amanda Farias introduced a bill that would limit self-checkout purchases to 15 items and require supermarkets and pharmacies to staff at least one employee for every three self-checkout lanes. Stores that fail to meet these requirements could face daily fines starting at $100, the New York Post reported.
Farias argued that reducing staff at checkout areas has led to higher rates of theft, weaker oversight, and decreased safety for both workers and customers. The legislation has four Democratic co-sponsors: Manhattan Councilmembers Gale Brewer and Harvey Epstein, Queens’ Tiffany Cabán, and Bronx Councilmember Shirley Aldebol. Republican Councilwoman Joann Ariola criticized the measure, saying it unfairly penalizes businesses and shoppers instead of targeting criminals. “Instead of actually trying to punish criminals, my colleagues are pushing to make life even harder for businesses and consumers,” Ariola told the New York Post.
NYC Council Dems’ bizarre plan to crack down on the supermarket self-checkout line https://t.co/BbBvRZTMfG pic.twitter.com/NEBXicu50y
— New York Post (@nypost) March 14, 2026
Jason Ferraira, a board member of the National Supermarket Association who owns three Foodtown stores in Queens, called the bill poorly conceived. “You don’t prevent shoplifting by enforcing a specific ratio of employees,” he said. “People shoplift in a lot of different ways, so this approach misses the mark.”
The proposal comes as the City Council is also considering raising the city’s minimum wage from $17 to $30 per hour by 2030, according to Gothamist. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, supported the wage increase during his campaign, and his office confirmed he remains committed to the plan. Business groups warn that these combined policies could create a heavy regulatory burden, potentially driving employers away from the city.
Retail theft in New York City jumped 68% above pre-pandemic levels in 2022 and remains high, despite a roughly 7% drop from 2023 to 2025, according to a Brennan Center for Justice analysis. While shoplifting has fallen nationwide, New York continues to see elevated levels. The city’s proposed self-checkout staffing rules follow a model recently adopted in California, where Long Beach and Costa Mesa implemented similar requirements in 2025 and 2026. Lawmakers there framed the rules as job-protection measures rather than direct anti-crime strategies, the Orange County Register reported.
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