Citing the need and urgency to develop targeted public policy tools to disrupt and prevent retail theft in grocery and drug store establishments, the City Council of the City of Long Beach has passed an ordinance requiring drug retail establishments and food retail establishments that provide self-service checkout options to provide at least one checkout station staffed by an employee, and at least one employee to supervise the self-service checkout operation. Such establishments must also establish, implement, and advertise limits to self-service checkout to purchases of no more than 15 items.
If an establishment has two or more self-service checkout stations, then a staffing ratio of at least one employee for every three self-service checkout stations must be maintained.
Additionally, certain items, such as alcohol and tobacco products, may not be purchased using self-service checkout options.
The ordinance goes into effect on September 21, 2025. You can access the ordinance here.