When Labor Politics Trump Common Sense
Only in California could city leaders respond to rampant theft not by arresting thieves, but by punishing shoppers. Long Beach has officially gone off the rails with its new “Safe Stores are Staffed Stores” ordinance, a bureaucratic nightmare that mandates one employee for every three self-checkout stations. The result? Grocery chains like Albertsons and Vons have simply shut down self-checkout altogether.
Apparently, city hall and the local grocery union believe that slowing down every customer is the secret to “public safety.” Meanwhile, repeat shoplifters continue their grab-and-go sprees, free from consequence. The so-called solution to theft has somehow become an attack on convenience, efficiency, and consumer choice.
A Union Victory—But a Customer Defeat
The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union, led by secretary-treasurer Matt Bell, has been celebrating this ordinance as a win for “safety and job creation.” In reality, it’s a thinly veiled labor protectionist move that kneecaps technological innovation in the name of “security.”
Instead of modernizing retail or cracking down on organized shoplifting rings, Long Beach opted to grant unions their demands—more staffing mandates, more dues-paying workers, and greater control over business operations. Customers, however, get the short end of the stick: fewer options, longer lines, and higher grocery bills.
The California Grocers Association and major retailers have warned of precisely this. “We’re seeing the worst-case scenario play out,” said a spokesperson. And they’re right—stores have already closed their self-checkout lanes rather than hire unnecessary workers just to babysit machines.
Fighting Theft by Killing Convenience
Let’s be honest: the self-checkout debate is not about theft, it’s about control. City officials and union leaders are using the rise in shoplifting (which the National Retail Federation reports jumped 93% from 2019 to 2023) as political cover to expand union power.
The irony? By forcing retailers to hire more people and cut self-checkout options, Long Beach is driving up operating costs—costs that will be passed directly to customers. Instead of deterring theft, the city is creating longer lines, irritated shoppers, and pricier groceries. That’s not a “safety” plan; it’s a self-inflicted wound.
Punish Thieves, Not Shoppers
If Long Beach truly prioritized safety, it would hold habitual offenders accountable, rather than punishing the average person simply for buying milk and bread during their lunch break. The ordinance caps self-checkout at 15 items and forbids purchasing any locked-up goods at those stations—because apparently, razors and baby formula are now contraband for law-abiding citizens.
It’s a perverse inversion of priorities: thieves get leniency, and consumers get inconvenience. The message is clear—crime pays, and efficiency doesn’t.
California’s Cautionary Tale
The rest of America should take note. This is what happens when city governments surrender to union pressure instead of enforcing the law. “Safe Stores” sounds nice, but it’s really Safe Jobs for Union Members, and a slow, frustrating checkout experience for everyone else.
Long Beach has set a dangerous precedent: when leaders can’t control crime, they regulate productivity. And when unions win battles like this, customers always lose.
We are so screwed.
— Steve
