New NY Bill Would Give Shoppers 10% Off Self-Checkout

Could New Yorkers Get 10% Off for Using Self-Checkout?

If you've ever scanned and bagged your own groceries and thought, "I should be getting paid for this," you're not alone. A new bill introduced in New York is trying to do exactly that.

It would require supermarkets, grocery stores, and other food retailers to give shoppers a 10% discount when they self-checkout.

The idea is pretty simple: if customers are doing the work that cashiers used to do, they should share in the savings.

a person standing in a room with computers and other equipment — Photo by Zack Yeo on Unsplash

The Thinking Behind the Bill

The bill's sponsor argues that stores have cut labor costs by shifting the scanning, bagging, and checkout process onto customers. Instead of keeping all of those savings, the proposal says retailers should pass some of that money back to shoppers in the form of a discount.

Imagine spending $150 on groceries and knocking $15 off your total just because you rang everything up yourself.

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Don't Expect It Anytime Soon

Before you start planning all your grocery trips around self-checkout, there's a catch.

The bill was introduced near the end of the legislative session and is still sitting in the Assembly Consumer Affairs and Protection Committee. It hasn't received a vote yet, so it's a long way from becoming law.

Even if it eventually moves forward, it would still need approval from both the Assembly and Senate before reaching the governor's desk.

Would You Use Self-Checkout for 10% Off?

Some people love self-checkout because it's usually faster. Others avoid it because they don't want to scan and bag everything themselves. If a 10% discount became reality, it might change a lot of minds.

So here's the question: Would you switch to self-checkout every time if it saved you 10%, or would you still rather have a cashier do the work?

I don't know about you, but you'll find me in the self-checkout lane every time!