Tipsheet

NYC Democrats' Plan for Stopping Shoplifting Will Make You Roll Your Eyes Into the Back of Your Head

Jeff Charles
Jeff Charles  |  March 16, 2026 1:00 PM

New York City’s Democrats have come up with a novel idea for stopping the rash of shoplifting occurring in the city: Punish those who are being stolen from.

It’s an idea only leftists could concoct.

Democratic New York City councilmembers introduced a measure that would penalize grocery stores for failing to have enough employees monitor self-checkout lines, essentially blaming them if someone steals from their stores, according to the New York Post:

Left-leaning members of the NYC Council are considering bizarre new legislation that aims to curb retail theft — by penalizing customers and business owners rather than criminals.

NYC supermarkets and pharmacies would be forced to impose a 15-item limit for customers using self-checkout lines, and have at least one employee assigned to every three of those lines, or face daily fines of at least $100.

“We’ve seen the consequences of removing workers from these spaces: increased retail theft, less oversight, fewer protections for both workers and customers, and generally decreased safety,” said Councilwoman Amanda Farias (D-Bronx) while introducing the legislation Tuesday.

“This bill is about protecting good jobs, supporting workers on the front lines and creating a more secure shopping environment for New Yorkers,” added Farias, contending the 15-item limit is to “maintain safety, accountability, and fairness in the checkout process.”

The legislation’s rollout comes on the heels of the Council’s far-left faction trying to drum up support for a separate bill backed by socialist Mayor Mamdani to increase the city’s hourly minimum wage from $17 to a nationwide-high of $30 — a plan business leaders warn would be a costly disaster for employers and likely cause NYC to lose many jobs.

The proposed law would require large grocery stores and pharmacies to have employees monitor self-checkout areas at all times. It also requires that “a pharmacy or food retail store that operates 4 or more self-service checkout kiosks in a self-service checkout area shall maintain a staffing ratio of at leat 1 employee for every 3 self-service checkout kiosks.”

The measure would also limit customers using self-checkout by requiring stores to “establish, implement, and advertise a 15-item maximum for self-service checkout purchases.

Stores that fail to comply with the law would face a $100 fine per employee each day that the law is not followed. It would also protect employees from retaliation if they snitch.

Not surprisingly, people are pushing back against this proposed law. Councilwoman Joann Ariola characterized it as “typical backwards leftist logic” and noted that “Instead of actually trying to punish criminals, my colleagues are pushing to make life even harder for businesses and consumers.”

Jason Ferraira, a board member of the National Supermarket Association said the law “is a horrible idea” and that “You don’t prevent shoplifting by making me have a certain ratio of employees.”

In essence, this would be like punishing a homeowner after being burglarized for not having an adequate alarm system in their residence.

The city has long struggled to address its shoplifting crisis that materialized after the COVID-19 pandemic. The Manhattan Institute reported that by 2022, the number of shoplifting incidents jumped by 68.1 percent from 2019.

NYPD data reported 46,736 incidents of retail theft in 2025. Most of these incidents involve a small number of repeat offenders — many of whom were released back into the streets even after repeatedly engaging in this criminal activity.

But, apparently, the rash of thefts is the fault of grocery store owners struggling to prevent these people from stealing their property, according to New York City’s Democrats.