Walmart Self-Checkout Faces $10,000 Fines From Washington State If These Terms Aren’t Met

Walmart self-checkouts are under fire in Washington state, with a bill floating around that could fine the retail giant’s stores $10,000 if certain conditions aren’t met.

The Daily Mail reports that a bill proposed by the Washington state legislature on Feb. 12 is currently being debated in the halls of the local senate. House Bill 1739 — first proposed by Rep. Mary Fosse, per the Washington State Standard — would create standards for when and how self-checkout stands should be introduced in supermarkets.

If passed in its current form, self-checkouts would be limited to when a traditional checkout line was open. Employees who watch self-service lanes must do it completely and can only monitor up to two stands. Customers would also be allowed to bring only 15 items to check out.

Any Walmart, or other grocery store, that fails to comply with these proposed standards would receive a civil penalty of up to $100 per day, with a fine cap of $10,000.

“There has been a lot of challenges across Washington for grocery workers with unchecked automation and chronic understaffing,” Fosse said, per the Washington State Standard.

The outlet also shared that the regulations would “apply to grocery stores over 15,000 square feet in size, but not to any bulk goods stores with memberships.” This means Costco and other big-box membership stores would be exempt from this rule.

Walmart Under Threat From China Over Trump Tariffs

Tensions between China and the United States may have reached new heights due to Donald Trump’s doubling of tariffs on Chinese goods, but according to Axios, Walmart is also getting involved.

On March 11, Walmart executives met with authorities from China’s Ministry of Commerce to discuss the retailer’s recent request for a significant price reduction from Chinese suppliers. The Chinese officials took this proposal seriously, and both parties seemed to make some compromises while bargaining. The store reportedly pushed its vendors to reduce costs by up to 10%.

The next day, however, state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) issued what appeared to be a veiled threat against the blue-and-yellow brand, stating that “if Walmart insists” on chasing substantial discounts from Chinese suppliers, “then what awaits Walmart is not just talk.”

As CNN reported, CCTV published an article last week after the big-box retailer’s initial attitude was revealed. The article stated: “Walmart’s demand for Chinese suppliers to bear the full tariff burden is unreasonable and disrupts fair competition and international trade order.”