Stop & Shop making changes to checkout line

BOSTON — Stop & Shop is making changes to its checkout line, and some are worried it will hurt workers with disabilities.

Stop & Shop will be replacing some of its baggers with a carousel bagging system like those often seen at Walmart.

"I think jobs are going to be lost," said Jeffrey Bollen, president of UFCW Local 1445.

The United Food and Commerical Workers union represents more than 8,000 Stop & Shop workers throughout New England.

"One of the things we're proud of with this company is they've always hired disabled people to work in the front ends, doing bagging,” said Bollen.

Bollen is worried eliminating the need for grocery baggers will leave workers with disabilities without anything to do. The company claims it will make the checkout process faster.

"They feel like productive members of society. They're hardworking people like everyone else. They deserve a chance to do a job that they can do," said Bollen.

Stop & Shop says this move is strictly for efficiency and those workers will be reassigned to other parts of the store. A spokesperson for Stop & Shop released a statement, that reads in part, "Traditional and self-check-outs will continue to be available to customers at all Stop & Shop stores.  No jobs will be eliminated as result of this additional check-out service."

However, Bollen isn't buying that. Lorraine, a Stop & Shop shopper and mother of a disabled son says that a part-time job was incredibly important to her son. He worked a job similar to bagging groceries.

"He was proud of himself. It was an accomplishment. It was good," she said.

Stop & Shop says it will train the workers for other jobs in the store. The union was told by the corporate office that these bag carousels will be appearing in all Stop & Shop stores by the end of the year.

Full Stop & Shop Statement: 

To provide our customers with a faster check-out option, Stop & Shop stores will be offering grocery bagging carousel systems at select store registers over the next year.  Traditional and self-check-outs will continue to be available to customers at all Stop & Shop stores.  No jobs will be eliminated as result of this additional check-out service.

Cox Media Group