A grocery store in San Francisco is installing metal emergency gates in response to rampant shoplifting in the Bay Area, according to reports.
KPIX reporter Betty Yu tweeted an image of a Safeway in Vallejo adding a shutter on one of its entrances, which sounds an alarm if a shoplifter attempts to leave.
A Safeway in Vallejo has added gates and closed a second entrance. Other locations have also done this to deter shoplifters @KPIXtv pic.twitter.com/v86GmNNKOJ
— Betty Yu (@bett_yu) June 19, 2023
The Albertsons Companies-owned grocery chain outlet is among the other stores in the San Francisco area that have implemented similar measures in recent years amid the liberal city’s rising theft rate.
The number of smash-and-grab robberies, in which shoplifters flee with thousands of dollars’ worth of luxury goods from high-end stores, has increased in the Bay Area by 10.4 percent since last year.
A Safeway spokesperson told Fox News that the gates are a part of “long-planned security improvements” for the store.
“Like other local businesses, we are working on ways to curtail escalating theft so we can ensure the wellbeing of our employees and foster a welcoming environment for our customers. These long-planned security improvements were implemented with those goals in mind,” the spokesperson said.
This serves as a stark reminder of The Golden City’s continuous struggle with safety and security issues. Many areas are becoming concerned about the rise in crime rates and the prevalence of homeless people who have mental health and drug abuse problems.
Back in April, a Whole Foods Market was closed down in Trinity, just one year after opening. A spokesperson for the retail giant cited safety concerns for the store’s closure.
“We are closing our Trinity location only for the time being. If we feel we can ensure the safety of our team members in the store, we will evaluate a reopening of our Trinity location,” the spokesperson said.
One of the managers of the struggling grocery store on Market Street said that the store’s operation hours were reduced in October last year as a result of “high theft” and unwelcoming customers. The store also enacted new bathroom rules after finding pipes and syringes in the washroom in November.
Locals expressed their disappointment over the grocery’s closure but acknowledged the city’s rising crime rate.
