This story has been updated to add comment from a Target spokesman.
Last week, after Walgreens announced that five additional outlets in San Francisco would be closing on top of the 17 that already have been shuttered since 2019, the company claimed that changes in both the law and prosecutor attitudes had made it impossible to run a profitable business in the city.
Mayor London Breed challenged that narrative. She attributed the closings to demographic shifts and the Chronicle dutifully reported that “the five stores slated to close had fewer than two recorded shoplifting incidents a month on average since 2018” (while acknowledging that few stores bother to report a crime that now routinely goes unpunished). Everyone who has stood in line at a drugstore and watched thieves shove hundreds of dollars of items down their pants knew that Breed was mistaken at best or lying at worst.
Now, in a Globe exclusive, San Francisco Police Department officers revealed that the iconic Target on Mission Street between Third and Fourth Streets will be shutting its doors before the end of the year.
“This store loses $25,000 a day to shoplifting,” an SFPD officer told the Globe in lengthy, taped interviews conducted this week. “That’s $25,000 that walks out the door on average between 9 and 6 every day.”
(The Globe is redacting the officers’ names because of critical remarks made about Mayor London Breed and District Attorney Chesa Boudin that could potentially endanger their jobs.)
“This store does between $80,000 to $120,000 in sales every day. And they lose 25 of it [meaning $25,000]. Even if they’re making 25% profit, the stealing takes that down to zero.”
Asked if the presence of armed, uniformed police officers had any deterrent effect on thieves, one officer was blunt in his assessment.
“They don’t care. There’s no consequences. Literally zero consequences. I’ve kicked out… I’ve been here since 9 AM today. I probably have already kicked out eight or nine people and I’ve recovered a thousand dollars worth of stuff alone off of that. Whether we kick them out, tell them they can’t come back, whether I put them in handcuffs and take them down to the county jail—there is no difference. Because they will not be prosecuted by the district attorney. Therefore, there is nothing documented that they can’t come back here. You know, they get no time in jail to think about what they did, right? There is zero consequence. And that’s why in this store the same exact people come in every other day and in the city the same couple percent of people are the same people committing all the car break-ins, all the robberies and all the shootings, any aggravated assaults right in town where there’s more street people, people fighting. It’s all the same exact people, and there are zero consequences. Therefore you take them to jail they get out of jail. They do it again. It’s a big circle.”
Target has already taken measures to decrease the catastrophic shrinkage. In July, the retailer cited an “‘alarming rise’ in thefts at its San Francisco stores” and cut its hours. The Mission St. store had been open from 8 am to 10 pm and is now open only from 9 am to 6 pm. One officer told the Globe the new hours inconvenienced hard-working San Franciscans who struggle to buy their diapers and Diet Cokes before 6 pm.
“Their hours, all Targets in San Francisco right now compressed their hours, right? Every store is 9 AM to 6 PM, which pisses everybody off down here because a lot of people get off work at 6 o’clock and they come in and they are like, ‘What? Target is closed?’ … ‘Yeah, Target is closed.’ It is out of control. … They are closing the one on Bush Street. There’s one on Bush and Sansome, right there. They are closing it in a month. Right before Thanksgiving. That one is closing partly because the Financial District isn’t back you know, right.”
But according to this officer, the Mission Street Target will also be closed by the end of the year despite having solid revenue, because they cannot get the shoplifting under control. “In San Francisco, the only reason why they haven’t closed. They want to have it here, right, and this is the biggest one in San Francisco.”
In addition to the limited hours, the retail giant has taken other measures. The Mission Street store locks not just those items that have become commonplace at high-theft areas throughout San Fran such as Tylenol and razors. But also, in a first for California Globe, Tide and other heavy, large laundry detergents were also behind lock and key. Vitamins, false eyelashes, Nicorette, skin creams, Lego, water bottles, hairdryers and even bulky low-priced items like body wash all are protected by sophisticated anti-theft equipment. Even the “fancy” toothpaste. All of which, of course, raises costs for the honest hard-working shoppers and slows the checkout process for all. It also means an embarrassing quest to find a customer service person who now needs to be told of a shopper’s smelliness, dry skin and frizzy hair.
Still, they steal. Earlier this week, a reporter from the Globe spotted a man shoving food down his pants without a worry in the world. And even when items are not exactly removed from the store, they’re still stolen. When the Globe reporter went to buy Fig Newtons, every single package on the shelves had been opened and had several delicious cookies removed. A display of Hershey’s Kisses had been magically transformed into a “grab a free handful” situation by the industrious residents of SOMA.
On a recent visit, one red-vested employee was busily installing additional theft guard barriers.
And none of it has been enough to ward off the imminent shuttering of a beloved—and necessary—local institution.
Care to enjoy a Frappuccino while you shop? Just take it. Drink it. Then put the empty on the shelf. Like Reese’s Pieces? (Who doesn’t!) Just rip off the top and pop ’em down like they did in E.T. It’s not only gross, it’s completely demoralizing to the staff. Irene, a checker, told the Globe that she gets furious watching customers steal while she works hard to pay for what her family needs. And now her store will be closing.
The Globe told the police officers that we, like all of the world, had seen store security officers routinely ignored by aggressive shoplifters. But we expressed surprise that even the full-time presence of two armed and uniformed SFPD wasn’t enough to deter this level of crime.
One officer told the Globe, “Our chief of police actually came in a couple of months ago and did the same thing you did. He literally was like shocked that everything was locked up and he didn’t understand why and that’s kind of a little naïve on his end, but the same thing. And one worker went up to him and was almost like tearing up and she was like, ‘If you don’t have officers here tomorrow, I’m not coming to work.’ We’re here for the theft, sort of, but our main objective in essence is to protect the employees, because all the people that come in. The security guards tell these people all day long, ‘Get out, get out, get out.’ And what do they do? They flip them off or berate them or want to bite them or hit him – anything. So that in essence was more of our responsibility. We get a lot of the product back that’s stolen, but it’s impossible to catch everybody, especially when they are concealing it in bags. They go out all day, there are four fire exits here, they go right onto the street, right? And it’s hard when security can’t touch them. They can’t touch them. They can’t grab your arm and say ‘Hey, put that back.’ They’d be fired, there would be a lawsuit.”
So if the in-store security is hamstrung by these rules, why aren’t the police tackling these thieves?
According to one officer, “They give us more leeway, but they still don’t want us, again, on the floor tackling somebody for taking like a couple of pairs of pants, right. Stealing $50 worth of merchandise…”
In 2021, Target made $27.3 billion in profit on sales of $93.6 billion, which is a healthy gross margin of 29.3% before expenses such as depreciation and amortization, interest, and taxes, all of which takes the final operating profit down to around 5%. Still a healthy number, but the store on Mission St. already has some of the highest labor and security costs in the entire chain.
Mayor Breed Begs Target to Reconsider
This particular Target is a critical institution for a neighborhood that is already struggling with social ills. Aggressive panhandlers routinely perch outside the entrance. Human feces on the street has gone from a rare shock to disgustingly commonplace. Visitors to Frena, the scrumptious Israeli bakery and café around the corner, now have to be buzzed in like they’re viewing fine jewelry.
And of course, there’s a political component here. The Globe asked the officers why the store hadn’t closed already, since the full-time presence of uniformed PD hadn’t been able to stem the tide.
“The manager told me this a few weeks back, that’s where I got all the numbers from, but you know our mayor, London Breed, everybody would lose their mind, they’ve been very adamant, ‘Do not close this place,’ but Target they don’t care. They are like, they see the numbers, right, and that’s why our boss is like, ‘We will get you whatever you need,’” (meaning that’s why SFPD has provided so many resources to this particular private business).
And still it hasn’t worked. The officers expect the Mission St. Target to close by the end of the year.
According to one officer, “In 2019, Walgreens in San Francisco lost—all Walgreens—lost $25 million in theft. That’s why if you go to every Walgreens pretty much there’s an officer sitting at a Walgreens anywhere you go all over and they are still closing Walgreens, and it’s still the same thing here – the same people, the same daily essential products or whatever. And if you go to 16th and Mission, they have like a fence there, and they sell all of this stuff that they take here. It’s out of control.”
Asked for a final thought on what could possibly reverse course, one officer said, “Got to change the process. The prosecution has to change.” Another chimed in: “It will never change.”
UPDATE (11:40 AM, Oct 22, 2021): A Target spokesperson has reached out to the California Globe to deny aspects of this story and confirm others. According to Joe Poulos, Target’s Senior Director of Communications, “The information posted to California Globe about our stores is not accurate. We are not closing the Mission St. store. I can confirm that Target will close the San Francisco Central Business District East store, 225 Bush St., on Nov. 20, 2021, due to years of underperforming sales.” Mr. Poulos also remarked that “The decision to close a store is always difficult” and said that “Target remains committed to the San Francisco Bay Area and will continue to serve guests at the 35 other Bay Area stores.” This morning, the San Francisco Chronicle ran a story echoing much of what Mr. Poulos stated. The Globe has asked Target to comment about shoplifting losses at the Mission St store and stands by its reporting on what it was told by officers on the scene.
View Comments (171)
Isn't California great. If you like crime, hate freedom, and living with some of the most stupid people in the country its the place for you. Don't believe me then look at who the fine citizens vote into office. Goodluck getting change when the majority of population permanently have their heads up their behinds.
Businesses are largely agnostic profit-seeking ventures. When a situation such as it appears at that SOMA location occurs, then it is logical to leave. So sorry that reflects poorly on local government.
You must be a one of the Californians with their head up their butts.
Err no Penny but you are.
The word 'a' serves no purpose in that sentence, but to demonstrate your failure to master English at a third-grade level.
You do realize you CANNOT run a business at a lose and expect to stay open.
Most businesses do not make as much profit as you think. If you run a store at a negative you cant continue to pay employees or order more goods to sell.
When local government enacts changes to policies and laws that do not punish theft and criminals are allowed to continue to steal without any threat of punishment. What do you expect? Do you expect them to stop? Do you expect those that once did not commit crimes for free of punishment to continue to not commit crimes?
There is talk in a VA county, (cant remember which) to no longer conduct traffic stops. Because they cut funding of police and no don't have enough police. Do you think people will speed more without the penalty of traffic tickets? I can't wait for the increase in crashes and death toll.
Whether you like it or not, decisions made have consequences. When you don't hold people accountable bad things will happen. Unfortunately, idealistic utopian dreams are just that, we as species are not there. Trying to force that change early is going to end badly. Ideally everyone would work and get what they want. No need for crime. Well, we have those that don't want to work. Not those that can't. People are materialistic.
They have abolished the police by making them irrelevant, barely even a nuisance to shoplifters.
Not in my NC town, thank God. At least until more CA refugees move here and change the politics and ruin our state as well. Stay in your dystopia, you voted for it, now live with it.
Someone robs my store they will be tasered or capped. Most customers know better given they see the sign in the door and my 180 pound Rottweiler.
At a 'loss', stupid. You seem to be making a valid point, but I didn't read past the first sentence.
Mayor Breed’s police protection won’t last forever. She’ll be a regular person like the rest of us who has to shop, get gas, work to take care of her family. I can’t wait for that day when reality slams into her and she has to live with what she’s done to this one great city. Someone broke into her car? No police show up. She wants to enjoy a nice meal out? Restaurants closed. She needs toilet paper? Ask a homeless drug addict to wipe her a$$.
Chi Sam, Since that’s all you’re commenting on I assume you don’t have a reasonable opinion to share. Generally those are mistypes, a human thing. Perhaps you should read the comment. You’re missing important information. You’re probably part of the entire problem, not the solution, meaning you voted for this crap.
If you weren't so stupid I'd take a moment to reply to your moronic comment.
But you are, so I won't.
Just stop
I call all this the Berkeley effect. A liberal immoral so called place of higher education.
The fools in Californication deserve everything. Let the state rot on the vine and die. Cesspool. Phuck every single leftist dog there
Agreed
I live here and I agree. We will soon be one of the few conservative family's left and will soon move away. So tired of this liberal crap here.
But don't bring any of your liberal crap else where.
Bye. Enjoy the racist, controlling, redneck, gun slinging backward Texans. You deserve it. And remember where ever you go....there you are.
Same here but no lefties in my family. Can't wait for retirement next year. Gone from here.
So, move to NC.....seems like they have room there for more idiots. Bye-Bye!
The problem will spread when they move to your nice state and then continue to vote for the same people who ruined California…..and look down on you for your “backward” beliefs.
EXACTLY.
Once parasites finish sucking a body dry they will naturally move on to the next.
They are moving to Texas in droves. We have been discussing what state they will go to next after they run Texas into the ground with their leftism. They're like termites.
Sounds like a change in business models. Everything will go the Sam's Club route, where entering the store requires a membership card managed by the store. If they ever catch you shoplifting on video, your card gets revoked and you no longer have access to any of the company's stores.
Not in my NC town, thank God. At least until more CA refugees move here and change the politics and ruin our state as well. Stay in your dystopia, you voted for it, now live with it.
Someone robs my store they will be tasered or capped. Most customers know better given they see the sign in the door and my 180 pound Rottweiler.
Agree 100 %
I agree.
Unfortunately it will be the rest of the country to bail them out. They will whine, beg and plead to help them "in this time of crisis." The Feds and the MSM will generate a sympathy campaign to "Save the Golden State" and we'll eventually be forced to bail them out... Just to see the same cycle of failed ideas start over. But this time it will work. "We promise."
I was born and raised in SoCal and I absolutely loved it! I moved out of that shithole back in 2000. It's a real shame how the local government has completely destroyed what was once the best GO TO state for countless opportunities! Now? It's more than clean that you couldn't pay people to live or do business there! Because of the arrogant, high mined and historically failed and stupid ideas, California is on life support with little chance of survival.
You were born and raised in a shithole and you loved it? Nice.
It's a trip how you all condemn people living in California when the majority of the population here are all TRANSPLANTS!!!
Why so butt hurt? Obviously you live in some s**t hole state and are jealous.
Problem is these CA lefties are moving out of the s**tholes they created and moving to red states, and bringing their ideals and lefty voting with them!
They should be vetted like Afghans….and sent back if they endanger the civilized way of life.
Let them rot in California.
Its right out of Atlas Shrugged but now should be called "Sleepy Joe Shrugged".
Liberal paradise, no personal responsibility. Wall, or secession?
Ya got to love the contributions to society that 13% of the population makes to their community.. we are such a better nation do to their presence.. amazing how much value they add..
13/52 Project in full force..
San Fran, isn't that where Queen Nancy reins her power. Maybe the police should send them to her house. Great job the liberal democraps have done out there.
Just another indicator of collapse in a city run by the Party of Slavery. The Democratic Party is a criminal institution.
Bless the work of this fine administration: allowing looting, crime and lawlessness. Equity has a different meaning to some folks, but it seems to be working here. Go Brandon.
Live east of Sacramento. I don’t enjoy visiting any big city anymore. I like Pacifica, Santa Cruz, Monterey. The quiet coastal towns. SF is a mess and I haven’t been in a few years. I’ll go to Oakland just to catch a game. I used to enjoy SF and West LA. Even San Diego is falling apart. How people vote for these losers is beyond me. I suspect it’s not purely organic though.
They will not prosecute shoplifting but here in California you will be hauled in and arrested for not having a mask on in a grocery store and it will be referred to as trespassing. How can that be? Because there is no law broken if you do not wear a mask, it is a public health request.
The closing of this store ends up hurting those they employ and the low income residents of San Francisco. The very people that Mayor Breed claims to care about!
This state is lost!
Remember you get the government you deserve. Change begins with the next vote. Stupid is as stupid does.
Sadly, voting doesn't help because it is filled with cheating and graft thanks to blue. A perfect example is that of the failed attempt to impeach the "governor" which I put in quotation marks because he is merely another puppet of Pelosi shoving his lame brained ideas down citizens' throats and allowing total chaos to rain on every citizen. Just one more reason not to spend our winters in CA any longer....
Our votes no longer count in Cal.
what do you expect. you have a moronic liberal population electing moronic
and incompetent liberal candidates. i hate to see this happening to this
formerly beautiful and livable city, but you reap what you sow.
1) You don't live anywhere near there and things are much different in your trailer park.
2) I'd much rather chance getting a new strain of covid from your pandemic loving klan.
3) It is a problem. I am frustrated by the homeless issue. But fact is that most of the homeless here are from other states. If we could send them all back to the red state they came from, that would knock out more than 70% of them.
4) It's so easy to hit the caps key to make a capital letter at the start of a sentence. Do you leave it out because of laziness or ignorance?
According to the New York Times only 18% of California’s homeless are from out of state. 43% of San Francisco’s homeless have lived in the city over ten years.
Most of the homeless are here from other states? Where is your proof? Don't make false claims.
Funny that it is (alleged) red state hobos that are ruining your liberal city, same thing that happens to all liberal cities somehow... I wonder why? Spoiler alert: It's liberal policies cause and effect. The pattern is so easy to spot, you would have to be ignorant not to see it... Oh wait....
Perfect comment the the brain dead whatever it identifies as today.
lol, so you actually believe 70% of the homeless in California are from Other states? Not only other states but specifically red states. That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen.
Please show the data that most homeless are from other states and specifically from red states. Apparently you’ve never ventured beyond the SF city limits. If you had you realize that the world beyond is not full of trailer parks. That said, a lot of upstanding law abiding citizens do live in trailer parks across this nation. You paint your bigotry with a broad brush.
This Republican lived off and on in Berkeley, Oakland, and Santa Cruz from 1972-2001. Now I'm in Truckee with an inherited mobile home in flyover Florida. Carjacked and burglarized California voters who voted Democrat are getting what they voted for.
Moron.
We lived in SF a couple blocks away from that Target. We saw the writing on the wall and moved.
The judicial reform now in Vogue will not end well. There are people in this world who will take what they want when they want it unless they suffer consequences.
The idiots who govern SF are detached from reality. They are so ideologically possessed that all the data and experience in the world will not shake them from their progressive faith.
The only solution for decent people is to leave.
You all live in fantasy land where you believe that people are always going to do the right thing and there are never any consequence of doing wrong. I don't live in a trailer park, but even if I did, at least I don't have to trip over dumb liberals and homeless people every time I want to pick up shampoo and toothpaste from my local target. You idiot voters keep living in your safe spaces while the rest of us enjoy the convenience of actually being able to buy food at a local grocery store.
Logical fallacy is the refuge of the intellectually bankrupt. Enjoy your collapse. I'll be relishing the view from my "trailer park".
Those are the dumbest thoughts I’ve ever read. Lol, so homeless from red states have enough money to relocate to California? Liberal anger and lies really are funny to witness. Your life must be “fun”. Cheers from the OC.
You deserve San Francisco, you communist.
Your bigotry speaks louder than whatever message you intended to convey.
I used to live in California. Why do you lie? 70% of California's homeless are not from out of state. But assuming your facts and logic are correct, why would such a large majority be from out of state? Could it be that California treats homeless people (you can't even call them homeless) as sacrosanct. The homeless can crap on the sidewalk but if the average taxpayer did that, he'd be arrested. Who is living in a trailer? Do you employ the ad hominem argument often? If so, ESADGF. Who is in the pandemic loving klan? You do understand the Klan's membership is rather miniscule or do you refer to anyone that prefers freedom based on principles and not race as members of the klan. I believe you are lazy and employ lazy ad hominem argument techniques without knowing or knowing how to utilize facts and logic.
gay
Just shame on you. Look at the problems...total lawlessness, crooked district attorneys who fail to prosecute crooks, police hands tied to do anything about the problems because of the disgusting people you(or the crooked voting system) vote into places that further degrade what was once a beautiful state. Go ahead and support your comments but stay where you are and don't even consider bringing your liberal leftist ideas elsewhere. You better enjoy what you've got right now because tomorrow even your home and family may be destroyed by those people you support.
You suffer from headus upis rumpus horrible disease where all the problems are someone else's fault
100% on point
Californians elected liberals and they are suffering the inevitable consequences. People who vote for liberals deserve every bad thing that happens to them.
San Fran is getting just what they deserve for electing an ass bag for mayor.
that is too gentle and kind.
The elephant in the room that no one talks about is that most of the thieves are children of Obama and Maxine Waters. They're taught to shoplift by the time they're three.
you NAILED it !!!!
schooled on 5 finger discount. but if there own stuff gets taken , that just pisses them off. best thing is to let the monkey kill the monkey not save the monkey. monkey lives matter....
in a zoo.
The word 'there' refers solely to a specific location. You're not a very capable man.
Don't forget all the opportunist illegal immigrant criminals! That's who broke my skull in two places in broad daylight robbing me in my "safe" SF neighborhood, and Kamala was using the taxpayer dollar to train said criminals for jobs they couldn't legally hold to discourage a life of crime. yeah....
I left 12 years ago, it's crazy to think it has gone much more downhill from there because while the land is beautiful, liberals have destroyed it. F#$% that place. I like my current red state location. AND I VOTE VERY, VERY RED.
The citizens of San Francisco get what they vote for. If you want it to change get a new D.A. Impeachment?
Great ideas but crooked voting principles and cash flowing the "proper" direction has ruined any chance of a protected and valid vote.
san fran sicko….the worst hell hole in the US. It needs to be closed down, keep electing dumbasses for office, you deserve what you get #sfsucks
F san francisco and all their liberal politicians
Smart. Call Target liars while there's video of thieves running out the door while begging them to stay yet doing nothing about the problem. Maybe try issuing speeding tickets to every Target employee too, maybe that will help.