San Francisco Mayor London Breed began pushing back this week against Walgreens’ announcement to close five more stores across San Francisco due to rampant retail theft. Now the San Francisco media is helping the Mayor “sell” her agenda.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported:
Data released by the San Francisco Police Department does not support the explanation announced by Walgreens that it is closing five stores because of organized, rampant retail theft.
One of the stores set to close, on Ocean Avenue, had only seven reported shoplifting incidents this year and a total of 23 since 2018, the data showed. While not all shoplifting incidents are reported to police, the five stores slated to close had fewer than two recorded shoplifting incidents a month on average since 2018.
At least the Chronicle admitted that not all shoplifting incidents are reported to police. Of course they aren’t, and retail merchants tell everyone this. Anything valued at less than $950 is only a misdemeanor in California, thanks to Gov. Brown and state lawmakers who pushed and passed a number of initiatives that gutted the criminal justice system including AB 109 which weakened parole, Proposition 47 which downgraded a host of crimes – including theft under $950 – to misdemeanors, and Proposition 57 which made dangerous felons eligible for release when they have served just a portion of their sentences.
Walgreens was unequivocal in a press statement this week, about the level of crime their stores have endured, as the Globe reported:
According to Walgreens, theft levels in the city went up to 5 times the national average for the store while security measures went up by 46 times the chain average to maintain security for both the store and shoppers.
“Organized retail crime continues to be a challenge facing retailers across San Francisco, and we are not immune to that,” Walgreens spokesperson Phil Caruso said on Tuesday. “Retail theft across our San Francisco stores has continued to increase in the past few months to five times our chain average. During this time to help combat this issue, we increased our investments in security measures in stores across the city to 46 times our chain average in an effort to provide a safe environment.”
“Due to ongoing organized retail crime, we have made the difficult decision to close five stores across San Francisco. Each store will transfer prescriptions to a nearby Walgreens location within a mile radius and we expect to place the stores’ team members in other nearby locations.”
Earlier this year Target announced it would close six of its San Francisco locations in order to cut down on what has become rampant shoplifting, the Independent reported.
And in May, Walgreens announced that it had closed 17 stores of its Bay Area stores with shoplifting and theft so out of control. “That decision came after one store – located at 30th and Mission Streets – had 16 major shoplifting incidents between November of 2020 and February of 2021,” the Independent reported.
There is no accounting for all of the unnoticed, unreported theft occurring in the stores until inventory is done.
“But the timing of Walgreens’ decision led observers to wonder whether a $140 billion company was using an unsubstantiated narrative of unchecked shoplifting to obscure other possible factors in its decision,” the Chronicle reported.
“They are saying (shoplifting is) the primary reason, but I also think when a place is not generating revenue, and when they’re saturated — S.F. has a lot of Walgreens locations all over the city — so I do think that there are other factors that come into play,” Mayor London Breed told reporters last week.
The Chronicle says four years ago, Walgreens told shareholders it planned to close 600 stores nationwide.
If Walgreen’s stores were profitable in San Francisco, they wouldn’t be closing five more, totaling 22 closures – whatever the reason. Walgreens never announced which stores would be closed. That is an economic decision.
“So is Walgreens closing stores because of theft or because of a pre-existing business plan to cut costs and increase profits by consolidating stores and shifting customers to online purchases?” San Francisco Supervisor Dean Preston asked on Twitter, again denying the rampant crime.
A Walgreens spokesperson told San Francisco’s KPIX 5 Wednesday night that those (cost) cuts were already completed before the new San Francisco closures were announced.
The Power of Denial is palpable. Denial is a psychological defense mechanism that can lead to real and lasting devastation. Denial is the refusal to acknowledge the existence of an unpleasant reality.
Welcome to San Francisco.
View Comments (36)
That's right Lefty Conrade morons. Wirry about snarky tweets and gruff manners likecthe Never Trump RINO herd. Nirvana is always one sacrificed liberty away. Just ask Greece.
The city is most clearly in decline. As a blueprint just look to Detroit. You can't have the inmates running the asylum! ONCE the voters finally wake up and remove these progressive idiots from office only then can the city survive this mess.
Denial just ain't a river in Egypt...
Another lying sack of excrement Democrat politician.... Ain't San Franfreakshow great???
This level of denial is STUNNING. A total of 22 Walgreens now closed in SF, which isn't exactly a huge city to being with. And I never hear the total number of stores mentioned in reports about this, just that five were closed in the last go-round. Well, I never hear it mentioned except at The Globe, of course.
These are spiritual matters in my opinion. Look at the people who (eagerly, enthusiastically) believe only lies and never recognize what's true and obvious. Will they wake up, CAN they wake up? Who knows? But sometimes I catch myself thinking that it might be more productive to just wait until these people implode instead of spending so much time and energy taking it all in and then arguing with it. You know?
Yes, those that eagerly go along with the narrative will keep doing so until they are personally affected. Maybe and only maybe will they start to see the truth of the matter, San Francisco is the dying city on the hill. Such a a shame!
I can only conclude at this point that it is intentional . It is happening in just about every major city run by a democratic supermajority.
What is that say Ol’ Joe likes to repeat? Build,Back Better. He left out this most important part, DESTROY TO BUILD BACK BETTER!
YES!
Your extremely poor grammar says everything about your lack of education.
You can correct my grammar and typos. It was hastily written.
The intent of my message stands!
Now what is your excuse for being brain dead?
Let’s Go Brandon!
Our friend meant me, Cali Girl! That's okay, he just wants some attention. Positive, negative, however he can get it. Meanwhile, I think his mom is calling him for lunch, so he may not be back for awhile. It's mac and cheese day! Then video games, smoke some pot, take a nap, etc. A full Sunday.
What does your incredible level of ignorance say about your level of education? PhD in transgender basket weaving?
Showandtell, sadly you can't fix stupid. There's not a pill you can take, or a class you can go to. You can't fix stupid. The SanFreakshow (borrowed that one from CD9) is one big full toilet that won't flush.
Yes John, have to agree with you about SF.
If you watch the 60's classic "invasion of the Body Snatchers" you will notice that once "snatched" they never come back to reality!
Comrades one step closer to MAD MAX……so purifying….Finally, we will separate the gritty tough from the short pants posers…..and you know who wins…
First question is why would they report these crimes to SFPD? The laws have been abandoned, prosecutors refuse to honor the oath they took and if someone is arrested they are typically back on the street before the officer can complete the report. These liberal cities whose prosecutors have been funded by George Soros are setting a trend where criminals are not held accountable and the cops on the streets live under a microscope.
How half of this country finds this approach not only acceptable, but also desirable. This once great nation is now the laughingstock of the world.
I'm not telling anyone to do this, but I will keep telling people that if middle class folks started looting stores en masse - but **certainly not** as part of some coordinated campaign - these laws would change faster than you can say "$950 shopping spree."
Katy Grimes should go work for Fox News. She'd fit in perfectly.
The fine mayor of SF is absolutely correct. Walgreens has too many stores in the city and many of them are losing money. When a business fails it is inevitable that it will close. That is the real reason for the closures.
The argument that theft is the reason is a racist trope perpetuated by Walgreen's white corporate bigwigs.
w16521: Another liberal in denial; typical liberal defense is to blame fox news. Every media organization in the country is a liberal cesspool and people like you are responsible for the hatred, crime and hyper inflation in this country for voting these morons into office and thinking they are great people. You ignore the truth and we will eventually pay for that stupidity.
Go away you lefty puke!
Does Gavin pay you in cash or with PG&E stock?
Are you implying white people don't steal with your "racist trope" analogy? Sounds to me like you are the real bigot!
I live in Minnesota and my wife and I are trying to go to every MLB park. I refuse to go to California or New York. I fear for my safety and that of my wife's. I f the piles of needles on the street doesn't kill you the turds on the sidewalk
I live in Minnesota and my wife and I are trying to go to every MLB park. I refuse to go to California or New York. I fear for my safety and that of my wife's. I f the piles of needles on the street doesn't kill you the turds on the sidewalk will. I used to think that it was a beautiful place to visit. I have NO Desire to go there now.
The San Francisco mayor Breeds denial.