Walgreens Closes 5 San Francisco Stores Due To ‘Organized Retail Crime’
Walgreens just announced it will close five more San Francisco stores because of ongoing organized retail crime a company spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.
“Organized retail crime continues to be a challenge facing retailers across San Francisco, and we are not immune to that,” said Walgreens spokesperson Phil Caruso.
“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.”
San Francisco Board of Supervisor Ahsha Safai of District 11 said: “I am completely devastated by this news – this Walgreens is less than a mile from seven schools and has been a staple for seniors, families and children for decades. This closure will significantly impact this community.”
The below stores will close:
2550 Ocean Ave. will close on Nov. 8 and will transfer prescription files to 1630 Ocean Ave.
4645 Mission St. will close on Nov. 11 and will transfer prescription files to 965 Geneva St.
745 Clement St. will close on Nov. 15 and will transfer prescription files to 3601 California St.
300 Gough St. will close on Nov. 15 and will transfer prescriptions to 2145 Market St.
3400 Cesar Chavez St. will close on Nov. 17 and will transfer prescriptions to 2690 Mission St.
From SFGate:
Walgreens closed a location at 790 Van Ness Ave. in October 2020 after an increase in crime, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, citing a loss of up to $1,000 in stolen merchandise every day.
The rampant shoplifting was often brazen and carried out in broad daylight — that month Inside Edition was filming a segment about the increase in crime in the drugstore when they caught a man jumping over the front counter to do that very thing.
California law dictates that theft of less than $950 in goods is penalized as a nonviolent misdemeanor.
I am completely devastated by this news – this Walgreens is less than a mile from seven schools and has been a staple for seniors, families and children for decades. This closure will significantly impact this community.
— Ahsha Safai 安世輝 (@Ahsha_Safai) October 12, 2021
This is exactly why we need more presence on our commercial corridors and an expansion of the "10A" program to reduce and deter commercial retail theft.
— Ahsha Safai 安世輝 (@Ahsha_Safai) October 12, 2021
The City needs to act with a sense of urgency to reduce and deter the number of incidents of commercial retail theft. That is exactly what the ‘10A’ legislation aims achieve as we approach the holiday season.
— Ahsha Safai 安世輝 (@Ahsha_Safai) October 12, 2021