CA Safeway Erects Barriers To Combat Brazen Theft

SAN FRANCISCO, CA —Safeway has taken an extreme step toward combatting brazen thefts at a particular location, as rampant smash-and-grab incidents continue to plague retailers in the Bay Area and across the state in recent weeks.

Security gates and large gated barriers were recently added to the store on 2020 Market St. in San Francisco, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Customers must now enter through automatic gates, which help funnel customers in and could make it difficult for those trying to rush out with a shopping cart full of stolen items. Barriers were also added around the self-checkout area, the newspaper reported.

“Like other local businesses, we are working on ways to curtail escalating theft to ensure the wellbeing of our employees and to foster a welcoming environment for our customers. Their safety remains our top priority,” Wendy Gutshall, director of public and government affairs for Safeway’s Northern California Division said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. “These long-planned security improvements were implemented with those goals in mind.”

Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Safeway adds barriers to deter shoplifing amid Bay Area retail theft debate

More arrests were made this week in connection with a slew of smash-and-grab thefts as retailers and district attorneys across California have been calling for tougher theft laws.

Last month, national retail groups estimated the annual losses to be in the tens of billions of dollars. Some states’ attorney generals are supporting a congressional bill that would require more prevention efforts by large online marketplaces, where experts say many of the stolen goods are fenced.

In California, widespread theft has become a political issue, where critics have blamed progressive policies such as Proposition 47. The ballot measure was approved by 60 percent of state voters in 2014 and it reduced certain theft and drug possession offenses from felonies to misdemeanors.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta separately argued Wednesday that police and prosecutors still have the legal tools to go after such perpetrators, and Newsom called out some local officials he said choose not to do so.

“It’s patently false to assert that we have enough laws on the books that are fixing this problem, because it’s obviously not going away and won’t be going away," countered John Kabateck, director of the California chapter of the National Federation of Independent Businesses.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.