San Francisco stores are reportedly banning customers from walking around and shopping without an employee to curb “rampant shoplifting.”
Frederiksen’s Hardware and Paint store in the city’s Cow Hollow neighborhood has put up signs saying it will only accept one customer at a time during certain hours to curb the ongoing theft.
The store has blocked off a portion of the store’s entrance and is forcing shoppers into a waiting area until employees can respond. KRON4 reports.
“Attention Shoppers,” the sign reads. “Due to the prevalence of shoplifting, Frederiksen has introduced a one-on-one shopping experience. You wait here and an associate is right by your side to help with all your shopping needs.”
“We apologize for the inconvenience,” the notice concludes.
Sam Black, the store’s longtime manager, told the store that while the move may be an inconvenience for customers, it’s worth a try for the sake of the business and its employees.
He said the shoplifting incident was the worst he’s seen in his 24 years working in businesses in the Golden Gate City, which has been plagued by soaring crime.
Employees had to drill holes in pots and pans to prevent shoplifters from stealing them. Tools and other hardware products also had to be locked down.
“It’s a pretty bad situation,” Black said. “So the money is pretty high. They’re now using tools to snatch entire displays. So it’s becoming a dangerous situation for employees and customers.”
Black said the new rules will be in effect for two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening. A table blocks the entrance to prevent thieves from entering the store unattended.
“We just want to make the thieves uncomfortable so they can go somewhere else,” Black said.
One customer told KRON4 the situation was “just sad.”
“Yeah, people aren’t happy,” Black said. “Our regulars can’t believe it, just like we can’t believe it, but they really understand.”
Black said the security experiment has been underway for three weeks. The store said it would review the results at the end of the month.
San Francisco City Supervisor Katherine Stefani called the situation “embarrassing” for the city.
“This situation is tragic and embarrassing for our city, which is why we need to get serious about solving our police understaffing,” she told the outlet in a statement. “We need and need more police on our streets.”
Other stores in San Francisco have eliminated self-checkout lines to deter criminals.
