San Francisco Target Ramps Up Efforts To Secure Items As Theft Increases In Retail Stores

A Target in San Francisco appears to be taking drastic measures after experiencing an increase in cases of theft and shoplifting in its store.

Footage from inside a Target store in the Golden City went viral on social media on April 20, showing the toiletries and cosmetics aisle covered and locked by glass cases in a bid to combat an "alarming rise in theft."

From small items like razors to large products such as mouthwashes, shampoos and lotions, chain store owners are locking up shelves to keep the goods out of shoplifters' reach, the New York Post reported.

Not only Target, but a number of other American retail stores have also been experiencing a surge in retail crime, particularly in the Bay Area, that escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, Walgreen closed down five of its San Francisco stores citing "organized" theft and shoplifting as the reason behind the decision, the New York Times reported.

"Organized retail crime continues to be a challenge facing retailers across San Francisco," Phil Caruso, a spokesman for Walgreens, said in an email to the New York Times at the time. "Retail theft across our San Francisco stores has continued to increase in the past few months to five times our chain average."

Previously, Target introduced anti-theft carts at a number of stores across the country, as per multiple users on TikTok and Twitter.

"San Francisco Target store locks its entire product range behind security glass as crime spirals out of control. Boy will this make showing slow, you have to go get an employee to open the deodorant case," a Twitter user wrote.

"This was why I quit shopping at Walmart. Sometimes would wait over an hour to get someone to unlock the cage for 1 item. Ridiculous," a frustrated shopper said.

"We've been experiencing a significant and alarming rise in theft and security incidents at our San Francisco stores, similar to reports from other retailers in the area," a Target spokesperson told KPIX5 in July 2021. "Target is engaging local law enforcement, elected officials and community partners to address our concerns."

Stolen products are often sold on online marketplaces like Amazon, eBay and Facebook, GlobalData retail analyst Neil Saunders told Axios.

Rite Aid also expressed concerns about rising organized retail crime, forcing them to lock more products and even close down some stores.

Locking up product shelves appeared to be the last resort for retail stores even as such measures impacted their business and angered customers.

"It's extremely discouraging to customers," Paco Underhill, founder of behavioral research and consulting firm Envirosell, said. "It is a brutal experience for the merchant, too."

In a 2022 retail security survey, the National Retail Federation ranked San Francisco as the second-most hard-hit metropolitan area by theft in 2020 and 2021. The federation also listed products like over-the-counter medication and body wash as the most stolen items. A majority of retailers surveyed by the agency said they suffered either "substantial" or "moderate" increase in organized retail crime in San Francisco and New York.

Last week, San Francisco's Board of Supervisors approved a slew of measures to counter staffing shortage, according to KRON-TV.

"People want our officers to focus on the open-air drug dealing, retail theft, home burglaries, and violence impacting our neighborhoods, but we need more police to deliver," Mayor London Breed said.