San Francisco Safeway locations receive high tech upgrade

SAN FRANCISCO – It’s no secret some San Francisco businesses have been hit hard by rampant theft and shoplifting. One grocery chain has installed gates inside some of their high-theft San Francisco stores where customers have to scan their receipts to exit.

Safeway shopper Peter Thurston noticed the new device earlier this week at the Webster Street Safeway store.

“It’s a new system that they’re trying out. Time will tell if they are going to be successful or not,” said Thurston.

He lives near the store and shops there twice a week. 

“It’s convenient. They have everything I want. I don’t have to go too far,” said Thurston.

Thurston and other regulars said theft is rampant. 

“Everyday. You see (shoplifting), you just mind your own business,” said Thurston.

At least two San Francisco Safeway stores have the new sliding gates, including the Mission Street store in the Excelsior District.

“Oh, it’s the best. It’s going to cut down on the crime. I guarantee it cuts down on the crime,” said shopper Norman Simpson.

“The more they shoplift, the more we have to pay for the products,” added Safeway shopper Marianne Bermudez.

Some shoppers also worried about store closures due to high theft. That was why many seemed to support it despite the early glitches. 

We noticed shoppers with a lot of products in their hands were struggling to scan their receipts. A clerk had to help.
People who didn’t have a receipt needed workers to open the gates for them to exit. 

A Safeway spokeswoman wrote in a statement to KPIX 5, “recent changes were made at select Safeway stores in the Bay Area… given the increasing amount of theft. Those updates include operational changes to the front end of the stores to deter shoplifting.”

“If you get the wrong individual, they’ll just kick right through it,” said Thurston. 

Some shoppers said thieves can also jump over since the gates are about three feet high. 

Safeway has tried many security measures in recent years, including metal gates to prevent people from leaving through closed registers and long metal poles attached to shopping carts so people can’t just run out with a cart full of products.

“It’s something new, we have to get used to it,” said Thurston. 

We followed up with a Safeway spokeswoman to ask about early results: if the new sliding gates were slowing down theft and how many Bay Area stores will have them. No response on those questions thus far.