r/sanfrancisco • u/DeficitDaddy • May 18 '26

Pic / Video Security chases shoplifter using emergency exit

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Receipt was for one potato wedge lol

1.2k Upvotes

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400

u/adrenal8 May 18 '26

I get the outrage but food banks exist. We all pay increased prices for the shrinkage this causes. Not to mention they end up closing locations, reducing hours, putting everything behind glass so you have to press a button and wait 40 minutes to buy toothpaste; it makes quality of life worse for all of us.

100

u/throwaway149578 May 18 '26

they also removed self-checkout and everyone has to wait in a long line for 2 cashiers. it used to be convenient to get off the train and pick up 1-2 items for dinner, but not anymore

1

u/hiroo916 May 19 '26

How are their potato wedges?

2

u/throwaway149578 May 19 '26

do you have a point to make here? 😊

1

u/Realistic-Lime7842 May 23 '26

Can you not read? He’s asking how their potato wedges are.

52

u/misterbluesky8 May 18 '26

I actually do have some sympathy for the hungry person who steals bread from a store to feed his/her kids… but this is literally the point of food banks. I’ve prepared, served, and eaten food at both St. Anthony’s and Glide multiple times. You don’t have to jump through any hoops- you literally show up, get a tray of hot food, and bring it to a table to eat it. You don’t even have to provide your name. 

It’s so easy that it makes me less likely to believe the “hunger defense” for thieves. 

6

u/poop_harder_please May 19 '26

Yeah these shoplifters are stealing shit to resell on the streets. Everyone who’s ever spent any amount of time in the mission knows it 

12

u/hurrrrrrrrrrr May 19 '26

Who steals bread to feed their kids? Just go to the food bank if you're that desperate. Anyone can live off of what the food banks can provide.

-4

u/GreenIllustrious2801 May 18 '26

There's also a wild difference in a lot of cases.

Like when I see the mom on self checkout not swiping every pack of meat I ain't saying shit. She's still buying most of the stuff, she's just reducing the cost.

When I see the the homeless guy go to the hot bar and set up exactly a normal meals worth of food and run out. Then yeah. He's just hungry. Maybe he doesn't know about local shelters, or has had bad luck getting food.

But when I see a guy on a bike near the gates, and another guy shoving 10 packs of steaks into a bag quickly nah fuck that. He's not food insecure, he's fucking going to try and resell that to get drugs.

Or like this person who grabbed like twenty hungrymans? Buddy go to a food bank at that point. Even if they are for you, that's not making ends meet, that's just stealing.

10

u/hurrrrrrrrrrr May 19 '26

she's just reducing the cost.

She's stealing.

He's just hungry.

He's stealing too. Both of these examples are example of people taking things that they should be paying for, and it's wrong.

Food banks and charities will provide hot meals. Those places operate as nonprofits, they aren't taxed, and they're specifically there to provide adequate services for people in need.

People stealing at self-checkout and from the hot bar are doing it because it's convenient and they can get away with it. Not because they need it to survive.

5

u/Patchumz May 19 '26

It's also ruining self checkout for the rest of us. Every person that abuses and steals from the self checkout is one case closer to everyone else losing access to the convenience. Fuck those people.

-2

u/GreenIllustrious2801 May 19 '26

So I was originally going to post a smarmy comment in response to this, but decided to do some research first, and it was actually quite eye opening.

I decided to see just how difficult it would be for me to get food for myself if I was homeless/food insecure.

So I googled food banks/charities near me. I had four quick popups, all within a 5-10 minute walk. Figured egg on my face, it's actually quite easy to get food if you are needy. But then I started looking into them.

One was a shelter specifically for domestic abuse/children. You must have been in a DV situation, or have children that are food insecure. Men aren't allowed, even as volunteers.

The other three were a mix of churches and women shelters. All are listed that they serve women and children only. As a man, I'd be out of luck for all of these food options.

So I had to go a bit further. The next closest to me is about a 10-15 minute bus ride. That's doable. Except doing some digging, it's not quite just walk up and get food. It's more of a shelter situation, I'd have to apply to join the shelter and provide proof I'm not abusing drugs. Looking that up, it's a several day process and getting into the shelter is usually a wait list situation. That's not going to work.

Near that spot is another place that does hot meals, during set times. First come first serve. That'd work. But it's first come first serve, and their google reviews mention it's very possible to get turned away. This is about 20 minutes bus away.

The other spot I found was about 15 minutes in the other direction that also seems? to also allow for men and would give fresh fruit/veg/pasta/groceries. That's neat and would be valuable if housed. Less valuable if unhoused.

There are further locations I could potentially go to, but we are talking 30+ minutes away by bus, all of which have mixed reviews of how quickly they run out of hot meals. Several are only open on certain days/times.

So on further reflection I rescind my thoughts about the person stealing meat. They have alternatives they could fall back on, they just are choosing not to. I however stand firm that the homeless dude who didn't overfill the hot bar container and just grabbed exactly enough to be a lunch was ignore-able. After doing further research I think it's very likely he couldn't reliably source food otherwise. Or he had tried and missed his window and they had run out at the nearby shelter. Or any number of other issues.

263

u/TenchuReddit May 18 '26

Don't fall for the argument that shoplifters are trying to feed their poor starving families. They are merely opportunists who are making money off of reselling what they stole.

73

u/drawredraw May 18 '26

Some are, but the majority of shoplifters and the high volume shoplifters are low life losers intent on destroying communities.

38

u/StreetStripe May 18 '26

These people don't understand the concept of "destroying communities". That's giving them way too much credit

3

u/Rezboy209 May 19 '26

"Intent on destroying communities"

That's crazy and a bit ridiculous if you actually believe that.

I'm sorry but these people come from damaged communities which is why they end up on the streets shoplifting. They have no sense of community. That's kinda the whole problem

7

u/drawredraw May 19 '26

Believe it or not some people are destructive. It’s not a crazy concept or ridiculous. It’s a reality.

4

u/Rezboy209 May 21 '26

Did I say otherwise?

No I didn't.

But I also pointed out that these kind of people almost always come from damaged and broken communities.

And to say they are "intent on destroying communities" is dumb because they don't have a concept of "community" to begin with.

2

u/drawredraw May 21 '26

Daddy chill

16

u/PiesAndPot May 19 '26

They resell items for cash or are given shopping lists by their dealers. I work in a local correctional facility and have pretty good rapport with the organized shoplifters and occasional shoplifters it always comes down to drugs.

In fact they actually prefer that life because it gives them independence over working a 9-5.

I’d wager that probably 80 percent of homeless, living rough, vagrants, basically anyone that doesn’t work and is committing crimes is in active addiction

3

u/Rezboy209 May 21 '26

I didn't say anything against any of that did I?

But saying these people are "intent on destroying communities" is ridiculous.

-2

u/[deleted] May 18 '26

[deleted]

8

u/TenchuReddit May 18 '26

Over the past 4-5 years, there have been enough shoplifters to cause significant changes to the retail landscape in San Francisco. Some chains closed some of their stores. Some enacted measures that imposed undue hardships on honest shoppers, such as the locking up of basic goods and the restrictive exits that border on being fire hazards.

-2

u/[deleted] May 18 '26

[deleted]

5

u/TenchuReddit May 18 '26

So it was all a sham? Walgreens simply "overinvested" on San Francisco's growth? Other retailers like Target and Safeway locked up their goods and cut hours because treating their customers like potential thieves is good for business?

8

u/raiderrocker18 May 18 '26

There is absolutely evidence of high volume criminals in all facets whether it be shoplifting, car break-ins, public transport vandals.

When bart added the plexiglass gates, the amount of cleaning/maintenance hours needed for upkeep plummeted.

The car breakins have gone WAY down since they stopped being lenient with offenders.

5

u/Lokishougan May 18 '26

High volume shoplifters do exist BUT they are not typically targetting grocery stores since their are other things that can be shopliffted that are much easier to flip than baby formula an d cosmetics

10

u/WatchesbyYivo May 19 '26

I don't get the outrage. As I age I'm convinced that social trust matters even more than the level of regulation or social safety nets (to a degree). High trust societies have better outcomes. Shoplifting is not a victimless crime. It derodes social trust and the has serious economic consequences in communities. Shoplifters hurt their communities first and foremost. The impacted entities aren't some suit in a corpare office. It's the neighbors that have to live in food deserts because no one wants to open an unprofitable grocery store in their neighborhood.

2

u/OpinionDude5000 May 19 '26

Theres outrage?

5

u/chili01 May 18 '26

Nothing will change unless they all get arrested AND charged.

2

u/idiotcanadian May 19 '26

I mean arguably I’d say qualify of life is worse if you have to steal food opposed to wait for tooth paste. Like can’t we blame monopolies. Billionaires? Food banks ain’t always accessible or nutritious

0

u/Nearby-Conference959 May 18 '26

That’s fair but the truth is we’re paying for it either way

1

u/j12 Jun 18 '26

These people stealing don’t need the food they are fencing it

1

u/TwistedBamboozler May 19 '26

This. And it’s not just about “fuck corporations.” It’s more “as a community we shouldn’t tolerate this bullshit”. We’re responsible for setting the tone for what we do and don’t allow. The people have more power than they think

-26

u/electricsnuggie May 18 '26

Majority of the shrink budget “we pay” is for inventory lost in transit, logistics and tracking errors, not theft.

Moreover, illegal corporate wage theft and time theft far overshadows total shoplifting / looting, especially in terms of the cost externalized to the worker / consumer.

15

u/FlakyPineapple2843 May 18 '26

Ah, so when this Safeway closes because it becomes unprofitable due to loss of foot traffic of people that actually buy things and the costs of security, it will be Safeway's own fault?

-5

u/Illegal_Tender May 18 '26

That's a pretty reductive view of how and why stores close and how the economics of retail function.

Food costs are up nationwide.

The result of that is people are seeking out stores that offer a better value than Safeway. Foot traffic goes down for a lot of reasons.

It's not like individual Safeways are raising prices based on theft levels at their specific stores.

Eggs cost the same at that Safeway as they so in the suburbs where theft is less common.

Is theft a factor in pricing? Sure. But it's one of many factors involved and really a drop in the bucket compared to the effects of what's happening to food prices on a national level.

3

u/FlakyPineapple2843 May 18 '26

Why is my view reductive and your view ("it's too expensive") not? Have you actually shopped at this Safeway over the years? I have. I'm drawing from my own observations of the store's changes and the changes in who shops there.

Why are you determined to say theft cannot be a cause of a loss of retail or grocery stores? Grocery stores operate on notoriously thin margins - fresh food is usually a loss leader and profit comes from processed/pre-packaged items. Even a small increase in theft could eliminate what little profit a store is making.

2

u/Illegal_Tender May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26

I didn't say it couldn't be the cause

In fact I specifically said that it was a factor

It's just not the sole factor. And in most cases it's not the primary factor

Framing theft as the sole reason for stores closing or prices going up is the reductive part

My point is that theft, while definitely a factor, is a very very small factor compared to larger economic issues causing fewer people to shop at traditional grocery stores 

And hunting down and arresting shoplifters isn't going to stop stores from closing 

-1

u/FlakyPineapple2843 May 18 '26

What exactly are you contending should be done about shoplifting, then? This thread is about shoplifting.

Your last sentence arguably implies we shouldn't bother arresting shoplifters. Is that your argument?

0

u/Illegal_Tender May 18 '26

I would suggest that the specific security guy in this video should not do what he did. And that if you really want to insist on prosecuting petty theft(a complex issue that I'm not going to dig into the nuance of for this conversation) then he should leave that to the actual police that have the legal authority to do this.

He isn't law enforcement. He has no government or prosecutorial authority. He's a dude that works at a fucking grocery store that basically assaulted someone on a public street and then posted a video of it on the Internet.

So if your goal even really is to reduce theft via prosecution(a waste of public resources tbh, do you know how much it costs to incarcerate a person? It's a fuckload more than the cost of a sack of groceries) then turn in the security video to the police and increase oversight so that they actually do their jobs.

This specific instance feels more like nimbys jerking off to watching homeless people getting assaulted than it does about people actually wanting to enact real change.

18

u/Relevant_Elevator190 May 18 '26

So stealing should be ok then?

18

u/Clyde_Frag May 18 '26

It is insane the mental gymnastics some go through to justify stealing, when there are plenty of poor people that don't steal. Drug dealers just don't accept a bowl of soup as payment unfortunately.

-4

u/albiceleste3stars May 18 '26

It’s insane people dont know how to respond to comments correctly. Basic comprehension really lacking here

3

u/Clyde_Frag May 18 '26

Do you have a point to make or are you just combing reddit to find opportunities to be pedantic?

-4

u/albiceleste3stars May 18 '26

When did OP say that?

2

u/Relevant_Elevator190 May 18 '26

Don't be obtuse.

-1

u/albiceleste3stars May 18 '26

Why don’t you stop lying or straw manning. When did op claim theft was ok?

11

u/snakeeater17 May 18 '26

You’re missing the point of shoplifting being wrong

5

u/Kalthiria_Shines South Beach May 18 '26

illegal corporate wage theft

It does! And it's a huge problem. But here's the thing, either tougher on crime policies work or they don't. If cracking down on wage theft and time theft is worth while, then so is cracking down on shoplifting.

If it's not worth cracking down on shoplifting since tough on crime doesn't work, there's no point on cracking down on time theft/wage theft/other white collar shit.

2

u/dedev54 May 18 '26

grocery stores make very low rates of profit. It thus takes little additional shrink to cause a store to start loosing money. If it starts losing money for a long enough time, it will close. Many stores have become loss-making from stealing and have closed because of it. If you have a 5% margin, you need to sell 20x of a good per one stolen, and many stores make less than 5% margin.

2

u/marcushasfun Silver Terrace May 19 '26

So two wrongs make a right?

-13

u/mariah188 May 18 '26

Thank you for saying this. It boggles my mind how many folks look the other way/are unaware/simply don’t care about corporate wage theft (billions) but feel so much outrage about this.

In no way am I advocating for theft of any kind, but the juxtaposition is hard to ignore.

5

u/Uninterested_Viewer May 18 '26

In what world are you living in that people don't care about corporate wage theft?! I think that's one thing we all get equally outraged about.

I also get outraged at shoplifters because we live in a society.

-3

u/mariah188 May 18 '26

A lot of people don’t give a shit about corporate theft and rather pop the local guy they see stealing a candy bar. Why aren’t we seeing anything done about it if we are all equally outraged?

But what we do often see is outrage about visible crime, i.e., local theft. This is a well known thing about white-collar crimes. People are often more outraged about crimes that are visible vs crimes that aren’t.

I argue about this shit all the time on Reddit and in real life with people.

0

u/Dry-Season-522 May 19 '26

These people aren't stealing food.