"Tragic And Embarrassing": San Fran Hardware Store Implements One-On-One Shopping With Employee Escort Due To "Rampant Shoplifting"

Today in 'the de-evolution of Western society' news, one store in San Francisco is fighting back against rampant theft and looting by requiring that customers shop with an in-store escort. 

Fredericksen’s Hardware and Paint in Cow Hollow, is now requiring customers to be accompanied by an employee while shopping to combat widespread shoplifting, according to the NY Post. The store has implemented a policy of serving customers one at a time during specific hours and has restricted access to parts of the store, creating a designated waiting area for shoppers until they can be assisted, as first reported by KRON4.

A sign at the store says: "Attention shoppers. Due to the rampant shoplifting, Fredericksen has introduced a one-on-one shopping experience: wait here and a clerk will be right with you to help you with all your shopping needs."

Manager Sam Black commented: “It’s pretty bad. I mean, the dollar amounts are pretty significant, and with the tools and now we’re getting snatch-and-grabs when they take whole displays, so it’s getting kind of dangerous for the employees and the customers.”

“We just want to make it uncomfortable for the thieves so they go somewhere else,” he added. “Yeah, people aren’t happy. The regulars can’t believe it like we can’t believe it, but they’ve been really understanding.”

Fredericksen’s has introduced measures to restrict access to part of the store's entrance during specific hours, requiring customers to wait for employee assistance before shopping. The store's long-standing manager believes this strategy is beneficial for the business, its employees, and customers, KRON reported:

Black says for two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening an employee will work with individual customers. A table at the front serves as a way to keep potential thieves from moving freely in and out of the store.

San Francisco supervisor Catherine Stefani commented on the situation, stating:  “This situation is tragic and embarrassing for our city, and it’s all the more reason to get serious about solving our police staffing crisis. We need more police on our streets, and we need them now. That’s why I’ll hold a series of hearings in March to push our city agencies to fill the hundreds of vacancies at the Police Department as soon as possible––to stop the bleeding, reverse the damage, and finally protect our residents and small businesses.”