With Northern California shoppers out in force ahead of the Christmas holiday, many changes are visible in the areas most frequented by holiday gift seekers, including extra security measures taken by many stores.
Alarmed by the number of retail theft crimes, along with videos circulating on social media showing such incidents, one family told The Epoch Times they’re taking every precaution this year to stay safe.
“We stick together, and we take our bags straight home,” Jeremy Williams, who was shopping recently with his wife and children in Sacramento, said. “You can’t leave anything in your car, or it will get stolen.”
In response, many businesses have closed, and others are locking up items and adding security to inhibit theft.
City centers that once attracted crowds from international destinations—including San Francisco’s Union Square—though festively decorated, are sparsely populated compared to prior years.
Several well-known brands remain attracting those looking for high-end exclusive gifts, including Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Hermes.
But empty storefronts litter the landscape in a region that was once some of the most desirable and expensive real estate in the world.
About 90 percent of the main mall in downtown San Francisco is vacant, a drastic change from pre-pandemic norms when the area was densely packed with shoppers and businesses.
“It’s sad what’s happened,” Bay Area native Rachel Brown told The Epoch Times. “My family has so many memories together here in Union Square during the holidays, and now we don’t feel safe to park or be in the city at night.”
Marquis brands have fled the area in recent years, with slightly more than 100 shopping destinations open now compared to more than 200 in 2019, according to city data.
Nordstrom and Anthropologie closed their doors this year, among others, and Williams Sonoma has announced it will leave in 2024.
Security guards are evident in front of many luxury retailers, and police officers could be seen patrolling on foot in the area.
The streets surrounding the famous shopping district are described by some visitors as dystopian, with open air drug use and a plethora of suspected stolen items offered for sale on Market Street. Unopened bags of coffee, laundry detergent, and baby formula were offered by one such vendor.
“Downtown, to be kind, is a mixed bag,” one critic wrote Dec. 21 on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Boarded up storefronts, illegal vendors, crazies blasting music from bullhorns and the like.”
Some areas—including suburbs near major cities—appear less impacted, with thousands of people seen bustling about shopping centers and malls recently in Roseville—north of the state capital—and Corte Madera north of the Bay Area.
“I’m not scared, but I worry about my wife when she is shopping alone,” Jesus Garcia, seen with his family at the mall in Roseville, told The Epoch Times Dec. 21. “It’s getting crazy out here, and some people are just doing whatever they want.”
Store employees at major retailers in San Francisco and Sacramento said they have witnessed more theft this year than at any time in the past.
“It’s almost every day, and sometimes it’s the exact same people,” one store clerk who asked to keep their name and employer anonymous, told The Epoch Times. “We know when we see them coming in that they’re going to steal something, and there’s nothing we can do about it.”
Many stores instruct employees not to physically intervene, and while police are sometimes called, they often do not show up for theft calls, according to retailers and law enforcement officials.
Such has led to a situation where many items are secured behind locked cabinets—including laundry detergents and soaps in some locations—and other creative loss prevention techniques, such as wire cables and locks to secure leather goods in department stores.
“We’re doing whatever we can to keep the merchandise in the store until it’s paid for,” the clerk said. “It might not look as pretty as we want it to, but this is what it’s come down to.”
