Downtown San Francisco’s plight continues, with Whole Foods Market closing the doors of its 8th and Market Street location because of safety concerns.
“Over the last several months, the San Francisco Police Department and the Mayor’s Office have been working collaboratively with Whole Foods’ leadership to address public safety issues,” Mayor London Breed’s office told The Epoch Times in an April 12 emailed statement.
Calls to the store are received with a message saying that “effective April 11, this location will be closed.” Callers are directed to other Whole Foods locations in the city without further details.
With the closure noted as temporary, according to the company’s press release announcing the decision, city officials are hopeful that the location will reopen.
“We will continue to engage with Whole Foods about the future use of the site,” the mayor’s office stated.
According to media reports, the reasons for the closure include an abundance of street crime in the area, persistent drug use inside and outside the store, and unsafe conditions for patrons and employees.
Thieves reportedly managed to steal the entire fleet of 250 shopping carts over the course of the year, and police reports indicate that repeated thefts plague other local businesses.
The nearly 65,000 square feet grocery store opened in March 2022. Customized to fit the style of classic San Francisco and filled with more than 3,700 items, it was known for its local products and was frequented by work crowds looking for breakfast and lunch to go.
Before the recent decision to close, the store cut its hours in October 2022 because of thefts and began opening an hour later at 9 a.m. and closing two hours earlier at 7 p.m. while hostile behavior toward employees became a recurring problem, as reported by The San Francisco Standard. Other Whole Foods locations in the city remain open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The Market Street location lies in close proximity to the Tenderloin District—known for high crime and drug trafficking, according to police records, and some say the Tenderloin Center contributed to the crime and theft in the area. Closed in December 2022, the center was a drug consumption site funded by the city to “reduce overdose deaths and increase connections to services” for those with addiction, according to the city’s website.
Drug users leaving dirty needles and pipes in public restrooms prompted Whole Foods’s managers at the Trinity location to implement more restrictive rules in November 2022, as reported by employees at the time. Security guards were instructed to check customers’ QR codes before their entry. Workers also noticed shoplifters filling suitcases with items and using the restroom to conceal their activities, as reported by The San Francisco Standard last year.
“Police will continue aggressively enforcing against open-air drug dealing, maximizing police response to urgent calls for assistance, partnering with retailers to address theft in their stores, and enforcing new street vending regulations to disrupt the sale of stolen goods,” the mayor’s office stated.
In an April 11 press release, Breed announced the passage of a $25 million police supplemental package, aimed at improving police staffing shortages and reducing street crime—with a focus on the Tenderloin. Since January, San Francisco Police Department officers have arrested 217 individuals and seized 43 kilograms of narcotics, including 29 kilograms of fentanyl, according to the announcement.
News of the closure comes as the city is reeling from crimes, including the stabbing death of Cash App founder Bob Lee on April 4. Data from the city’s police department shows that robberies and assaults are up since January compared to the same time last year.
The city is also suffering from the lowest rate of economic rebound following the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study published by the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California–Berkeley in January.
The city is also facing a budget deficit approaching $728 million over the next two years, the mayor reported in January.
