Update:Target cutting hours due to rampant San Fran shoplifting, Walgreens leaving like Kevin Durant

Nothing weird about it. Past a certain time they don't get enough customers to offset the costs of shoplifting

 

The broader crime narrative, like most stories about San Francisco, is probably overblown, but I imagine retail sales is basically just a balancing act between fixed property and utility costs, variable consumer traffic and wholesaler discounts. Anytime a chain is about to under, you start seeing stories about vendors shortening the timeframe to pay for inventory from net-90 to net-30 or COD, so you have to wonder if that previous wiggle room is what kept excessive retail rents and Office Depot-like customer traffic from taking a suboptimal chain or branch store under. The theft either doesn't help or gives wholesalers some kind of extra negotiating power. This move would be surprising by either Wal-Mart, a pharmacy or fast-food chain, but not a general department store like so many others that have gone under due to inertia.

 

Practically most LE don't really do much about petty theft. It's just not worth their while to investigate. I don't think this should be made an official policy and widely discussed for the reasons this thread show.

I don't really blame Target and I think Pgabriel is right that past a certain time it's not economically worth it to keep stores open if they aren't getting enough actual paying customers to balance out losses to theft.

 

Also.

 

Its interesting that you managed to turn this into another anti-homeless rant when the word "homeless" doesnt appear in any of the stories you've posted.

My admiteldy limited experience with organized shoplifting in the Houston area - where it occurs too - would pretty much exonerate homeless people.

Its hard to set up a area-wide shoplifting ring when you have panhandle for change to take the BART.

The organized shoplifting ive seen in Houston, where it happens too, is generally kids living in mom's extra bedroom, driving to their "jobs" in some old beater hoopty that their parents bought for them.

For instance, I was at a Walgreens in Stinkadina a couple of weeks ago when some wannabe gangster kids did a grab and dash. The weird thing to me is, the store employees saw it coming, and blocked the door, but once they barreled their way past the guy blocking the door, they went and sat in a running car sitting in a handicap slot right in front of the store for like 20 minutes. The store people were just like "oh well, they got away" and didnt do anything to confront them or even call the cops.

BTW, in case you care Houston is recognised as the national leader BY FAR when it comes to armed robberies of armored Cash In Transit, like Brinks or Guarda. Obviously we need to do something about all those homeless people with AK47s knocking over armored cars.

 

Well gosh, if "everybody says" its true, I guess we dont even need to confirm it.

That article doesnt at any point mention the shoplifting rings wrt the homeless.

Again from experience, there is a big difference between homeless people bashing in all the car windows in a row on a street in crimes of opportunity or just generally being insane and a nuisance and having the wherewithal to run a city-wide organized shoplifting ring.

Google "arrest shoplifting ring" and you'll be amazed to discover a long list of stories from all across the country with people involved who live in fixed abodes.

Homeless people commit nuisance/mental illness crimes. They dont run organized, systemstic crime rings. Maybe pivot to MS13, which is another boogyman touchstone for people who like to rant about the homeless.

 

I hope the Russians love their children too.

 

It was to undo damage from the 3 Strikes Law that voters threw in decades before. Propositions are a funny thing, being how it is the most democratic and all.

As RJ mentioned, leo in large cities wouldn't even bother booking it even if it were in their statute. It's really their discretion. Whether it's out of good reason or intention is a different matter...

This might have to be addressed by law when the foreclosure moratorium is finally lifted and its effects are clear. There's a lot of rent people will have to finally pay back.

 

San Francisco is peak Anarcho-capitalism.

 

People there have Marie Antoinette like delusions while they train themselves to ignore the homeless at every other corner.

It's like they're all trying to keep their heads above water in their respective circles without realizing how they might directly lose their heads.

But I wouldn't claim it's unique to that region...

 

This is just tincan's early audition for role of Dr. Raymond Cocteau in the eventual remake of The Demolition Man.