Did anyone leave their heart in San Francisco? This is Newsome's legacy.
A growing number of retailers are closing locations in San Francisco in what some are calling a “retail exodus” from the city. Dozens of major brands with histories in San Francisco have decided to pull stores from the area, including H&M, Whole Foods, Old Navy, Nordstrom, Office Depot, Marshall’s, Banana Republic, and Gap, among others.
While retailers have all given different statements as to why they’re pulling their stores from one of the largest cities in the United States, such as Nordstrom claiming it’s due to changing “dynamics” within the city, escalating crime in the area is certainly a major factor. Whole Foods came to close to acknowledging rising crime as the reason, saying they closed their flagship store in order to “ensure worker safety” and were transferring all employees to other stores. Homelessness is not helping. There is way more wrong than there is that is right with San Francisco.
Many of the brands that remained in the city have changed hours or security within their stores to deter theft. Photos and videos of retail locations in San Francisco show that many products have been locked up behind glass due to how much theft they have been experiencing. The Target in San Francisco has almost all personal care items, such as shampoo and body wash, locked up behind glass. A reporter for the Daily Mail witnessed four thefts within 15 minutes while at the Walgreens in San Francisco, which now locks up their entire candy aisle.
Some industries, such as hotels and hospitality, have significantly declined revenues and have not recovered to pre-2020 levels. Commuter rail traffic to downtown San Francisco is down to 33% of pre-pandemic levels, while the number of people who go into the office on a weekly basis is not even half of what it used to be.
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