A GROCERY store has revealed a new desperate measure to stop thefts after mass closures in the area.
The supermarket has been desperate to slow the rate of shoplifting at their store.
A Safeway in Vallejo, California, installed metal emergency gates in front of one of their exits in order to deter stealing.
The gates will sound an alarm if a shoplifter attempts to leave the building.
Shoplifting has become an acute issue in California, particularly in San Francisco, just a 30-minute drive from Vallejo.
Multiple closures have hit the area, which has been heavily affected by rising crime and a homelessness epidemic.
Popular brands including Nordstrom, Whole Foods, and Office Depot have halted operations in the neighborhood.
Billionaire Elon Musk last week blasted downtown San Francisco as ‘post-apocalyptic‘.
Safeway has also been increasing security across California.
One Twitter user shopping at a Safeway in Oakland remarked: “Bars everywhere, multiple security guards, you have to scan your receipt for the gate to open in order to exit, and if you don’t buy anything an employee has to open the gate to let you out.”
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Shoplifting is becoming such a severe problem across the US that shoppers may face major price increases, according to a retail expert.
Target has said that merchandise theft cost the store millions of dollars this year.
David Moon, a retail specialist, told Knoxville News Sentinel that this level of left will impact consumers.
In a recent press release, the retail giant said that theft will amount to $500 million more in stolen and lost merchandise than the year previously.
“Retailers must increase their prices in order to absorb the cost of stolen inventory,” David Moon said.
Target’s CEO said: ” We’re not alone in seeing a trend that has gotten progressively worse over the last 12 to 18 months.”
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https://www.the-sun.com/news/8428583/major-grocery-store-thefts-mass-closures-shop-lifting/