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Employees at Macy’s flagship San Francisco store in Union Square have blamed its planned closure on shoplifting – despite mayor London Breed claiming crime was not a factor. The store announced earlier this week it will be closing its doors after 77 years as part of a plan to close 150 locations across the nation over the next three years. It did not cite a specific reason for the decision.
However, workers at the store told The San Francisco Standard they believe the decision was made because of daily rampant shoplifting, with thieves taking at least four blazers, 10 wallets and 20 packs of underwear every day. Employee Steve Dalisay, who has worked at Macy’s for 20 years, said those are the most frequently stolen items from the store’s sixth-floor men’s department. ‘I think there just needs to be leadership,’ Dalisay told The Standard. ‘The mayor just needs to say we won’t tolerate this in the city.’
While the building is expected to sell within a year, the store will not fully close until about three years from now, Dalisay said he was told by management on Tuesday. Another employee, who works in the fourth-floor women’s department, also blamed ‘theft and that people aren’t coming in’ for the closure. A third worker added that thieves often go after men’s Ralph Lauren Polo, women’s North Face and Levi’s clothing. Breed, facing a re-election bid currently in trouble according to recent polling, has overseen a continued downturn of San Francisco’s economy and the prevalence of homelessness and overdoses on its streets.
‘As someone who grew up in San Francisco, Macy’s has always meant a lot to the people of this city. It’s where families came to shop for the holidays,’ Breed said. Reaction on social media was heavily negative and cited the many issues and prior escapes made by business from the city. ‘They’re leaving because no one lives here. The downtown is barren because of you,’ wrote one X user. ‘The seeds were sewn, reap the results,’ added another.
Another referenced Breed’s upcoming electoral prospects: ‘I hope you have a corner picked out because that’s the only job you’ll be able to find come election time. You and your Dem friends did this.’ The crime-ridden downtown area of San Francisco has seen the closure of many shops and restaurants since its drastic downfall, despite Breed attempting to hype statistics claiming offenses went down in 2023.
In October, it was reported that seven Starbucks stores were planning to close as the city continues to deal with crime, drug use, and a homelessness epidemic. At the end of August video was released showing San Francisco’s newly shut-down flagship Nordstrom store that was almost barren after nearly three decades in business.
A slew of the city’s restaurateurs cited crime, drugs, and waning tourism as the main culprits killing their businesses, all set on Valencia Street. The thoroughfare, about a mile from the city’s embattled Downtown, is considered one of the most sought-after strips of restaurant real estate in The Bay Area.
But for residents of San Francisco’s Mission District, the reality is far different. The area – much like the nearby ‘Doom Loop’ of Union Square, City Hall, and Tenderloin and Mid Market districts – has been a hive of unsavory, post-pandemic activity. The city’s Ikea was nearly empty earlier this month as customers say persistent construction, lack of parking and constant crime on the surrounding streets keep them from shopping at the store.
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