CNN: San Francisco Walgreens We Visited Had 3 Thefts in 30 Minutes, Stores Are Locking up Lotion, Coffee

CNN’s Senior National Correspondent, Kyung Lah, shed light on the concerning theft issue in San Francisco during Monday’s airing of “OutFront.” She reported witnessing three separate theft incidents in a Walgreens store in a span of just 30 minutes. Interestingly, the store has resorted to securing items such as frozen food, coffee, and lotion due to the rampant theft problem.

During her segment, Lah detailed how this Walgreens branch, situated in the Richmond district of San Francisco, experiences such consistent theft that it had to put commonplace items like mustard under lock and key. According to the correspondent, Walgreens reported this location suffers the highest theft rate across their almost 9,000 outlets in the U.S., with thefts occurring over a dozen times each day.

Lah extended her coverage to emphasize that the problem isn’t confined to Walgreens alone. She found other retailers have also been forced to lock away items ranging from frozen food and coffee to beauty products such as fake eyelashes, lotion, and nail polish.

Lah concluded her report by acknowledging that although the rates of property and violent crime in San Francisco were lower at the end of 2022 compared to pre-pandemic figures, the city is grappling with low-level offenses, including retail theft and minor drug use. These crimes, while considered less severe, create a significant impact on the community at large, she added.