San Francisco hardware store escorts customers while shopping to deter rising crime
A generations-old hardware store in California is forced to go above and beyond to protect its shoppers as the state's crime wave continues to rise.
Fredericksen Hardware & Paint, a long-standing shopfront in the Cow Hollow-Marina area of San Francisco, will now provide shoppers with a staff member to escort them through the shop.
"We really weren't giving a choice. I mean we have to keep our employees safe and our customers safe. When they're coming in to do snatch and grabs, that was the final, final straw," store manager Sam Black told local news outlet Fox 2.
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"It's a shock. This has been happening maybe all over the city and other parts of the country. Now, it's finally reaching Cow Hollow," Black continued.
Shoppers will now be walked through the store by a personal attendant from the moment they walk in up until the moment they leave.
Fredericksen Hardware & Paint hopes the increased awareness and attention to each shopper will dissuade would-be criminals from continuing to ransack the store with snatch-and-grabs that threaten to put it out of business.
Stories about high-profile companies around the San Francisco area closing shop or hiring extra security have made grim headlines in recent months.
Target closed its downtown Oakland location last year after police responded to more than 100 smash-and-grab thefts and similar incidents in 2023.
In-N-Out recently announced its sole Oakland burger joint was closing — the first time in the company's history it had to make such a decision — due to rampant burglaries, property damage and armed robberies in the area.
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A Denny's also closed down last month because of the crime epidemic.
Blue Shield, Clorox, and Kaiser Permanente, the largest employer in Oakland, have issued warnings to employees, hired security guards or taken other actions in response to a crime surge in the city.
Fox Business's David Rutz contributed to this report.