san francisco update on how to shop there;

Fed up with the rampant smash-and-grab looting problem throughout the region, retail stores in the Bay Area of northern California are retrofitting their operations to create a more prison-like shopping experience.

At Fredericksen's Hardware & Paint in San Francisco, store owners now require shoppers to be accompanied by an employee to prevent thefts. Upon entering the store, customers immediately encounter a table barricade with signs strewn atop telling them to "please wait for assistance."

"Due to the rampant shoplifting, Fredericksen's has introduced a One-on-One shopping experience," a sign on the table reads, preventing customers from going any further into the store until an employee arrives.

"Wait here and a clerk will be right with you to help you with all your shopping needs. We're sorry for the inconvenience!"

Store manager Sam Black told local media that it had gotten "pretty bad" at the store in terms of the sheer volume of products being stolen on a regular basis.

"The dollar amounts are pretty significant with the tools," Black explained while wearing a Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) "dust" mask over his nose and mouth.

"And now we're getting smash-and-grabs where they come in and take whole displays, so it's getting kind of dangerous for the employees and the customers."

For two hours every morning and two hours every evening before closing time, Fredericksen's customers have to be accompanied by an employee while browsing the store, otherwise they will be asked to leave.

"We just want to make it uncomfortable for the thieves so they go somewhere else," Black added about the new precautionary measures...........more...........