A Whole Foods customer shops at the Mid-Market location in San Francisco on June 17, 2022. | Camille Cohen/The Standard
A Downtown San Francisco Whole Foods Market slashed its operating hours due to “high theft” and hostile people, according to one of the store's managers.
As of Oct. 24, the store—located at 1185 Market St.—is now opening an hour later and closing two hours earlier: from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“It’s to better serve our customers, and it’s more or less because of the area and security issues,” said the store's manager, who asked to remain anonymous. “There’s just high theft and people being hostile.”
A Whole Foods shopper carries her bags past the Tenderloin Center on June 17, 2022. | Camille Cohen/The Standard
The store has a large security presence, with at least three guards at any given time, but it apparently hasn't been enough to limit incidents of theft.
“I’ve got so much security—we’re spending more on security than any other store I would imagine,” the manager said.
Whole Foods spokesperson Alyssa Patterson said in a statement that the Mid-Market location adjusted its schedule to “focus on serving our customers during the most in-demand hours.”
The San Francisco Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Retail theft in San Francisco has been an ongoing issue for years, as other stores in the city are also grappling with a surge in stolen merchandise.
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