Dozens of shopping carts were stolen from a San Francisco Safeway, prompting the store to move all its carts inside, according to a report from Hoodline.
A total of 160 carts were allegedly stolen from the Safeway at 2200 Market St. in recent weeks.
Reports indicated that originally the shopping carts had been removed from the store entirely, and customers were required to use hand baskets.
However, a tipster told Hoodline on Friday that the carts were available, but only inside the store. A Safeway attendant monitored the carts to make sure they didn’t leave the store.
"For the past number of weeks there haven't been any shopping carts and rarely any carry baskets," wrote George C. on Nextdoor, a localized neighborhood social media site. "I asked about this a few weeks ago and was told by staff that between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. shoplifters just take them."
The news site revealed multiple other customer’s comments on various social media platforms remarking on the lack of shopping carts available.
Safeway spokesperson Wendy Gutshall confirmed that the shopping carts had been stolen.
"Like other retailers, the disappearance of shopping carts is an ongoing challenge," Gutshall told the publication. "We continue to explore solutions to address and send additional shopping carts to the Castro Safeway store."
The store becomes the latest San Francisco retailer to address the rise in thefts across the city. San Francisco Walgreens has reportedly spent 35 times more on security this year than any other location, while Target recently reduced its store hours to 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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