Crime, fewer customers blamed for San Francisco Nordstrom closure
- A Nordstrom that had been open since the late 80s closed Sunday
- Crime and declining foot traffic were among the reasons cited
- Some stores say robberies have claimed thousands of dollars in merchandise
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(NewsNation) — A downtown San Francisco Nordstrom department store that had been open since 1988 closed its doors Sunday.
The company blamed changes to the city’s downtown area, including declining foot traffic, which Nordstrom said made operating untenable.
The mall where Nodstrom was located went further, calling out “unsafe conditions.”
Still, some shoppers were saddened by the storefront’s closure.
“It’s so sad,” one shopper told NewsNation’s San Francisco affiliate KRON. “This is one of my favorite stores.”
FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting data shows a 14.7% increase in shoplifting reports in 2021 versus 2019 and almost double from 2020, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
However, the FBI’s data isn’t comprehensive, and the COVID-19 pandemic led to nationwide store closures in 2020 and parts of 2021.
Recently in Los Angeles, a group of people were seen ransacking a designer store and walking out with thousands of dollars in merchandise.
“This is crazy,” one shopper said. “I mean there’s no integrity in our culture.”
Critics of the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office said prosecutors aren’t filing charges in retail crimes.
The office couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed said the city is working to repurpose empty retail centers, including possibly replacing the mall where Nordstrom once was with a soccer stadium.
