The shuttering of a Safeway supermarket at the Fillmore District of San Francisco after it was subjected to rampant shoplifting and theft has brought scorn from local residents on the store’s parent company and prompted one Black Lives Matter activist to demand that a new bargain grocer be put in the exact location.

Officials at the national grocery chain first announced in January 2024 that they were left with no choice but to permanently close the location due to crippling theft and public safety issues. One private security guard told the San Francisco Standard in December that the store was losing about $7,000 daily.

With limited shopping options for the neighborhood’s senior and disabled population, the supermarket is the only easily accessible one in the area. Local activists and community leaders are now demanding that the district ensure a new market is put in its place.

“We’re not playing. We are demanding,” one member of BLM and the Fillmore United Alliance, Daniel Landry, said in a statement at a recent rally. He went so far as to threaten the local government if it did not comply with the request.

“We want all the new [city] supervisors to understand,” he said. “We can have a beautiful relationship or a sour relationship.”

According to the December report from the Standard, commonly stolen items from the store included cooking oil, meat, and liquor. Many also have grabbed empty Safeway-branded shopping bags and filled them with goods before walking out without paying.

“It’s really bad. It’s a problem,” the anonymous guard told the newspaper. “They’re taking stuff they can sell.”

Another employee who spoke with the local news outlet said many thieves would brazenly walk through the self-checkout area with the stolen goods. 

The property is already under contract with new developer, Align Real Estate, which has proposed a mixed-use tower for housing and retail, according to the Standard. Mr. Landry has urged Align to commit to leasing the planned commercial space to a low-cost grocery chain.

“They say they’ve got theft problems, but that’s happening all over,” he said. “This is a dense area with lots of seniors and people with disabilities.”

One customer who depends on the store, George Gibbs, told CBS News Bay Area that he’s disappointed about losing the convenience of having the supermarket nearby but understands why it’s being shut down.

“I’ve seen people running out the door with stuff and running across the parking lot,” Mr. Gibbs said. “I’ve seen folks walk out in handcuffs for stealing something.”

“A lot goes on here that doesn’t go on at other stores,” he said.