Private security guards will do nothing. Eventually, stores in these locales will have to go to some form of the Service Merchandise model, shopping by appointment, or having everything behind plexiglass so that goods and items are not “shopper” accessible. Even then, I am not sure that determined shoplifters will be deterred for long.
Disagree. The endgame is that eventually there will not be stores in these locales. I live in the vicinity of Camden, New Jersey. Much smaller than San Francisco but an interesting case study on how crime changes a vibrant city.
In the '20s through the '60s Camden was home to two of the USAs biggest corporations: Campbell Soup and RCA (owner of the NBC network and the largest manufacturer of consumer electronics in the country. It was a prosperous and vibrant community. In the 70s crime began going insane in Camden. By the '80s there were literally ZERO grocery stores left in Camden, they all shut down and fled. They just couldn't stay in business with the uncontrollable theft they were exposed to. The result was that the city residents were forced to leave the city to shop. And to this day they still have to.
That's where San Francisco is headed, not because of violent crime but because of basic economics. It's headed there because this sort of thing is now essentially legal there:
Youtube: San Francisco CVS being Cleaned Out By Brazen Shoplifters