When there was a RiteAid at the corner of Bush & Larkin, I was relatively happy. Admittedly while it was strange to be able to buy Doritos and liter of vodka where I also bought my toothbrush, I went with it. Come to think of it, this was probably convenient for those picking up penicillin and needing something to chase it down with. They stocked pretty much everything I needed. Sure, the razors were under lock and key, but that’s the case everywhere, where if not needing to be unlocked, they are behind the counter.
Of course now, RiteAid got bought out by Walgreens, our new, almighty drugstore overlords. It’s wrong to say that this store has gone to shit as it was never all that great, but it’s gone to useless whatever the case. Basically, everything I could ever possibly need is now locked up. Walgreens has converted this entire store in to a walk-in ghetto corner market.
Toothbrushes? Locked up. Deodorant? Locked up. Ironically, the razors have been freed to now be behind the register. Sure, they’ll unlock the cases, but the clerk who does it eyes you with a look that yes, you could be ready to steal at any moment and tries to actually pick out the products for you. The guy asked me which deodorant I wanted to which I replied, “I don’t know. Usually when I pick one out, I get the one on sale that smells the least ‘New Jersey sleazebag out for a night on the town’”, which is often called, “unscented” I’ve discovered. Also, I don’t have a clerk hovering over my shoulder while I make my choice. That’s creepy, like Gavin Newsom stopping by your place for a drink. Oh yeah, $30 bottles of wine? Not locked up. The logic is beyond me.
As luck would have it, after giving up on buying a toothbrush and just about everything else, it was the Assistant Manager who totaled everything up at the register. I asked him what was up with all the enforcement because in reality, the majority of their losses come from the employees, not from the customers. Here are some random stats that our data master, Google allowed me to see. As you can see, 64% of store loss comes from employee theft and incompetence (which they’ve kindly called administrative error.) About 5% is the vendors screwing the stores. And then there’s that 30% of customer theft. If memory serves, that is actually a bit high and I’ve seen it totaled that customer theft is just 5% of total loss.
I pointed this out to the manager and that it was ridiculous to treat every customer who comes in the door as a potential thief. He replied that at that store they lose about $400 a day in theft and it makes up 3% of their loss. That was screwy as it meant that they make over $13,000 a day at that store. I’m not sure if he meant to say that customer theft was 30% of their losses and it was $4,000 a day. Or, he could have just been making up things as he went since he didn’t give a damn and if I wanted deodorant, I would have to go through him to get it.
Moral of the story, don’t buy from the Bush Street Walgreens! Take your business elsewhere. Maybe to Cala or even just to some other Walgreens that doesn’t lock up everything. And a word to the thieves out there, start hitting up the Walgreens in the Financial District and SOMA since they don’t lock anything up yet. Or just keep going to the Bust Street location while the rest of us shop elsewhere so that this store just dies.
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12 Comments until now
I wonder why there are two Walgreens within three blocks of each other???
Unfortunately it seems that all Walgreens are doing this all over the country. I’m not sure you have an option other than shopping elsewhere. It’s a shame really, because there are lots of people walking around SF who could really use some deodorant and toothbrushing.
WWT, in my hometown, there are two Walgreens facing each other on the same street because one used to be a RiteAid. Now that, is freakin’ weird.
Tim, it’s more of a problem at some vs. others as the one in the Financial District on Montgomery only locks up the fancy skin creams, which is a never-ending annoyance in dealing with my fine lines and wrinkles.
Pretty sure all the walgreens in the neighborhood do this. The Geary & Post one for sure, deodorant is kept out in the open, but valuable toothbrushes are kept under lock and key.
The bigger problem is why is walgreens allowed to run a monopoly in San Francisco?
also cala sucks.
You mean the one at Geary and Taylor or whatever? And yeah, Cala does suck. Sucks even more that that is the alternative to offer up to Walgreens. I mean, I go there when I’m happy and want to feel bad. I suppose that the real alternative is just to order online. It’s not like Walgreens has a good selection at all. I miss RiteAid…
RiteAid deserves to rot in hell for what they did to the numerous small chains across the country (especially K&B in my beloved NOLA). To hell with RiteAid, their defense is unjustified on a moral level.
As to Walgreens, meh. Whatever. It’s a place to buy TP, Draino, and deodorant. All of which I treat like Noah’s guests and buy in twos.
That store is pretty lame though. Seems like they could do a bit “more” with it, but if they’re making their money than I guess they don’t care. That or the local manager is the one ripping off the joint and makes it look terrible to cover up his nefarious actions. I park at Pine and Larkin and I’ll still go to the one on California and Polk because hey, better eye candy there.
WWT, there are 3 Walgreens within 3 blocks of each other. Cal & Polk, Bush & Larkin, Bush & Hyde (small one but it counts). I don’t see anything wrong with it. Have you ever been to Tokyo with four 7-11′s on the same block? Crossing the street is a motherfucker. Gotta get your 7-11 on.
My Walgreen’s (Clement St.) locks up toothbrushes/toothpaste, Britta filters, and a random assortment of other stuff that you need sometimes. I agree completely, who wants to be treated like a thief when trying to buy some toothpaste or batteries? They should hire a security guard to guard the door or case the aisles instead. Sigh.
Rachel, that’s the screwiest thing in that when this Walgreen’s was a RiteAid, there was a security guard there. Now, instead of him, they have to hire extra people to open locked cabinets. I’m sure this work out in some bottom line kind of way that I just can’t understand because in a pratical, sensible, love of god kind way, it don’t make a lick o sense.
The worst part of the lock-down is that when an ASSociate finally shows up to liberate the deodorant, they act like you have really put them out. Give me deodorant, or give me death! Toothbrushes too!
I really miss the Rite Aid, where as you pointed out one could by all of life’s essentials at really decent prices- booze, chips, cereal, condoms and deodorant. Now I have to go to four different stores to accomplish the same task and none of them have the same prices, nor the friendly, interesting employees behind the register.
Same seems to be true of all the Walgreens I’ve been to in SF. Even simple items like a bar of bath soap. I no longer shop at Walgreens because it’s just too much trouble getting a clerk to open every cabinet I want to look in. Maybe if Walgreens sees their sales drop they’ll wake up and stop treating honest customers like thieves.
I agree with Stephen – the near-monopoly that Walgreen’s has in this town is, or should be, illegal. Just to let you know that there are still some independents, as well as Safeway and Costco. Get out a yellow pages and look them up. A few independents that I’m familiar with are Ace on Noriega, Daniels on Geneva, Pharmaca on Cole, Sutter Professional on Sutter, Torgsyn on Geary, and Wellman’s on Pacific or Stockton. Good luck.
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