B8ta closing another San Francisco store after armed robbery

[ilamont]

Good for him, standing up for his employees who clearly must be very alarmed.

B8ta has stores around the globe, and Norby told SFGATE last month that the crime in San Francisco is unlike anything the company experiences elsewhere. “This actually doesn’t happen anywhere else in the country,” he said. “We have 17 other stores, including three internationally. This just doesn’t happen anywhere else. It’s only here.”

Why do the stores in SF attract violent crime compared to, say, a store in another West Coast city? Is there a gang that specializes in this sort of crime in the Bay Area, or is the level of all kinds of violent street crime off the charts? Or something else?

[tjalfi]

Proposition 47[0] in 2014 substantially reduced the penalties for shoplifting, grand theft, forgery, fraud, and other crimes.

Stealing <$950 is a misdemeanor regardless of how often someone does it.

It would be surprising if this didn't lead to a substantial increase in the crime rate.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_California_Proposition_47

[snapetom]

Guarantee you if the Seattle store was in Downtown, you would see the same thing. The physical environment is right - huge population of drug addicts and homeless and less populated due to COVID. The political climate is right - the Attorney General barely prosecutes violent assaults, and flat out doesn't prosecute property crimes. The voters are fine with this.

The B8ta store here is in an upscale mall in the University District. If violent crime starts affecting these more affluent areas, then maybe voters will care.

[hindsightbias]

SF leads in all areas of innovation, including crime. In the Covid era, tourists are not present in the quantities required to sustain various career populations, including criminals.

Guns aren’t really necessary in SF, so there may be some gang initiation threshold.

[lol_jono]

lack of response by police and indifference of city residents towards store owners

[jjj123]

Could it be the extreme wealth and extreme poverty that the Bay Area has? We have California’s highest levels of income inequality, not sure how we compare with the rest of the us [1].

1: https://www.kqed.org/news/11799308/bay-area-has-highest-inco...

[fortran77]

> Why do the stores in SF attract violent crime compared to, say, a store in another West Coast city?

Because the people of San Francisco allow it.

[diogenescynic]

Because criminals know they won’t be prosecuted or arrested or convicted in SF. This emboldens crime.

[scelerat]

> Why do the stores in SF attract violent crime compared to, say, a store in another West Coast city?

Vast wealth right next to abject poverty and hopelessness. Like a spark that, with sufficient potential, jumps a gap.

[dragonwriter]

> Why do the stores in SF attract violent crime compared to, say, a store in another West Coast city?

Population density and economic inequality are probably the big factors.

[greatjack613]

[flagged]

[someonehere]

For context a realtor friend I know lived right in that area. It’s overrun with homeless and drug dealers.

Hayes Valley used to be the place people wanted to move to because it had good food and local merchants. This was ten years ago. Now it’s just as bad as the b8ta owner makes it out to be.

City politics is to blame for this because they spin up programs to help, but it doesn’t fix the systemic problem long term. Most of the people who are homeless or need help don’t want to abide by the rules for a free place to stay or get the help they need. They’d rather stay on the streets and live life how they see fit. This isn’t a political opinion either. It’s a reality of failed policies of the city.

[conanbatt]

Hayes Valley 15 years ago was under a highway.

[tristanb]

In the last month in San Francisco. - Someone was shot on my doorstep at 6am. Survived. - My friend was woken up on the couch when a bullet landed at his feet. (Was fired up in the air and came down through a skylight). - My wife found a homeless person so dead they had rigor mortis - We tried to buy a house and failed when it had 37 other offers

I still love this place, and its been my home for 15 years but it ain't easy.

[ilaksh]

Check out Playas de Tijuana, Mexico. Occasionally it smells bad, but not usually, and in my neighborhood we have a strong police presence. Also living a block from the beach only costs $500. And on Mondays there is a market on the street right in front of the apartment. I rarely see any homeless people. The dogs and barbed wire are usually enough to prevent most robberies as long as you don't park a really nice car on the street for long. And it only costs $500 per month for rent.

Based on the descriptions in this thread, I actually think my neighborhood is safer and more pleasant than many places in San Francisco.

It's making me feel better about my own situation.

[vmception]

I had a guess it would be Hayes Valley.

Not because there are few b8ta stores but because there is no way that will continue to be considered a nice neighborhood

For months after the first lockdown, the place practically had a favela setup across $6500/mo rental units until someone tricked business owners in signing a petition to summon the police to come with clubs. The police did come and clear it out.

And the Walgreens being continually emptied out despite not being on the main Market St or other typically decrepit neighborhoods was a sign that people would not ignore the place anymore

Pretty much every currently “nice neighborhood” was super sketch during the time periods of SF that people seem to reminisce about

[benjohnson]

If this isn't what people want then perhaps citizens in SF could reconsider who they vote for to represent them in government.

[justaj]

For anyone outside of SF / US is wondering:

"b8ta is a retail-as-a-service company with a chain of 22 standalone retail stores, which serve as presentation centers for consumer electronics and home goods. Companies can pay to rent out space for their product to be displayed inside the locations, along with a tablet that each brand customizes with software."

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B8ta

[thu2111]

And the reason it's called that is because in American English it's pronounced "bay-ta" not "bee-ta". So "b-eight-a" sounds right.

[jacquesc]

I wonder if the Union square Apple store has this issue, or if PR keeps it hush.

I'd imagine it would be really bad for business if customers found out, and they print money at that location

[jdavis703]

I know an employee at the Emeryville Apple Store advised me to disguise my Macbook Pro purchase in my backpack. I imagine all high-end electronic retailers deal with this (e.g. Best Buy in Emeryville pays armed, off-duty cops to stand at the door.)

[wombat-man]

I think apple products can be locked remotely if they are known to be stolen.

[nimos]

There is almost always a cop there. I walk by pretty frequently and I can't recall seeing it open without a cop. Could be wrong - not exactly casing the joint on my lunch walks.

[tyingq]

I'm not sure how you solve this. They stock products that are smallish, and easily convertible to cash, so robberies are going to happen.

The Devialet speaker in the article is a good example. Retails for over $3k, and weighs 12kg.

[ndiscussion]

It's probably impossible for the store to solve it, hence the closing.

This problem is really up to the city to solve, and it doesn't seem the city is interested. Gated communities and all that.

[conanbatt]

Like you do with anything else: rule of law and private property.

[ThePadawan]

By designing stores around that premise?

If you check out jewelry or other luxury goods stores, they generally have

- concreted in pillars to prevent cars smashing into them

- a combined doorman/security person (you know the type - 6 foot 4, tight suit, earpiece)

- an airlocked doorway (possibly even a locking revolving door)

[exolymph]

Seems like you solve this by only having stores in lower-crime areas.

[BryanBigs]

The good news is, taxes, regulations and rent are so low in SF that they make up for the lack of attention to inhabitants' safety...

[freewilly1040]

How is this relevant to the article? Even if you don't care about the business it's traumatizing for people involved to be robbed at gunpoint. Do you not care because you don't like the store?

[gumby]

I don't use the word "bougie" but I have been in the one in Palo Alto a few times (the first time by choice) and honestly have never seen the point. Nothing I've seen there as looked remotely enticing.