San Jose Safeway adds security measures to deter crime
San Jose CA May 26 2023 In the South Bay, one Safeway store is stepping up security measures after dealing with shoplifters almost every day.
At the Safeway on Almaden Expressway in San Jose, there is just one way to get in and out of the store. Inside, a security gate is in place, and there is a warning of an alarm if the gate is pushed.
Over at the registers, there are gates at every checkout line. A longer barrier is also in place to guide customers toward the exit.
Long-time shopper Sandra Benavidez noticed the new changes almost two weeks ago.
“It’s definitely an adjustment seeing the new security precautions, but I shop at this store often and I’ve seen many times people shoplifting here,” she said.
Shoppers say it is not only homeless people stealing from the store, “regular, everyday people” do it too. Shoppers have noticed people stuffing underneath their shirts and jackets to take them without paying.
In a statement to KRON4, a spokesperson for Safeway wrote in part :
“Recent changes were made at select Safeway stores in the Bay Area to maintain a safe and welcoming shopping experience for our customers and associates given the increasing amount of theft. Those updates include operational changes to the front end of the stores to deter shoplifting.”
