"Never mind!" sez Walgreen's CFO, after 'cry wolf' wailings of rampant shoplifting at inner city stores fuel overheated election debate on crime

 

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Photo credit:  Walgreen's Boots Alliance

Headline:  New York Times, 1/6/2023

It was a remarkable admission, retail experts said. Walgreens and other retailers have in recent years complained about an increase in shoplifting, inflaming political debates about crime.  [emphasis added]

Then there's this from the October 18, 2021, edition of the Los Angeles Times.

Instead of cries for a crackdown on crime, the news has been met with intense skepticism. 

The Chronicle published a story that, citing data from the city’s Police Department, pointed out how one store set to close “had only seven reported shoplifting incidents this year and a total of 23 since 2018.” While it is important to note that not all incidents are reported to police, the five stores being shut down “had fewer than two recorded shoplifting incidents a month on average since 2018.” 

Some have also pointed out the company’s prior plans to reduce its stores. In an August 2019 SEC filing, Walgreens stated that it planned to close approximately 200 following “a review of the real estate footprint in the United States.” 

San Francisco’s own leaders have openly questioned the company’s claims.  [emphasis added]

And now we know that they had every right to do so,