The Safeway at 145 Jackson St., on the ground level of the Gateway Apartments and Townhomes complex, is expanding its hours today. Previously open from 6am-9pm daily, it will now close at midnight.
But given that this Safeway location was under fire last summer for a rash of reported thefts and an assault on an employee, not everyone in the community may be happy with the decision to keep the store open later.
At the Golden Gateway Tenants Association neighborhood watch meeting on Jan. 12th, Safeway drew kudos from neighbors who said they'd noticed major safety improvements in both the store and the larger neighborhood over the past few months. But some of them expressed concerns over expanding the store's hours, as suggested by one neighbor.
Others, however, have welcomed the change. "Different people have different circadian rhythms, so this change is perfect for those of us who get a natural energy burst in the late evening," area resident Adam Baron wrote in a comment on Nextdoor, which he gave us permission to use. "Also, very helpful for customers who work longer hours and/or have after-work commitments. Unfortunately, this also means getting an evening snack fix just got a whole lot easier."
"The store is reacting to demand from the community," said Wendy Gutshall, senior communications manager for Safeway's Northern California division. She added they'll monitor the change "over the next couple of months to see how things are going and re-evaluate at that time."
The Gateway also plans to keep an eye on the store. "We were contacted by Safeway management to request to extend their hours of operation," said Clarisse Tan, director of property management for the Gateway, in a statement. "We’ve double-checked the contract and there is no indicated limitation on hours of operation for Safeway. However, if negative activities arise as a result of the extended hours, then we will work with Safeway to revert back to the original closure time of 9pm."
She also noted that since Safeway posted a sign announcing new hours, the Gateway hasn't received any complaints from the residents.
At the Jan. 12th meeting, a representative of Safeway also mentioned the store will double the presence of uniformed guards and increase its staff of undercover loss prevention officers during Super Bowl City from Jan. 30th–Feb. 7th, which is expected to draw roughly a million visitors to the neighborhood over the course of the week.
