After a concerted effort by San Francisco's community leaders to save a neighborhood staple, the Fillmore Safeway on Webster Street will officially close on February 7. Despite the determination of Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Dean Preston to keep the store operating, resulting in an 11-month extension of service, safety concerns and theft have proven too formidable to counter. Safeway confirmed this troublesome trend, with instances ranging from aggressive shoplifting to significant nearby crime that affected customers and associates alike, as reported by KRON4.

The decision to close arrives amidst reported escalations of car break-ins, assaults, and loitering around the site, which had already forced the store to dismantle its self-checkout kiosks last December. The supermarket chain explicitly attributed its closure decision to persistent challenges in maintaining a secure environment for staff and patrons, as per the San Francisco Chronicle. The store's workforce will not face unemployment but will be reassigned across other Safeway locations in the city. Additionally, pharmacy customers are assisted in smoothly transitioning their prescriptions to alternative stores.

While Safeway seems to be paving the way for a controlled exit and ensuring that neighboring businesses remain accessible, the community's reaction has been one of disappointment and mobilization. Rev. Erris Edgerly of the Fillmore United Alliance vocalized this sentiment, decrying the absence of prior dialogue and planning a community protest and boycott starting December 23. "It’s going to make a big impact. I was hoping they would at least come to the table and say, ‘This is the issue, let’s work it out,’" he told the San Francisco Chronicle.