San Francisco Walgreens Now Using Chains on Freezers to Prevent Shoplifting

Rampant shoplifting has gotten so bad in San Francisco that the employees of one Walgreens store have resorted to chaining up some of the merchandise.

Political commentator Richie Greenberg recently posted pictures to Twitter showing rudimentary security chains and padlocks across the store's freezer section.

The new store, located at the intersection of 16th Avenue and Boulevard, has chained up the freezer section, protecting frozen pizzas and high-priced ice cream.

Employees told CBS reporter Betty Yu the freezers are sometimes emptied overnight by shoplifters. The store also reportedly deals with at least 20 shoplifters a day.

Walgreens has already announced its plans to shutter hundreds of stores across the country, all to save the company money in the wake of declining sales and a rise in shoplifting.

In the last few years, Walgreens also invested heavily in anti-shoplifting measures, including placing large portions of its merchandise behind locked plastic barriers. But that has done little to deter thieves intent on leaving the store with stolen goods.

The chains threaten to alienate loyal customers who may grow weary of summoning staffers every time they need to pull an item off the shelf.

One Walgreens store in San Francisco — while still open — has been completely boarded up. The location was the scene of a fatal confrontation in April between a homeless trans woman and a security guard.