Safeway closing- Fisherman's Wharf- San Francisco

[storewanderer]

This surprises me. Before COVID, this was a calm and peaceful store. It did not have significant issues (theft etc.) at all back then... not sure if any of that has changed since then... The closure is being blamed on a lack of tourists in the area.

This store also got the "Modern" remodel in the past year. So this is the second store NorCal Division has closed after doing the "Modern" remodel. I wonder what the deal with these closures of just remodeled stores is...

Trader Joe's opened nearby in 2017, which I suspect was a factor in causing this to close.

[ClownLoach]

This surprises me. Before COVID, this was a calm and peaceful store. It did not have significant issues (theft etc.) at all back then... not sure if any of that has changed since then... The closure is being blamed on a lack of tourists in the area.

This store also got the "Modern" remodel in the past year. So this is the second store NorCal Division has closed after doing the "Modern" remodel. I wonder what the deal with these closures of just remodeled stores is...

Trader Joe's opened nearby in 2017, which I suspect was a factor in causing this to close.

I could be wrong but I thought this store had limited parking and had enacted draconian security measures to prevent any possibility of a tourist parking there for free? If I remember they had tow trucks in the parking lot with radios to security and if you didn't go right to Safeway then right back to your car it would be towed and impounded with hundreds of dollars in charges. That probably doomed the store. If you want tourists as customers then you need to have tourist friendly policies.

Of course nobody else in the area is tourist friendly either. The parking situation down at Fishermans Wharf is awful. Parking lots post confusing and misleading signage that is superceded by different signage somewhere else. I remember being price gouged for $37 for a few hours parking on a vacation once; there was a tiny A frame sign across the lot saying the rate was different for a "special event" than the Gigantic posted sign which was $10 up to 4 hours. I could not locate anything in the area I'd calla special event unless they're celebrating "Days that end in a Y day." But if you're lucky you can find a parking meter on the street and park for just a couple bucks. Of course when you come back all your windows might be smashed or your car is on blocks, but that's just how they like it in San Francisco I guess.

[storewanderer]

I don't recall this. This store is in a quasi-mall type thing and there is a parking garage (I don't recall a surface level parking lot) you drive into and can park. There are some other things in this quasi mall like a Walgreens and some other things.

There may have been a ticket validation involved. I parked in the garage at some point in the distant past and don't remember what the process was. However on my more recent visits to this store I have either been on foot or parked out on the street as it was a weeknight/evening and the area was not too busy. I'm not sure if this area has the car break in issue going on or not. Objectively speaking about 70% of the city is still clean and does not have that kind of stuff going on, or the homeless problem. Not sure how they segregate all of the crime and homeless activity to certain areas the way they do.

[rwsandiego]

I always found this store to be an oasis in the middle of the chaos that can be Fisherman's Wharf. Not many tourists drive to Fisherman's Wharf (or anywhere in San Francisco, for that matter) so I don't see the parking setup as driving tourists away. Frankly, I never saw this store as being tourist oriented. I wonder if the landlord raised the rent to the point where it was not feasible for Safeway to operate. Counter-intuitive in a city that is bleeding residents and retailers, but some landlords seem to be OK with holding vacant space. Then again, the landlord might have attracted another tenant like a Whole Foods or Mollie Stone's.

[storewanderer]

I always found this store to be an oasis in the middle of the chaos that can be Fisherman's Wharf. Not many tourists drive to Fisherman's Wharf (or anywhere in San Francisco, for that matter) so I don't see the parking setup as driving tourists away. Frankly, I never saw this store as being tourist oriented. I wonder if the landlord raised the rent to the point where it was not feasible for Safeway to operate. Counter-intuitive in a city that is bleeding residents and retailers, but some landlords seem to be OK with holding vacant space. Then again, the landlord might have attracted another tenant like a Whole Foods or Mollie Stone's.

I didn't feel like this was a super touristy store either, which raises the question, where were the people shopping this store coming from? I am sure it certainly had some tourists and we are seeing the closure blamed on the lack of tourists returning to the area. Perhaps many of the shoppers were not tourists but rather just people who lived and/or worked nearby. There is a fair amount of housing that is comfortable walking distance from this store as well, but who knows how many of those customers Trader Joe's picked up directly across the street. I really think Trader Joe's is what put this store out of business.

If another grocer re-occupies the space it will become very obvious what happened. However I don't think the location would support a Whole Foods or Mollie Stone's. This seems like a solid spot for a mid level type of store. Could we have identified another location in San Francisco for Grocery Outlet...?

[norcalriteaidclerk]

I don't recall this. This store is in a quasi-mall type thing and there is a parking garage (I don't recall a surface level parking lot) you drive into and can park. There are some other things in this quasi mall like a Walgreens and some other things.

There may have been a ticket validation involved. I parked in the garage at some point in the distant past and don't remember what the process was. However on my more recent visits to this store I have either been on foot or parked out on the street as it was a weeknight/evening and the area was not too busy. I'm not sure if this area has the car break in issue going on or not. Objectively speaking about 70% of the city is still clean and does not have that kind of stuff going on, or the homeless problem. Not sure how they segregate all of the crime and homeless activity to certain areas the way they do.

Actually,the Walgreens in that center appears to have closed some time ago and it may have been noted in one of the numerous news articles,Google Maps doesn't list them as a current center tenant.

The Safeway(which never had a pharmacy)along with Northpointe Center in general appears to date from the mid-1980's.The exterior signage still dates from the ribbon leaf logo era too.

[Alpha8472]

Grocery Outlet wants to take over the Safeway location.

https://sfstandard.com/business/north-b ... king-over/

[veteran+]

Grocery Outlet wants to take over the Safeway location.

https://sfstandard.com/business/north-b ... king-over/

Oh that's wonderful........................

[storewanderer]

So it appears homeless has become a problem in the area there too.

From the article: SF Standard:
"Bill Coyle, vice president of Grocery Outlet's Northern California real estate division, said he had visited the Safeway location at 350 Bay St. last week.

“I was at the Safeway last week and am fully engaged,” Coyle said in an email.

Coyle later told The Standard by phone that he is arranging a meeting with the property owner to discuss the possibility of opening a North Beach Grocery Outlet. Rent details would need to be hashed out though, as the space is around 10,000 square feet larger than a typical Grocery Outlet.

The budget store would also need to hire security guards to deter shoplifters, which Coyle said has been a problem at the North Beach location. Renovations would also be needed, bumping up the opening costs."

[Alpha8472]

Grocery Outlet stores in the San Francisco Bay Area have closed due to problems in the past. There is an abandoned Grocery Outlet in Dublin, California. I always wondered why it closed. It was not due to homeless problems. The local customers just hated the store.

Products that are nearly expired, ugly stores, unpredictable inventory, lack of variety, etc...