Home Depot Set On Fire in San Jose, California

[Alpha8472]

A Home Depot was set on fire just hours ago. It was 5 alarms, and the plume of smoke could be seen for miles around.

The shoplifters at Home Depot have a pattern. This has gone on for years. Theft is a problem at these Bay Area Home Depot stores. Shoplifters swarm the store and treat employees very rudely causing a distraction as other shoplifters steal and make a getaway.

This store caught on fire really quick and the store was totally engulfed in a short period of time. If you burn down the store, then you won't be able to shoplift from it again.

Many stores are now posting signs saying, do not bring propane tanks into the store now. People go into the store saying they need to buy propane and then create a scene.

Propane is exchanged outside the store. You never bring the propane tanks inside. Everything these days is a distraction.

The store is done for. Sprinklers are not enough to keep these stores from burning to the ground.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/home-depot ... alifornia/

[storewanderer]

The Wal Mart incident a week or two ago, the driving into the doors of the Safeway in San Jose... now this...


I don't know how you solve this.

Eventually the stores will close.

[DFWRetaileWatcher]

A Home Depot was set on fire just hours ago. It was 5 alarms, and the plume of smoke could be seen for miles around.

The shoplifters at Home Depot have a pattern. This has gone on for years. Theft is a problem at these Bay Area Home Depot stores. Shoplifters swarm the store and treat employees very rudely causing a distraction as other shoplifters steal and make a getaway.

This store caught on fire really quick and the store was totally engulfed in a short period of time. If you burn down the store, then you won't be able to shoplift from it again.

Many stores are now posting signs saying, do not bring propane tanks into the store now. People go into the store saying they need to buy propane and then create a scene.

Propane is exchanged outside the store. You never bring the propane tanks inside. Everything these days is a distraction.

The store is done for. Sprinklers are not enough to keep these stores from burning to the ground.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/home-depot ... alifornia/

[storewanderer]

Propane is exchanged outside the store. You never bring the propane tanks inside.

I used to deal with customers bringing propane tanks inside a store for exchanges. It happened too often. Signs were not really posted on the doors saying not to bring them in. There was a sign on the propane cage about it but that was a ways from the doors. These customers actually thought if they left their empty tank outside someone may steal it, and they didn't want to leave it in their car, in case it would cause their car to explode. Still no excuse...

[jamcool]

Who would really want to steal an empty propane tank?

[storewanderer]

Who would really want to steal an empty propane tank?

Exactly. But some people thought their empty propane tanks were of enough value that the empty could not leave their sight.

[bryceleinan]

Unfortunately, I think you are going to see more of an exodus from the Bay Area - too risky and expensive to do business, for multiple reasons. This does not help any. There is a Home Depot not too far from the Hegenberger Road area that has consistent shoplifting (and squatter) issues. I'm starting to think that while an ill-timed expansion did not help any, Lowe's saw the writing on the wall with Orchard, and cut bait while they could. Big Orange is probably thinking the same thing at this point.

[bryceleinan]

A Home Depot was set on fire just hours ago. It was 5 alarms, and the plume of smoke could be seen for miles around.

The shoplifters at Home Depot have a pattern. This has gone on for years. Theft is a problem at these Bay Area Home Depot stores. Shoplifters swarm the store and treat employees very rudely causing a distraction as other shoplifters steal and make a getaway.

This store caught on fire really quick and the store was totally engulfed in a short period of time. If you burn down the store, then you won't be able to shoplift from it again.

Many stores are now posting signs saying, do not bring propane tanks into the store now. People go into the store saying they need to buy propane and then create a scene.

Propane is exchanged outside the store. You never bring the propane tanks inside. Everything these days is a distraction.

The store is done for. Sprinklers are not enough to keep these stores from burning to the ground.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/home-depot ... alifornia/

I saw people on Twitter last night asking that question... why didn't the sprinklers work. In a store like Home Depot, they're enough protection to allow people to evacuate, but there is no way they could put out the toxic soup that is a hardware store. I listened to the scanner traffic, and the firefighters had to stop operations for a bit because there was no way to drain the excess water - too toxic.

[Alpha8472]

The Home Depot in Oakland was formerly a Super Kmart. The Kmart closed due to shoplifting. In 2019, The Home Depot had such a problem with homeless people that they had to shut down the street behind the store so that the homeless would not park their RVs there.

The Walmart in Oakland closed several years ago also due to shoplifting. Lowe's was supposed to open up in that location, but never followed through. Lowe's realized how bad the shoplifters could be.

We will see many more closures, and more canceled new stores. No one would want to open up a new store in this area.

On April 6, Home Depot was announcing a new store in Northern Oakland in an area with few hardware stores. It was supposed to have a parking garage instead of a surface lot.

[storewanderer]

Unfortunately, I think you are going to see more of an exodus from the Bay Area - too risky and expensive to do business, for multiple reasons. This does not help any. There is a Home Depot not too far from the Hegenberger Road area that has consistent shoplifting (and squatter) issues. I'm starting to think that while an ill-timed expansion did not help any, Lowe's saw the writing on the wall with Orchard, and cut bait while they could. Big Orange is probably thinking the same thing at this point.

I believe that is the former Oakland Super Kmart. However the Super Kmart was part of Kmart's first round bankruptcy closures. That also took out the San Jose Super Kmart, Sanger Super Kmart (both now Wal Mart). It was not explicitly closed due to shoplifting.

I've heard stories of folks stopping for gas at gas stations near the Oakland airport and having their vehicles broken into and contents stolen WHILE THEY ARE PUMPING GAS. Unreal.

The Black Bear Diner near Oakland Airport has signs posted when you go inside telling you that there are break ins daily, the police do not respond, and you should bring all of your luggage or belongings inside- even if it is in the trunk, it is not safe. Again, unreal. Many airports tend to be in rather scruffy neighborhoods but you don't see this kind of aggressive crime on a routine basis.