Nordstrom customers are mourning the “depressing” store loss and are shopping for the last time after the flagship store was forced to close due to a spike in crime
NORDSTROM customers are concerned about the closure of a local store in response to a recent rise in crime.
San Francisco’s flagship Nordstrom welcomed its last customers on Sunday and closed its doors for good.
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With an area of 30,000 square meters and a height of five floors, the store has been a staple of the community since it opened in 1988.
The store, which is characterized by its unique spiral escalator, was forced to close due to declining sales.
The decision has deeply affected customers, a local resident told local ABC affiliate KGO: “It is a sad day. It’s a wonderful store. He was an anchor in San Francisco.”
Little did they know when a mother-daughter couple walked in on Sunday that it would be their last time.
Leslie Simmons told KGO: “I didn’t know today was the last day. I’m glad we’re here unexpectedly to walk around one last time.”
Simmons and her daughter saw sparse products and empty windows.
The closure of this store means something bigger, as one Oakland resident explained: “It’s kind of depressing as a native of San Francisco to see downtown kind of disappearing.”
Part of the decline in sales is due to recent criminal activity, particularly theft, that has plagued the area.
Staff were not surprised by the closure, attributing the crime in part to Covid-19: ‘It’s definitely partly down to crime in the area. COVID-19 has had a major impact.”
The area around the mall and store saw a 25 percent drop in profit compared to the first quarter of 2019.
Supervisor Matt Dorsey still has hope for the city despite the store’s closure: “San Francisco has always had its ups and downs, but I’ll tell you, we always come back. And I will not lose my optimism about my district or my city.”
The Nordrom company’s problems in California are greater than the drop in sales at this one location.
Recently, a Los Angeles location was attacked by a gang of thieves and around $100,000 worth of merchandise was stolen.
Incidents like this, coupled with petty shoplifters, resulted in “historic losses” for the department store.
According to Nordstrom’s CEO, the company saw an 8.3 percent drop in profits, largely due to theft.
This loss of profit that the retailer is suffering is part of a larger trend, according to the National Retail Federation.
The association found that theft resulted in a $94.5 billion profit shortfall at 60 different retailers.
Stores including Macy’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Target, among others, are reporting similar lost profits and theft problems.