TWO major grocers and retailers have been removing self-checkouts in some areas as a means of reducing shoplifting.

Safeway and Target stores in San Francisco, California have made the decision to remove self-checkout kiosks to nip shoplifters in the bud.

The Bay Area city has faced a fair amount of retail theft this year, ranging from organized mass shoplifting to petty thieves.

This shift away from self-checkout is one measure in a line of tactics referred to as “defensive retailing.”

Self-checkouts are rife for stealing as shoplifters can pocket items, switch tags and skip scanning items all with minimal detection from store workers.

The Target on San Francisco’s Mission Street closed its self-checkouts by simply turning the screens around making them unusable.

Another Target that closed its self-checkouts is implementing multiple anti-theft strategies.

In addition to shutting down the self-checkouts, the store requires all shoppers to be over 18 years old, check out makeup in the makeup department and provide their receipts to be checked by employees prior to leaving.

This comes as employees at one San Francisco Target location divulged how frequently they deal with thefts.

“Every 10 minutes you see it,” a worker told The San Francisco Standard.

“Look in some corner of the store, and you’ll see people shoveling stuff into a bag – food, cosmetics.”

A Target spokesperson told the outlet that retail crime has become an urgent issue that is impacting the team along with other retailers.

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“It’s an issue that affects all of us, limiting product availability, creating a less convenient shopping experience, and most importantly, putting our team and guests in harm’s way,” the spokesperson said.

A Safeway in the Fillmore District closed up its self-checkout a few months prior to Target’s closure.

The grocer has already closed a location in the area due to financials.

“The decision to close this store isn’t one we made lightly or without a great deal of deliberation,” a spokesperson with Safeway said.

“Like all retailers, we continuously evaluate the performance of our stores, and occasionally it’s necessary to close locations that aren’t meeting financial expectations.”

Daniel Conway, vice president of government relations for the California Grocers Association, spoke to SFGATE about “defensive retail” tactics being part of a larger trend.

“While I can’t speak for any one company, you see the trajectory of commerce over the last 10, 20, 5,000 years, it’s all about reducing friction for customers,” Conway said.

“But now you’re seeing a countervailing trend: armed guards and Tide Pods locked up.”

Target and Safeway are not alone in closing self-checkouts, nor is it only a Bay Area phenomenon.

Three Walmarts in New Mexico closed their self-checkouts in September; a Shoprite in Delaware has reduced the number of self-checkouts; Dollar General is considering a move away from self-checkouts as well.

Conway spoke further on how these defensive tactics could easily snowball into store closures.

“All the things put in place to reduce friction are now being putting back,” Conway said.

“I can buy whatever I want on my phone, but now when I want to go to a store to buy it, it’s harder.

“It’s difficult to make a direct correlation, but I think in San Francisco it’s getting to the point that you are seeing stores closing, which is the ultimate form of defensive retailing,” he warned.