Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is not a new problem. Food deserts are a real problem, and then this is the flip side.

I wish I had a solution.

The solution is for the people in that food desert to get their neighbors to stop shoplifting and robbing the places they count on for food.

How about some kind of added security at the door? You are vetted and have a grocery shopping ID card. If you are caught shoplifting, it is taken away? What a mess, but I think it is up to the city to address this. We should not expect businesses to solve our problems.

They would need more than one security guard at the door. They'd need to instill cameras and have people watching them constantly, PLUS security at the door, to keep control of the shoplifting. That's an added expense, and I see why a supermarket wouldn't want the cost and hassle.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The city should post police in the markets And then people should not scream about police when they arrest shoplifters. The fact of the matter is that super markets are businesses not charities. The city will have to be part of the solution.

Even if the Cops do arrest these shoplifters, they'll be out 2 hours later...the DC courts are pretty adept at not prosecuting these type of cases even for repeat offenders who've been arrested for the same thing ten times...

There's a problem right there.

Also the less said about DC's pathetic juvenile justice system the better.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is not a new problem. Food deserts are a real problem, and then this is the flip side.

I wish I had a solution.

The solution is for the people in that food desert to get their neighbors to stop shoplifting and robbing the places they count on for food.

How does one do that?

How should I know. My neighbors don't rob our local grocery store.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The city should post police in the markets And then people should not scream about police when they arrest shoplifters. The fact of the matter is that super markets are businesses not charities. The city will have to be part of the solution.

Even if the Cops do arrest these shoplifters, they'll be out 2 hours later...the DC courts are pretty adept at not prosecuting these type of cases even for repeat offenders who've been arrested for the same thing ten times...

There's a problem right there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know how Safeways stay in business. I have never been in one anywhere that wasn't disgusting, even in the suburbs.

The Safeway on Columbia Rd. in Adams Morgan is definitely not disgusting. The Giant on 14th is dirtier.

Oh man, that fubar Giant. It was disaster within like 2 weeks of its opening.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is not a new problem. Food deserts are a real problem, and then this is the flip side.

I wish I had a solution.

The solution is for the people in that food desert to get their neighbors to stop shoplifting and robbing the places they count on for food.

Exactly. I have very little sympathy for this issue. The article states that shoplifting and the inability to keep reliable staff is the biggest hurdle to opening more grocery stores. That is a self induced problem that can only be fixed within the culture, not by posting a million cops and whining about racism.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is not a new problem. Food deserts are a real problem, and then this is the flip side.

I wish I had a solution.

The solution is for the people in that food desert to get their neighbors to stop shoplifting and robbing the places they count on for food.

How does one do that?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is not a new problem. Food deserts are a real problem, and then this is the flip side.

I wish I had a solution.

The solution is for the people in that food desert to get their neighbors to stop shoplifting and robbing the places they count on for food.

How about some kind of added security at the door? You are vetted and have a grocery shopping ID card. If you are caught shoplifting, it is taken away? What a mess, but I think it is up to the city to address this. We should not expect businesses to solve our problems.

Anonymous wrote:This is not a new problem. Food deserts are a real problem, and then this is the flip side.

I wish I had a solution.

The solution is for the people in that food desert to get their neighbors to stop shoplifting and robbing the places they count on for food.

Anonymous wrote:This is not a new problem. Food deserts are a real problem, and then this is the flip side.

I wish I had a solution.

"Food deserts" are the natural consequence of a population area with high crime. It's fixable but it begins with the people.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The city should post police in the markets And then people should not scream about police when they arrest shoplifters. The fact of the matter is that super markets are businesses not charities. The city will have to be part of the solution.

Even if the Cops do arrest these shoplifters, they'll be out 2 hours later...the DC courts are pretty adept at not prosecuting these type of cases even for repeat offenders who've been arrested for the same thing ten times...

Then that's a problem dc needs to address. They need to come together with these business owners and incentive them. Or the city can run a grocery Co op. Safeway and giant and whole foods are not charity operations any more than the local gas station.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know how Safeways stay in business. I have never been in one anywhere that wasn't disgusting, even in the suburbs.

The Safeway on Columbia Rd. in Adams Morgan is definitely not disgusting. The Giant on 14th is dirtier.

The remodeled safeway in Kingstowne is pretty nice. It's nicer than the Giant in the same shopping center.

Anonymous wrote:I don't know how Safeways stay in business. I have never been in one anywhere that wasn't disgusting, even in the suburbs.

The Safeway on Columbia Rd. in Adams Morgan is definitely not disgusting. The Giant on 14th is dirtier.

Anonymous wrote:The city should post police in the markets And then people should not scream about police when they arrest shoplifters. The fact of the matter is that super markets are businesses not charities. The city will have to be part of the solution.

Even if the Cops do arrest these shoplifters, they'll be out 2 hours later...the DC courts are pretty adept at not prosecuting these type of cases even for repeat offenders who've been arrested for the same thing ten times...

The grocery store business runs on a very thin margin, so I don't think that Safeway is being totally disengenous. Still, it's not like people in Ward 7 don't need groceries! It seems like there should be some business model that can support serving this need of an entire ward of people with money to spend on food.