US city to force grocery stores in crime-ridden areas to stay open – 1984 rule would let shoppers sue them for closing

A LAWMAKER is pushing a bill that would put strict new rules in place for grocery store closures, even allowing residents to sue over the issue.

The proposal is based on a law that the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved in 1984 but it was vetoed by the then-mayor.

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Dean Preston, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, has introduced the Grocery Protection Act.

The proposal would force grocery store owners to give six months’ notice to the Board of Supervisors and the Office of Economic and Workforce Development before any closure.

It would also be the grocery store’s job to notify the public by placing signage on doors and to work toward filling the hole the closure would create in the community.

Preston hopes the law would provide a way to fill abrupt vacancies and make sure seniors and families have access to food.

“It was a good idea in 1984, and it’s an even better idea now,” Preston said, according to Fox Business.

“Our communities need notice, an opportunity to be heard, and a transition plan when major neighborhood grocery stores plan to shut their doors.

“Meeting the food security needs of our seniors and families cannot be left to unilateral backroom decisions by massive corporate entities.”

EXEMPTIONS

The six-month notice requirement wouldn’t apply to a store if the closure was caused by circumstances that didn’t allow enough time to give notice.

It also would be waived for natural disasters or emergencies.

The notice requirement wouldn’t affect a business if it was in the process of expanding.

A company also wouldn’t have to give notice of closure if doing so would prevent any strategic efforts to stay open, including if they’re seeking money or business to avoid closing.

Stores relying on an exception would still need to give as much notice as possible and provide an explanation as to why they couldn’t give six months’ advance notice.

This new bill would also require that grocery stores “meet and work in good faith with neighborhood residents” and the Office of Economic and Workforce Development to find a solution that allows groceries to still be available at the store.

A solution might be resources to allow the stores to stay open or helping another store take over and continue to sell groceries there.

If a store failed to follow the rules of the proposed act and a customer was affected, they could sue the store for damages, injunctive relief, declaratory relief, or a mandate to solve the violation, Fox Business reported.

WHY NOW?

San Francisco has seen a slew of closures due to crime with big retailers like Walgreens, Old Navy, Nordstrom, and Whole Foods pulling out of the city.

In 2023, Whole Foods closed after being open for just over a year.

The store had made 568 emergency calls in 13 months for issues such as throwing food, yelling, and fighting, according to records seen by the New York Times.

At least 14 arrests were made at the grocery store.

The dire circumstances in the major US city have been well documented, with photos and video showing bare shelves and streets overcome with resellers and crime.

One Target shopper shared a video of their local store that had broken glass door panels and locked items.

The glass panels were cracked and boarded up to protect them from further breakage.

“They got everything locked up,” he repeated multiple times as he walked through aisles including toiletries and skin care.

“Everything that’s not locked up is daisy chain wired with alarms,” he described while panning over shelves and racks of jeans.

Rows of locked shelves containing underwear and socks lined the store.

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