Crime Wave Forces Nordstrom to Cut More Than 350 Jobs, Close San Francisco Stores

Nordstrom is the latest retailer to lay off a large chunk of its staff, but this time the economy is not totally to blame.

The clothing store is closing two of its stores in San Francisco after 35 years due to a crippling increase in shoplifting. Employees in both locations are struggling with thieves invading the stores, which is also driving a decrease in paying customers. The closures will lay off 379 staff members between Nordstrom inside the Westfield Mall and Nordstrom Rack on Market Street. The main store will let 333 people go, while the outlet will terminate the other 46. Nordstrom will extend offers to certain employees at different locations. However, Nordstrom’s human resources director, Meghan Hannes, has stated the company is still trying to determine who will be offered the jobs.

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“As many of you know, the dynamics of the downtown San Francisco market have changed dramatically over the past several years, impacting customer foot traffic to our stores and our ability to operate successfully,” they said in a message to employees earlier this month.

Nordstrom is not the only store removing their business from downtown San Francisco. In April, Whole Foods announced they were closing their Trinity location a year after opening due to an influx of crime, including theft and drug use in and near the store. Anthropologie and Office Depot have also removed their stores from the area due to safety reasons.