AT&T announces it's shuttering its flagship store in Democrat-controlled San Francisco, citing change in 'consumer shopping habits'

AT&T revealed Thursday it is joining the host of companies that have already shuttered their anchor stores in the Democrat-controlled city of San Francisco.

The company's 24,000-square-foot flagship store, a prominent fixture in the downtown's Union Square, will be closing August 1.

Chris Collins, a spokesman for the telecommunications giant, told the San Francisco Standard, "Consumer shopping habits continue to change, and we're changing with them. ... That means serving customers where they are through the right mix of retail stores, digital channels and our phone-based care team."

Consumer shopping habits have changed drastically since leftists successfully passed Proposition 47 in 2014 — a leftist California ballot initiative that effectively decriminalized thefts under $950.

Collins noted, "All retail employees affected by this change will be offered jobs at one of our other many retail locations within the city."

AT&T will still have a presence in the city, where it still has over 10 stores and licensed retailers.

The news of the closure broke just hours after Cinemark Holdings, Inc., revealed it too was ditching the crime-ridden and excrement-littered city, shuttering its theater in the downtown Westfield San Francisco Centre mall, which has seen 46% of its stores close since the pandemic.

A spokesman for the company told Fox Business, "Cinemark can confirm it has decided to permanently close the Century San Francisco Centre 9 and XD theater shortly before the conclusion of its lease term following a comprehensive review of local business conditions."

Months after announcing it would peel back its Banana Republic presence in Union Square and shutter the Atheleta store on Sutter Street, Gap announced in May that it was closing its 73,000-square-foot Old Navy flagship store, reported the Standard.

Nordstrom's chief store officer also indicated last month it was closing its anchor location in the Westfield Mall, citing dramatic changes in the "dynamics of the downtown San Francisco market."

A spokesman for the mall, which has said goodbye to Office Depot, the Container Store, Anthropologie, and Saks Off 5th flee, noted the Nordstrom closure "underscores the deteriorating situation in downtown San Francisco."

TheBlaze previously reported that number of the businesses still sticking it out, such as Target, have begun locking large sections of their products behind security glass.

When the glass breaks, proprietors are oftentimes reluctant to defend their exposed property from the hordes of thieves who roam the streets in the broad daylight because San Francisco's victims are oftentimes subject to greater scrutiny than the offenders.

Democratic socialist Dean Preston, on the city's board of supervisors, recently threatened legislation to prevent security guards from drawing their weapons in defense of property.

San Francisco, which comedian Dave Chappelle recently quipped has become "half 'Glee,' half zombie movie," scores a 2 out of 100 (100 being safest) on Neighborhood Watch's crime index.

The chance of becoming a victim of a violent crime is 1 in 186, and the likelihood of becoming a victim of a property crime is 1 in 20, as filmmaker Eli Steel recently discovered firsthand.

According to the SFPD, between Jan. 1 and June 11, there were 131 reports of arson; 13,445 reports of larceny theft; 2,378 burglary reports; 1,070 assaults; 1,150 robberies; 91 rapes; 2,889 motor vehicle thefts; and 22 murders.

The city's crime and decline is not just chasing out businesses.

A comprehensive survey conducted by the San Francisco Chronicle last year found that 37% of current residents plan to be living somewhere beside San Francisco in three-years time. The city had experienced a 7% numeric decline in its population between July 2020 and July 2021.

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