[phobosanomaly]

The sources in the linked article seem to suggest that the San Francisco Walgreens are not being driven from business due to an overabundance of middle and working-class white girls shoplifting for fun. Although the parent to your comment did seem to be generalizing quite a bit from the article at hand, and so perhaps your response deviated in kind. Fair enough, I'm making the argument anyway.

I have no doubt that the phenomenon you mention certainly exists. I do, however question whether its prevalence is enough to be noticeable on an income statement.

There seems to be something else at work in San Francisco, and the question is how we should contextualize it morally (which will influence our preferred policy approach as voters). Is it people stealing because they are desperate for the necessities that one would encounter at a drugstore (something we should feel sorry about). Or, are they organized crime rings making a quick buck at someone else's expense due to loopholes in the legal system (something we should be pissed off about).

I alternate between the two perspectives based on my own experiences viewing urban poverty up-close, the discussions shared in the HN Walgreens threads, as well as some of the videos shared of organized groups of people clearly looting high-value items. It's something I don't really have a solidly-formed opinion on, and there seems to be an abundance of nuance.