Whole Foods Market has announced that the downtown San Francisco store will close on Monday due to crime, just over one year after it opened.

The supermarket chain announced that Whole Foods at Eighth Street and Market streets would be temporarily closed as it addresses crime in the area, which has impacted the safety of its workers.

Whole Foods spokesperson stated that the Trinity location will be closing temporarily. We will consider reopening our Trinity location if we feel that we can protect our staff members.

According to The San Francisco Standard, the Whole Foods store was closed due to poor street conditions and drug use near the grocery store.

Because of remote jobs, there has been a significant drop in pedestrians in downtown San Francisco. Many small businesses have been forced to close in this area.

This area has seen extreme poverty, drug abuse and mental illness.

According to The San Francisco Standard, City Hall officials predict a deficit of nearly $800,000,000 in the city’s budget.

One manager at Whole Foods on Market Street told the outlet that the store had reduced its hours of operation in October due to high theft and hostile customers. After finding syringes, pipes and other items in the bathroom, the store made changes to its bathroom rules in November.

In a press release, the company called the 64.737-square-foot location its “flagship shop” when it announced its March 2022 opening.

The market was still full of food and other products just hours before Monday’s closing. Workers continued to stock shelves.

Matt Dorsey, a Board of Supervisors member, said Monday in a tweet that he was “incredibly disappointing but sadly not surprised by the temporary closing of Mid-Market’s Whole Foods.” Dorsey’s district also includes the Whole Foods.

He wrote that “Our community waited a while for this supermarket, but they’re also well-aware of the problems they’ve had with drug-related retail theft and adjacent drug markets, as well as the many safety concerns related to them.”

Dorsey, a Democrat announced that he and Supervisor Catherine Stefani will introduce legislation to amend the City Charter to ensure full staffing of the city’s police department in five years.

Since 2017, the police department has lost over 330 officers. The 1,500-strong staffing is far below its goal of 2,100 officers.

Dorsey wrote that Whole Foods’ closing, along with other safety-related issues we’ve seen lately, is Exhibit A of why San Francisco cannot afford to NOT solve its police understaffing crisis. “San Franciscans, or at least those I represent in District 6, are demanding solutions. They have every right to expect it from City Hall. I trust my colleagues will join me in this effort. We owe all residents the same.”