DISPATCHES FROM THE BLUE ZONES: San Francisco hardware store owned by same family since 1955 has lost staggering $700,000 in a single year to ‘organized shoplifting.’

Dale Hardware’s owner Kyle Smith described the helpless situation in Fremont – and said his grandfather, who founded the shop in 1955, would ‘roll in his grave’ if he knew about the unbridled shoplifting.

The uncontrolled looting in San Francisco has occurred for a number of reasons – including the accelerating organized retail theft and increased homelessness.

Widespread drug addiction and the move away from incarceration for less-serious crimes are also contributing factors, according to experts.

Smith told the San Jose Mercury News: ‘You’ll go, “Sir, sir, sir!” and they don’t even turn around. Or they’ll give you a look, like, “Do you want to go there?”

‘How do we run a small business with $1,800 of loss every day? It ends up costing the consumer more money because we can’t survive without raising prices.’

Fremont was never the most “desirable” part of the Bay Area, but it used to be a very nice community.