(KGO-TV San Francisco) On the heels of Walgreens closing five stores in San Francisco due to shoplifting, an employee is speaking out about a recent string of incidents that make her feel unsafe at work.
“I’m 63 years old. And I need to work to survive. I’m not working at Walgreens to get hurt.”
A woman who is contracted by Walgreens to oversee security at dozens of stores told me today “I’ve been spit on coughed on, stepped on, had a pee bottle shown at me. I’ve been cut by a shoplifter I’ve been bit by a shoplifter I’ve been hit.” (3/5) #Walgreens pic.twitter.com/8E6lDpSY4P
— Dion Lim (@DionLimTV) October 15, 2021
The employee, who only wants to be identified by her nickname of Bibi, recalls the shocking experience she had while working at a San Francisco store in May of 2020 when she asked a suspected shoplifter to put on a mask [emphasis added].
“He turned back to me and threw a basket at me. I was hit in the forehead.”
Bibi missed two weeks of work. She scrolled through photos on her phone showing a dark red gash in her forehead which was glued together at the hospital. Images also show a black eye.
Bibi says she still suffers from emotional trauma.
“I’m scared. Whenever I go to work I’m thinking, ‘am I safe? Is something going to happen to me?'”
Not long after being hit with the shopping basket, she says she and a colleague were pepper sprayed by a shoplifter.
“Going to work every day your life is like 50/50. Because you don’t know if there’s a shoplifter that they’re going to do (something) to you, or is it going to be quiet and easy?” says Bibi.
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A security supervisor contracted by Walgreens speaking on the condition of anonymity, says she wanted to speak out despite concerns of possibly losing her job for doing so.
“I think someone’s life is way more important than a job.”
She described a typical day, working at various locations she oversees.
“I’ve been spit on, coughed on, stepped on, had a pee bottle thrown at me. I’ve been cut by a shoplifter, I’ve been hit by a shoplifter,” she explained.
