ABC7 News reporter captures viral video of 3 people ransacking makeup section of SF Walgreens store

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A now viral video recorded by ABC7 News reporter J.R. Stone on Friday night shows three people ransacking the makeup section of a San Francisco Walgreens.

It happened just after 7 p.m. at the Walgreens on 1st and Mission in the city's Financial District.

The three individuals can be seen on video stuffing backpacks and bags full of makeup products including lipstick and eyeliner.

A man appearing to be security kept telling them to stop as he recorded video of the thieves' stealing items.

MORE: Man seen stealing from SF Walgreens in viral video in 2021 arrested, accused of shoplifting at CVS

Stone says the Walgreens employees there laughed and said this is nothing new.

Walgreens representatives tell us that store employees did call police. We asked about any additional safety measures being put into place and Walgreens reps said this: "I cannot offer specifics of safety and crime reduction strategies. As you obviously know, retail crime is one of the top challenges facing our industry today. We are focused on the safety of our patients, customers and team members, and take preventative measures to safely deter theft and deliver the best patient and customer experience."

This is one of the only remaining Walgreens locations in the Financial District.

MORE: Walgreens admits locking up shampoo and toothpaste hurts sales, but it's still doing it

Back in January of this year, Walgreens announced the closure of 12 other stores in San Francisco.

In a statement at the time, Walgreens said that it is never an easy decision to close a store and that closures are from "increased regulatory and reimbursement pressures" that are hurting their "ability to cover the costs associated with rent, staffing, and supply needs."

"We know that our stores are important to the communities that we serve, and therefore do everything possible to improve the store performance," Walgreens said in the statement. "When closures are necessary, like those here in San Francisco, we will work in partnership with community stakeholders to minimize customer disruptions."

Those closures came after Walgreens announced in 2024 that they would shutter 1,200 drugstores nationwide.