Not unexpected news

A map reveals the major businesses which have left, or have announced they are leaving, San Francisco in recent months. Retailers like Whole Foods, Anthropologie, Old Navy, AmazonGo, Saks Off Fifth and now American Eagle are among those taking part in the mass exodus

San Francisco's dying downtown suffers another hammer blow as Saks Fifth Avenue bans window shoppers from coming inside

Saks Fifth Avenue in Union Square has decided to change its customer experience by moving to 'appointment-only' this summer, according to KRON4.

Locals will have to pre-book appointments at the store located on 384 Post Street from August 28.

“Changing its customers’ experience” — I like that.

Customers can no longer walk in and browse the luxury items, according to a company spokesman. 

It comes as areas in San Francisco have become known for their squalor and misery - so much so that local businesses are unable to recruit staff and residents have felt forced to flee.

The high-end luxury clothing company said it is looking for 'innovative ways to optimize (their) store experience to match luxury consumers' evolving expectations.'

It follows Saks Fifth Avenue stores in Palo Alto and Napa which have already become appointment-only stores in downtown San Francisco. [Someone needs to work on that sentence]

Layoffs are expected to impact Saks Fifth Avenue employees in Union Square, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

… The Saks Fifth Avenue Union Square store offers in-store personal styling, alterations and complementary beauty services.

Customers have been encouraged to book appointments on its website.

'We look forward to serving our San Francisco customers with this new experience,' a spokesman for the company said. 

This was entirely predictable and is entirely due to California’s Democrat-run legislature, with Governor Noisome atop, legalizing crime and homelessness. That’s not a problem for me; I haven’t been in the city since the mid-80s, when it was still a very pleasant city, and I have no intention of ever returning, but with nothing to draw shoppers to the downtown and corporate workers staying safe in their suburban homes and computer commuting, the death spiral appears to be spinning ever faster.