Meanwhile at a S.F. Walgreens

[haele]

24. Shoplifters are working with gangs.

Weekend "little retail resale" booths at swap meets and local "farmers markets" have been a staple in low income communities for years. Back in the 90's, it was groups of housewives going out shopping with Club cards an fistfuls of double coupons getting bulk quantities of cereal, snacks, grocery dry goods and diapers for 25¢ on the normal dollar, then selling at the swap meets for half normal price post sale.

Next door neighbor would get $500 worth of groceries for $90 sometimes that way - mainly multiples of cereal, cleaning products, pet and baby food, and toilet paper; she and her friends would put all their purchases in a storage shed for two weeks, then make about $200 -$300 per shopping trip profit selling to poor families that didn't have a store club card or access to the Sunday paper mega-coupons.
Kind of skeevy, but legal. But double coupons started disappearing and they weren't making as much.

Gangs started taking over selling out of booths like that in the mid 2000's, finally putting the shopping clubs out of business.
By shoplifting, it becomes pure profit for them. It's nothing new, just became more blatant in some cities.

Haele