Overview
- The chain rolled out SAFR facial-recognition software at several Bay Area locations, including the Pleasant Hill Bargain Market, in coverage published Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
- Signs on store entrances tell customers that cameras will scan faces and alert employees if someone on a retailer watchlist enters the store.
- SAFR’s president said the system is not linked to law enforcement, stores only watchlisted individuals for a limited time, and the vendor has not shared data with government agencies.
- Shoppers and former managers are split on the move, and experts and privacy advocates say the practice scans all customers, risks misidentification and bias, and needs human review and an appeal process to reduce lawsuits and profiling.
- The rollout follows FBI figures cited in reporting that show shoplifting in California has risen roughly 50% since before the pandemic, a trend retailers point to as the reason for adopting new anti-theft tools.