Saks Fifth Avenue plans to close its doors to walk-in clients in Union Square and move to appointment-only shopping, store officials announced July 22. The luxury department store is the latest business to make changes in the city’s troubled shopping district that has recently seen a substantial uptick in crime, homelessness, and open-air drug use. Saks Fifth Avenue on Post Street in Union Square will make the switch at the end of August, according to a company spokesperson.
The company looks forward to serving their San Francisco customers with the new experience, the spokesperson said. “We’re always looking for innovative ways to optimize our store experience to match luxury consumers’ evolving expectations, including by meeting our customers where and how they want to shop with us,” the spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email. “With that, beginning Aug.
28, we are transforming our Saks Fifth Avenue San Francisco store to operate by appointment only, enabling associates to offer customers more refined services tailored to their preferences.” A coalition of Union Square businesses is optimistic about the change, according to a spokesman for the Union Square Alliance, which supports the district’s businesses and attracts new investments. “We look forward to Saks continuing to be a part of Union Square’s luxury market as they find innovative ways to serve their customers and navigate through this transition,” David Perry, spokesman for the alliance,.