It’s a pretty well-observed fact (opinion polls etc) that most people across the country think crime has been going up over the last few decades, even as the crime rate has been going down.

So I don’t think “just ask people what they think” is a sound approach here. Most people are just wrong on this point.

That said I’m open to the general causal chain we’re discussing here; I’d just like to see some actual data on prosecution rates and crime reporting in SF.

There's been a rather noteworthy series of protests over the past summer on the subject of whether or not it's worth it to pay for some of these institutions.

Don't let in people without a device and ban people who are caught stealing once. If they force the doors and come in call the cops and prosecute for felony burglary even if they were only originally banned for stealing socks originally.

Share bad lists and stealing socks means that you are suddenly banned from every store in 100 miles.

Make exceptions for curbside pickup and pre scheduled trips to the grocery store/pharmacy where you will pay for the security that will walk around with you.

Expire people off the list after 5 years of one theft or never after a string of thefts.

For the normal customer nothing happens your phone silently attests from your pocket that you aren't on the list by pinging a service and retrieving a token not sharing your info with the store.

Losers here an alarm sound and a voice telling them to buzz off on penalty of jail.

If they're not going to jail for openly shoplifting, why do you think they'd go to jail for this?

By rouge do you mean red, as in left-leaning? Or rogue?

every. single. time.

usually what I see is someone with a roller luggage fill it up and then calmly walk out the door

This does not follow from increasing inequality. The poor do not get poorer, rich just get richer (faster).

The poor stay poor. The lower-middle class becomes poor.