It’s almost as if you’re wanting to imply shoplifting is a right.

They are not imploring a right. I could make s citizens arrest under my rights but people will tell you, it’s a losing proposition because you subject yourself to other frivolous claims that take money and time to clear up.

So the reason people aren’t detained for police is because police will do very little in these cases because they are classed as misdemeanors. So why risk lawsuits, etc. when there is no upside?

In most places people can be stopped. Mega business tends not to chase them because they can absorb the costs, making possible litigtion not worth it. The small business owner is the one made powerless by these laws, which are, indeed, different from the rest of the country.

Except SF is soft on crime ... we have the lowest arrest and conviction rate in all of California.

The right to steal unimpeded?

My retired grandfather works at Wal-Mart part time just to get out of the house, and he said the same thing. He was working on black friday last year and was assigned to a display where the item was limited to one per customer. He said a big guy came up to him and asked what my grandfather would do if he tried to take more than 1. My grandfather told him that they don't pay him enough to try and stop people from breaking the rules, so the guy grabbed an armful of the item and left.

Well, just imagine that you can’t risk losing your $12/hr job, either.