Two California sisters filmed a heated confrontation with a Safeway security guard who they claim racially profiled them during a routine grocery shopping trip, sparking questions about corporate retail policies and customer treatment in Bay Area stores.
Confrontation At American Canyon Store
The incident unfolded Wednesday at a Safeway location in American Canyon, California, when sisters shopping at a self-checkout kiosk say security guard Anna began hovering over them. Video posted online shows one sister telling the guard she was watching them scan groceries and commenting about forgotten items while they were still actively checking out. The sisters say the guard accused them of stealing chicken wings. As tensions escalated, they challenged what they called passive-aggressive behavior, with one sister stating they felt targeted and harassed. Another employee eventually separated the women from the security guard, who made a phone call during the confrontation.
Store Policy Changes And Theft Concerns
The American Canyon location is among the few Bay Area Safeway stores still operating self-checkout registers. The company told KTVU that operational changes have been implemented at select stores due to increasing theft, with some locations removing self-checkout kiosks entirely. Safeway stated they are working to curtail escalating theft while ensuring employee safety and maintaining a welcoming environment for customers. Whether the security guard’s approach directly connected to these corporate policy changes remains unclear. The sisters maintain they were following proper checkout procedures when the confrontation began.
Why The Sisters Left
A third video shows the security guard following the sisters out of the store as another customer intervened, yelling at the guard to leave them alone. The sisters claim no Safeway employees stepped in to help, and only other Black customers, including an older man and a young woman, supported them. Other shoppers reportedly said the guard has a history of similar behavior. One sister explained she left not because she did anything wrong, but because she is on probation for another month and refused to let an escalated situation cost her freedom. The women are calling on Safeway to do better. Atlanta Black Star contacted both parties but received no response.