Startling video shows people casually robbing Shoppers Drug Mart in Toronto
A viral video of a pair of culprits coolly stealing hundreds of dollars of merchandise from a Shoppers Drug Mart in Toronto has many commenting on the city's perceived decline.
In the footage of what many are calling a "California shopping spree" and comparing to crime-ridden San Francisco, two men in medical masks and baseball caps are seen clearing dozens of bottles of pricey perfume from the shop's shelves, stuffing the resellable goods into plain black bags that they walk out carrying with surprising nonchalance.
Wow the calmness too.
— Bunmzi (@bunmzi) June 18, 2023
Toronto is a mess. https://t.co/2kx7k0auyd
The short clip has garnered hundreds of thousands of views across multiple platforms, prompting a ton of discussion about the state of T.O., its extremely prohibitive cost of living, and our response (or in this case, complete lack thereof) to delinquency.
While the city has been criticized for its heavy-handed policing in some instances and groups have pushed to defund the force in recent years, the reaction to this video is quite the opposite, with many denouncing how calmly and confidently the thieves completed their task without consequence.
People are also wondering where security was at the time. and recounting stories of either seeing first-hand or hearing of the same type of thing happening at other retailers in their own neighbourhood.
Saw the same at a Lululemon at Queen and Spadina; no one did anything.
— Damian (@Damian742696651) June 19, 2023
The conversation on socials has, quite foreseeably, gotten political, with people chiming in about which mayoral candidate they think the offenders would likely vote for, how much worse things will get in the city if certain people are elected, and more.
Many also feel that though the video isn't violent by any means, it is unsettling in its nature and feels like something that is a regular occurrence south of the border, and not so close to home. The culprits' use of masks has also of course spawned commentary on that divisive topic as well.
Even though a few can understand "sticking it to Loblaws" (which owns the drug store chain) amid the unaffordability we are all living under, they fear how incidents like these — which feel like they are becoming more common with rising costs — will affect the rest of us.
Everyone pays for this companies will increase prices to cover these thefts
— Kate Storm (@kate_storm12) June 19, 2023
Crazy clown world we live in
It is still unconfirmed which location the video was shot at, though it looks like it could be the Beauty Boutique near any of us.
