“It’s really tough for small businesses to stay afloat and when things like this happen… well it kind of knocks the wind out of you,” said Glenda Walliser, owner of Bon Retour Consignment Clothing in Steveston.
Walliser filed a report with Richmond RCMP on Thursday after a pair of expensive Tom Ford sunglasses were stolen from the store, and she’s hoping that the community can help her catch the shoplifter.
The sunglasses, valued at $700, were on the counter for sorting and pricing. Walliser noticed that they went missing after briefly stepping away to help a customer.
In the security footage Walliser posted on Instagram, a woman wearing a red top with a black jacket, black pants and a red purse could be seen walking up to the counter. She then picked up the sunglasses from a box and walked out of the store.
Walliser didn’t connect the dots although she initially found the woman’s actions weird at the time. Then she checked the security footage.
“I saw that woman in the store with her friend, husband, whatever it was. And then all of a sudden, boom, she was gone,” Walliser told the News.
Walliser has provided police with the footage, but she will need at least two people to identify the suspect before police can take the case to court.
Since Walliser posted the footage on Instagram, the community has been spreading the word.
“I’m glad that a lot of people… they’re disgusted, they can’t believe that’s what happens and they’re all going to look out for this person,” she said.
This was not the first time Bon Retour has fallen victim to a crime, but Walliser was shocked at the way the thief behaved.
“It’s just so blatant the way she was (acting).”
Richmond RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Dennis Hwang confirmed the investigation is active and ongoing.
Anyone with information about the suspect are asked to either message @bonretourconsignment on Instagram or report it to Richmond RCMP and quote case number #RI23-11193.
