It's been just over 24 hours since non-essential retail stores opened in Toronto after 15 weeks of forced closures, and things are going... well, pretty much exactly as you'd expect them to.
Huge lineups have been forming outside The Eaton Centre, Sherway Gardens, Square One, Yorkdale and other major shopping malls in Toronto and Peel since early Monday morning, when stay-at-home orders were lifted and both regions entered the grey zone of Ontario's COVID-19 response framework.
Literally nobody with any knowledge of the city and its inhabitants can be surprised.
First day of gray zone in Toronto and drove by around the corner, down the block line ups at Nordstrom Rack and Winners. We are doomed, right? pic.twitter.com/01Y4lIUXHI
— Anne-Marie Longpre (@mslongpre) March 8, 2021
People clearly miss shopping and are eager to return to some sense of normalcy, even if it means queuing for hours to enter stores that have been capped at 25 per cent occupancy.
The former Air Jordan Toronto store just reopened as a new Foot Locker store. Also first day of in store non-essential shopping.
— Kris Pangilinan (@KrisReports) March 8, 2021
Longggggg line! pic.twitter.com/koCEFQXoMX
Even if it means waiting in line for hours outside the Dufferin Mall on a sunny Monday morning.
Why not spend Monday morning in line at Dufferin Mall? Can’t wait to buy miscellaneous crap! There’s a line already at the Sally Ann too. pic.twitter.com/WtjwOEVMuO
— Shari Kasman (@smkasman) March 8, 2021
Even if it means eschewing the advice of Toronto Public Health to stay home whenever possible as dangerous new variants of the coronavirus spread locally.
People line up at @CFSherway #Etobicoke as Toronto enters #GreyZone today #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/SKKM1xksvX
— Sahil Anand (@dumboiscrazy) March 8, 2021
But let's be real: Toronto residents have long been known to line up for stuff in great numbers, and for long periods of time.
Some may argue that people in Canada's largest city deserve to hit up their favourite Winners location after so many months of lockdown living, or that non-essential retail stores need their business.
They may be right, but if there's anything Toronto loves to do more than wait in line it's complain about each other on Twitter.
There is a long lineup outside of Nordstrom Rack at Yonge and Bloor in #Toronto. People will mask up and wait in line for over an hour to shop in store during a pandemic. Not buying the “people will only shop online” post pandemic predictions pic.twitter.com/GZUNsf5CUk
— Michael (@michael_cjc) March 8, 2021
"Be careful, we don’t want a 3rd wave, they say. First day out of lockdown in Toronto and people lined up around the block to get into Eaton Centre?! Seriously people? Do better!" wrote one naysayer Monday afternoon.
"Went to the courier finally to have some packages go their merry way - FINALLY. Passed Cdn Tire, a Winners, dept store and all had lineups outside waiting to get in," wrote another. "We are so in trouble."
There sure are a lot of people “working from home” that are lined up at Winners on the first day after Lockdown! Just saying.
— 🦈SharkboyTO🇨🇦🏳️🌈🤖 (@SharkBoyToronto) March 8, 2021
Standalone and department stores such as Winners, Marshalls, HomeSense, Canadian Tire, Foot Locker and Nordstrom Rack have all proven particularly popular as places to visit as soon as Toronto entered the grey zone.
"You would think they are giving out vaccines at Winners, with the lineups," joked one person.
Yorkdale Mall was also reportedly quite the consumer zoo.
Yorkdale opened up today and the lineups were MOD. Please, let me know what in the fuck is so important in that mall for there to be line ups 😂😂
— A Regular Degular. (@thirrty2k) March 9, 2021
It's important to note that what these shoppers are doing is perfectly legal and, in some cases, good for the local economy.
That said, opinions on this subject are strong and often polarized. Lines, crowds or deafening silence, someone in the city will be upset regardless of how many people hit up newly-reopened stores this week.
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