Article content continued

When the economy takes a dip, these crimes tend to go up, he added.

A Little More Interesting, which has three stores in Calgary, hasn’t been hit hard, just a few “one-offs” here and there, according to manager Danielle Carrington. But other shops haven’t been so lucky.

Carrington said she recently received an email from the manager of another adult store that had experienced a “really huge theft.”

“They reached out to other stores and let us know so we could be on the lookout,” she said.

As for the resale part, Carrington said her staff have been approached by unknown independent sellers offering products for sale.

“We have, in the past, been — this was a couple years ago — contacted by somebody trying to sell us lots of toys. We responded back with, ‘Absolutely no way, you’re not a reputable supplier.’ And just passed that along to the Calgary Police Service,” she said, adding her stores carry only high-end items from registered suppliers or distributors.

“He said he inherited them, which is a bizarre thing to say.”

Saints N Sinners on Centre Street has been the victim of the grab-and-dash and has also been approached by resellers of suspected ill-gotten goods, said an employee, who declined to be named.

“They look for expensive items … they grab as much as they can,” said the worker. “Some people do try to offer (to sell) to us.”

Aura Funk, who manages one of the Love Boutique stores in Calgary, was surprised to hear about so-called grab-and-runs taking place at other adult shops in the city.