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Video: Woman Caught Red-Handed Stealing Tips from Cannabis Store

A woman shopping at a cannabis store in Canada was made famous on Facebook after being caught on cam stealing hundreds of dollars’ worth of tips from the tip jar. Cannabis normally brings about the spirit of giving in most people, however, that’s not the case for petty thieves like the one caught recently.

Mariana Wolff, owner of Cannabis Cottage in Penticton, British Columbia in Canada, is fed up with brazen thieves, including the latest one who went after her budtender’s hard-earned tip money. Wolff captured the moment on video and posted it on Facebook Tuesday, January 3.

Castanet NewsAccording to reports, the woman took the container and put it in her jacket. The store worker appears to be trying to convince the woman to return the jar. As Cannabis Cottage locks up the majority of its inventory at all times—like many other cannabis stores in Canada—it normally isn’t the target of crime since opening in 2019. YouTube disabled comments for this video.

Penticton Valley News Wolff expressed dissatisfaction with the treatment of budtenders, leading to this latest incident. Recent crimes have become worse and more brazen.

“Unfortunately, this isn’t a surprise,” Wolff told Black Press. “It’s been noticeably more prevalent over the last couple of years around town.”

Wolff didn’t report Wolff to Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) but posted it to Facebook, letting the local community take the necessary steps. That should be sufficient punishment.

“It’s such a petty theft and [the police] already have so many that they already deal with,” Wolff said. “It would just be one more little thing on their plate so it’s easier for me to just top up the tip jar and move on.”

Wolff stated that the store provided an opportunity for the woman in question to show up and repay the money. The woman, however, declined. If the woman needs food, she offered to give her a Safeway gift certificate.

Since everything is secured, the tip jar is basically the only thing that can be taken. “The one thing that could actually be stolen This was…it’s frustrating,” she added. “The girl was asked to return it after being caught in the moment and chose not to. That’s what was so irritating.”

Cash-Only Environments Can Lead to Theft

South of the border, the U.S.’s cash-only cannabis industries often lead to their own form of crime—from coast to coast. But most of the time, thieves target large quantities cash and inventory. They don’t usually want to tip. 

Dispensaries are prone to crime in California cities such as Oakland. C.R.A.F.T. C.R.A.F.T.

On the East Coast, crime is also an issue. A string of New England-based burglaries that targeted cannabis dispensaries in New England has been linked to three suspects from Massachusetts by police according to an investigation. Portland Press Herald. According to law enforcement officials, a New Bedford man and two Boston brothers are suspects in a string of burglaries that took place at licensed cannabis businesses dating back to 2020.

Budtenders often depend on tip money to make ends meet, so they’re the last person you’d want to steal from.

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