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Food

Reddit Helps Store Solve Problem of Candy-Stealing Squirrels

These squirrels are the most adorable robbers ever.
Photo via Flickr user likeaduck

For the past decade-plus, Reddit has been the internet's go-to place for racist memes, overworked moderators, and a reasonable number of adorable dog .gifs. But it can also be a surprisingly helpful resource if you have a question about anything from someone's favorite go-to insult to our willingness to accept moldy cheese or, say, how you can keep a pair of chocolate-craving squirrels from stealing candy from your corner store.

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Three months ago, the owners of Luke's Grocery in Toronto posted on the Ask Toronto subreddit, in the hopes that someone could offer a suggestion for deterring the four-legged thieves that kept swiping a variety of candy bars. "Though we can't see it the moment it commits the theft (because the bars are displayed below the counter, on the customer's side), we can hear a distinct rustling," the owners wrote. "When we come around the counter to try to catch it, we can see the squirrel running off with the bar in its mouth."

In the weeks since, they have continued to update the post after the tiny, adorable robberies. The commenters have thrown out ideas ranging from putting up a screen door (Luke's keeps its front door open, for a variety of reasons, the owners say) to finding some kind of decoy animal to park near the entrance. But the top suggestion was to "capitalize on the cute and quirky nature of this" by filming the squirrels and posting the videos on YouTube.

Because it's 2017 and nothing makes sense, that's exactly what Luke's has done. They have set up a YouTube channel, posted two videos and the media has, of course, covered the squirrels with an intensity that used to be saved for people like Jonas Salk. Luke's has also started a Twitter account (heavy on the chipmunk emoji, because hey, close enough) and set up a Paypal page to accept donations to cover the cost of the thefts. (We're not even linking to that).

The two candy bars that the squirrels were filmed swiping were worth a total of $3.80 CAD ($2.87 USD), so obviously the shop could use your help. "Close the fucking door," a Redditor named Sammagetime posted three months ago. No one responded to his comment.