It is not how Barrmart Foods owner Raymond Baker and his daughter Alyssa Barendregt wanted to celebrate their Christmas holidays — by cleaning up from the aftermath of an early morning break and entry.
On Dec. 20, at 4:30 a.m. robbers broke into the convenience store, on 55 Street, ramming through the large bay delivery door on the side of the building with a truck stealing what Barendregt estimates to be more than $30,000 in cigarette, cigar and tobacco products.
“They knew what they wanted, because they took all the expensive items and left the rest behind,” she said, adding they know it happened at 4:30 a.m. because of the footage from security cameras.
“There were at least two of them, but the RCMP forensic officer that was here said there could have been more,” she said.
In addition to the items that were stolen the thieves damaged a number of electronic items, including a laptop computer.
“Everything was ripped out, things were on the ground,” Barendregt said, pointing to the area around the till. “The door handle on our storage room where we keep the majority of our cigarettes was torn off and they might have taken it with them because it was nowhere to be seen.”
To add insult to injury, the robbers, in an attempt to make a faster get-a-way used one of the store’s own garbage cans, scattering its assorted contents throughout the store.
This is the third break-in the store has experienced in nine years.
After the first one Baker installed a number of barriers to deter would be thieves, however, Barendregt said after the latest break-in they might have to look at additional methods.
In the meanwhile Baker and Barendregt are trying to get the word out about the break-in as quickly as they can in an attempt to help police catch the culprits.
“If someone tries to sell you some cigarettes, there is a good chance they are some of ours and you should call the RCMP.
The Leader reached out the Barrhead RCMP for comment, but as of our press deadline none was received.
.jpg;w=120;h=80;mode=crop)
