Shetland retailers have raised concerns over a troubling trend of children destroying toys and tearing open packaging inside local businesses.
The issue came to light after Sound Service Station published a social media post showing several damaged squishy toys removed from their retail boxes.
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"Please tell your children not to destroy the toys," the post said.
Store management noted that the destruction impacts their inventory regularly.
"That's £10 worth right there and it's every second day we find this," the post said.
Staff also discovered numerous empty wrappers, indicating that some youngsters are shoplifting the items after discarding the packages.
The social media update sparked debate among the local business community, with other store owners reporting identical behavioral issues.
Ghufar Razaq, owner of Home Furnishing, confirmed his staff faces the same situation with young shoppers.
"What's surprising is it's not even the infants/younger children who are to blame," Razaq added.
Magnus Sinclair, manager at Scalloway Meat Company, stated that his establishment experiences the same difficulties with unsupervised children.
Local resident Vaila Knight expressed deep concern over the lack of parental intervention during these incidents.
"I recently witnessed a child select a costume from a basket in the [Cancer Research UK] shop, take it from its packet then throw the items on the floor when told he couldn't have them," Knight said.
Knight expressed disappointment at the adult guardian's complete lack of reaction.
"What did mum do? I looked to her … nothing," Knight said.
She emphasized that basic behavioral guidance from guardians seems to be fading in modern society.
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"Kids need to be taught, parents need to lead by example and learning needs to be reinforced," Knight said.
According to Knight, proper discipline is no longer a standard practice for many families.
"Unfortunately this appears to have become an archaic concept," Knight said.
Other community members described the actions as horrid, disgusting, and absolutely disgraceful, with some businesses considering strict limitations on young shoppers.
Sound Service Station later clarified its stance, confirming it will not implement any bans against children because they value their young clientele.
"We love wir peerie customers and they are generally all brilliant," the store said.
The business emphasized that the issue can be resolved through simple parental guidance and gentle boundaries while shopping.
"They just need a peerie bit of direction and sometimes a firm reminder on how to behave in the shop," the store said.
Management asked guardians to have a quick conversation with children regarding product boundaries before entering stores.
"We only ask that parents and guardians have a peerie chat with them and point out what happens when they muck about with the toys," the store said.
The retailer acknowledged that the tactile nature of the merchandise naturally attracts children, but reiterated that damaging the inventory crosses the line.
"They are bound to want to try to 'squish' the squishies ... after all that is their selling point," the store said.
Business owners maintain that the integrity of the packaging must be respected by all customers.
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"But taking them out of the wrappers and boxes is a step too far," the store said.
