Lineups for solar eclipse glasses in Toronto are already out of control
With the 2024 solar eclipse now one week away, people in and around Toronto are scrambling to pick up their solar eclipse glasses and otherwise prepare for the ultra-rare celestial event — which has meant larger-than-expected lineups at some outlets offering the tool.
The Toronto Public Library, along with shops like Warby Parker, Toytown and, quite randomly, Doc’s Leathers, are among those providing special spectacles for the special spectacle, and the demand has been strong.
One resident who saw that Warby Parker was giving away free eclipse glasses from April 1 to April 8 headed to her local store in Yorkdale Mall today, only to be met with a chaotic lineup before the location even opened — on a Monday morning, no less.
The lineup for free solar eclipse glasses at Yorkdale Mall was bonkers today – 📹 Jen Buktaw pic.twitter.com/Q3ebKMlw5A
— blogTO (@blogTO) April 1, 2024
“I wanted to get some, but the lineup was too crazy, so I left emptyhanded,” she tells blogTO, adding that she had seen ads and editorial coverage about the eyewear store’s eclipse campaign.
“I arrived at 9:45 am, but it seems I was late to the party, because there was already a massive lineup that extended past Warby Parker and down the hallway — past Birks and Canada Goose, and almost reaching the Starbucks. ”
A video shot of the lineup indeed shows an unbelievable number of people waiting around in a lineup that snakes through the mall in front of a number of other stores.
Doc’s Leathers on Queen Street West is among those stores offering eclipse glasses for sale. Photo by Becky Robertson.
Though Warby Parker couldn’t speak to inventory or demand at any specific store, the brand did say that it’s advising customers to hit up their local outpost ASAP, as the glasses are only while supplies last and they can’t guarantee everyone will secure a pair.
“We know our customers are just as excited about the eclipse as we are,” a spokesperson said, adding that if stock runs out at a given location, staff will still be able to provide pinhole eclipse projectors to safely observe the event.
The Warby Parker downtown on Queen Street West, also offering free eclipse glasses, was a tad busy on the afternoon of April 1, but nowhere near as bad as the Yorkdale Mall store.
For those hoping to get their hands on complimentary eclipse eyewear elsewhere, it seems that many TPL branches — including North York Central, Bridlewood, Steeles, Woodside Square, and the Toronto Reference Library — were out of supply almost immediately after receiving the glasses from the Dunlap Institute of Astronomy & Astrophysics last week.
The institute told people on its Instagram account that it was distributing more of the equipment to the branches with the most demand, to be available early this week, while residents advised one another to call branches ahead of time.
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