It's been just over 24 hours since non-essential retail stores opened in Toronto after15 weeksof forced closures, and things are going... well, pretty much exactly as you'd expect them to.

Huge lineups have been forming outside The Eaton Centre, Sherway Gardens, Square One, Yorkdale andother major shopping mallsin Toronto and Peel since early Monday morning, whenstay-at-home orders were liftedand both regions enteredthe grey zone安大略省的COVID-19 response framework.

Literally nobody with any knowledge of the city and its inhabitants can be surprised.

First day of gray zone in Toronto and drove by around the corner, down the block line ups at Nordstrom Rack and Winners. We are doomed, right?pic.twitter.com/01Y4lIUXHI

— Anne-Marie Longpre (@mslongpre)March 8, 2021

People clearly miss shopping and are eager to return to some sense of normalcy, even if it means queuing for hours to enter stores that have been capped at25 per cent occupancy.

The former Air Jordan Toronto store just reopened as a new Foot Locker store. Also first day of in store non-essential shopping.

Longggggg line!pic.twitter.com/koCEFQXoMX

— Kris Pangilinan (@KrisReports)March 8, 2021

Even if it means waiting in line for hours outside the Dufferin Mall on a sunny Monday morning.

Why not spend Monday morning in line at Dufferin Mall? Can’t wait to buy miscellaneous crap! There’s a line already at the Sally Ann too.pic.twitter.com/WtjwOEVMuO

— Shari Kasman (@smkasman)March 8, 2021

Evenif it means eschewingthe advice of Toronto Public Healthto stay home whenever possible as dangerous new variants of the coronavirus spread locally.

People line up at@CFSherway#Etobicokeas Toronto enters#GreyZonetoday#COVID19pic.twitter.com/SKKM1xksvX

— Sahil Anand (@dumboiscrazy)March 8, 2021

But let's be real: Toronto residents have long beenknown to line up for stuffingreat numbers, and forlong periods of time.

Some may argue that people in Canada's largest city deserve to hit up their favourite Winners location after so many months of lockdown living, or that non-essential retail stores need their business.

They may be right, but if there's anything Toronto loves to do more than wait in line it's complain about each other on Twitter.

There is a long lineup outside of Nordstrom Rack at Yonge and Bloor in#Toronto. People will mask up and wait in line for over an hour to shop in store during a pandemic. Not buying the “people will only shop online” post pandemic predictionspic.twitter.com/GZUNsf5CUk

— Michael (@michael_cjc)March 8, 2021

"Be careful, we don’t want a 3rd wave, they say. First day out of lockdown in Toronto and people lined up around the block to get into Eaton Centre?! Seriously people? Do better!"wrote one naysayerMonday afternoon.

"Went to the courier finally to have some packages go their merry way - FINALLY. Passed Cdn Tire, a Winners, dept store and all had lineups outside waiting to get in,"wrote another. "We are so in trouble."

There sure are a lot of people “working from home” that are lined up at Winners on the first day after Lockdown! Just saying.

— SharkboyTO️ (@SharkBoyToronto)March 8, 2021

Standalone and department stores such asWinners, Marshalls, HomeSense, Canadian Tire, Foot Locker and Nordstrom Rack have all proven particularly popular as places to visit as soon as Toronto entered the grey zone.

"You would think they are giving out vaccines at Winners, with the lineups,"joked one person.

Yorkdale Mall was also reportedly quite the consumer zoo.

Yorkdale opened up today and the lineups were MOD. Please, let me know what in the fuck is so important in that mall for there to be line ups

— A Regular Degular. (@thirrty2k)March 9, 2021

It's important to note that what these shoppers are doing is perfectly legal and, in some cases, good for the local economy.

Concerns abouta potential third waveof the pandemic are not unfounded, however: experts havebeen sounding the alarm for weeksnow that another major outbreak of COVID-19 could well be on the way. What's not been suggested is that shopping will be the reason for this resurgence.

Lines, crowds or deafening silence, someone in the city will no doubt be upset regardless of how many people hit up newly-reopened stores this week. Let's just hope it's not Ontario's Medical Officer of Health (read: the guy who will determine whether or not westay in grey-lockdownormove to a less-restrictive zoneof the framework in two weeks.)