The man is seen telling a female security guard to “get back” and “move” during the raid at the store on Baker Street in central London.
The male, who isn’t wearing a mask, empties shelves’ worth of goods into an M&S Food bag before making off.
Maya, a student who witnessed the raid, admitted she was terrified as she watched him take the items.
Brazen shoplifter piling goods into bag at Boots
The 23-year-old said: “I was waiting at the till to pay but there was no one there. I saw this guy rush up. If I’d been by the door, he would’ve knocked me over.
“He opened his bag and started emptying all of the shelves. I wanted to call someone but I was really scared.
“I was scared he would do something to me, so I just stood there in shock.
“Eventually security came over but [the female security guard] couldn’t do anything. He was pushing her back and carrying on emptying the shelves.
“He ran out of the store and the police didn’t come in time.”
The Metropolitan Police said: “Police were called shortly after 14:00hrs on Friday, 7 February to reports of a shoplifting offence at a shop in Baker Street, NW1.
“The caller reported that the suspect had already left the shop prior to the call being made.
“There has been no arrest and enquiries into the circumstances continue.
“Anyone with information that could assist police to identify the person responsible is asked to call 101 or ‘X’ @MetCC and quote CAD 3629/7Feb.”
Maya added: “The security woman said this happens quite often – at least twice or three times a week.
“It’s wild at the moment in London… My friend had her phone stolen the other day.”
The Met spokesperson added: “We know first-hand the impact that retail crime has on staff and businesses.
“We have renewed our commitment to tackling shoplifting and retail crime in collaboration with the wider business community.
“In partnership with retailers, we have also recently launched a new targeted operation across the capital to crack down on this crime and support them and their staff.
“Our call handlers will assess each and every report and make an assessment based on available lines of enquiry.
“We continue to use data and technology, such as phone tracking and surveillance techniques, to target offenders and investigate crimes that impact those living and working in London.”
Boots said it was working with the Met in their investigation into the thief in the video.
It’s understood the healthcare giant has a policy of non-intervention during thefts, with staff instead collecting evidence for police on body and CCTV cameras.
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A spokesperson for Boots said: “Ensuring our stores remain a safe and respectful environment for team members and customers is our number one priority.
“Boots has invested significantly in measures that will deter and disrupt criminal activity, stop theft, protect our team members, and support the police with high-quality evidence.
“These measures include the roll-out of body cameras for team members and a new, state-of-the-art CCTV monitoring centre.”
