Not Every Crime Family Is Smart

I’m covering the shop for my brother; they have recently had a baby and need to take time for appointments. Unfortunately, being such a busy time of year, and with a new child, they can’t afford to close the store; even with my limited experience in retail, it is better than nothing, and I’m happy to help.

One thing my brother warns me is that there is a family who will try every trick in the book to get free or discounted stock; they will lie, cheat, and “forget to pay” for everything if they feel that they can get away with it. The only reason he hasn’t banned them is that their family is huge and they send different family members in, even using their children.

I will know them when I see them, and I have full carte-blanch to deal with them.

A familiar-looking family comes in. It’s a small store but there are seven of them. They come in together but quickly split into two groups.

One comes to the till.

Customer #1: “I bought these the other day and they were all broken when I got home. Can I get my money back?”

It’s a figurine; these ones don’t come boxed, so we didn’t sell it broken like this. I restocked the shelves earlier and they don’t look like the ones we sell at the moment. I’m suspicious.

Me: “Do you have a receipt? Or any proof of purchase?”

Customer #1: “No, but I’m in here all the time. I know that the owner wouldn’t want to lose a good customer like me. And the item was broken when I brought it.”

Customer #2: *Walks over* “Sorry to interrupt, miss.” *To me* “Just so you know, this was sitting on the shelf broken; it looks defective.”

She puts down a similar figurine, now snapped in half.

Me: “Okay, I will need a special code to override the till for any return. Please bear with me.”

They smile at each other as I step into the cupboard and check the cameras to see the second woman clearly breaking the figurine. I manage to call the police without the women realising.

Me: “Sorry about that, I’m new.”

I kept them busy, pretending I didn’t know what I was doing until the police turned up. They removed the customer from the shop and took the camera footage. Apparently, it’s a known scam; they buy cheap knock-offs and return them to the store to swap for the real ones or get more money back.

They intimidate workers, threaten them, or just come back and steal something else out of spite. It was a one-family crime wave.