It happened last Monday. A young man walked into a supermarket in Southampton and put a few items of food in a basket. He chose a time when not many people were shopping in the store. He found a checkout where no one else was waiting. When the cashier had checked the goods, the man gave her a £10 note. When she opened the till, the man quickly snatched all the money from it and ran out of the store. At the time, the security guard was standing at the other end of the store. He was watching TV and fell asleep before the thief came. When staff checked the records in the till, they found that the thief had taken only £4.37. As he left the £10 note behind, the operation had cost him £5.63.
The incident had occurred discreetly, exploiting the opportune moment when the security guard was distracted. The thief's hurried escape suggested a premeditated plan, taking advantage of the store's quiet period. The staff, upon discovering the minimal amount stolen and the abandoned £10 note, realized that the thief's daring act had backfired, resulting in a net loss for the perpetrator.