Man Caught On CCTV Stealing Cheap Books At Self-Checkout Secondhand Bookstore
"Why would you want to steal cheap books from a small local business like ours?" questioned the shop owner.
By May Vin Ang — 19 Feb 2024, 11:13 AM
A man was caught stealing books at a self-service secondhand bookstore in Taman Desa, Kuala Lumpur
In a Facebook post by Books n Bobs, the store owner, Rachel Ang, expressed her disappointment with the thief for brazenly stealing cheap, secondhand books from her small business.
"This is a totally disgusting act, and more importantly, is disappointing behaviour.
"The price of our books start from RM1 and is mostly within the range of RM7 to RM25. Why would you want to steal cheap books from a small local business like ours?" she questioned.
The store owner said she understood the risks of opening a self-service store, but she did not expect a person to perform such a premeditated and calculated "heist" of secondhand books
She said the incident occurred around noon on Saturday, 17 February, and was not only caught on camera by the bookstore's CCTVs, but also witnessed by a customer who was in the store at the time.
Ang said the man, wearing a cap and a face mask, went into the shop with a satchel bag minutes after her staff left for their lunch break.
She also suspects that the man was familiar with her store, as he went straight to a certain section to take the books he wanted.
Furthermore, she was aghast that the thief also had the audacity to help himself to a cup of coffee that he also did not pay for at the checkout counter before walking out of the store.
"I estimate the total cost of the stolen books to be around RM150 to RM200. However, what hurts more than the monetary loss is the ugliness of humanity," said the bookseller.
