This is the moment two shameless parents raid a sweet shop with the help of two young children – stuffing their pockets with candy before leaving without paying.
The couple brazenly load themselves up with gourmet lollies and gobstoppers from the confectionery aisle almost immediately after strolling inside.
They make no effort at all to hide what they’re doing while two young boys, believed to be under five-years-old, also grab items from the shelves.
Shopkeeper Linzi Cosby, 38, who runs Linzi Marie Cake Craft Supplies & Confectionary, posted footage of the theft in a bid to catch the family of thieves.
As a result, the man in question turned up to the shop two days later, claiming he thought his wife was going to pay for the £25-£30 haul taken by his family.
Mum-of-three Linzi said she was gutted to learn what they’d done while her back was turned serving another customer.
“I was really upset when I watched the footage back,” she said.
“I was gutted and my mum was saying to me ‘don’t let it get to you so much’.
“But when it’s your shop and your business you take it personally as when you are a sole trader everything is yours.
“It was basically stolen straight off me which makes it personal.”
Linzi opened the family business in Leighton Buzzard, Beds., 18 months ago, selling cake supplies, sweets and milkshakes.
Footage of the incident, which happened at around 10.30am on September 12 was posted on social media where it has since gained over 115,000 views.
Writing on her shop’s Facebook page, Linzi wrote: “Please watch this lovely family!
“In less than 2 minutes, each steal from my shop, while I was busy serving paying customers.
“Please share. Help support small and local businesses.”
But she wasn’t expecting the response she received – and was astonished to see the man in question returned to the shop two days later to pay in full for the stolen goods.
Linzi said: “I only noticed something had happened when someone came in and asked for traffic light lollipops and I couldn’t find them.
“I went back through footage and started over the weekend but could see they were still on the shelf.
“It was on a Monday morning which was shocking as I had been helping a lady sort out some cake supplies and giving her advice while this had been happening.
“When he came back in he asked to speak to the manager and he tried to tell me that he though his wife was going to be paying for it all.
“There was a lot of talking between us and we just told him he had to pay and he should not be getting his kids to steal.
“We have lots of school children coming into the shop daily so we expect one or two to try it, but we sell penny sweets and they come in with their coins to buy them.
“Just the other day a boy was 20 pence short for a milkshake and the next day he came in and gave it to me, so there are honest people out there.”
Since posting the ordeal on Facebook, Linzi has been given flowers by customers as she says she has a close relationship with them.
The family who stole the goods have previously been in the shop but Linzi said they are no longer welcome.
She added: “No one was more surprised that us that they did come back in. I just want to say thank you for everyone who shared the footage on Facebook.”
Linzi works in the shop with her mum Yvonne and is mum to Marni, 18, Leah, 15, and five-year-old Aston.
Posting on Facebook and updating her followers she added: “After our sad theft, we would like to thank everyone for their kind words, messages and these beautiful flowers.
“When this is your own shop you blame yourself when things like this happen and I was very upset and angry with myself for letting this happen but I now realise, these people took a great opportunity when I was totally preoccupied with more than 1 other customer.”
Linzi said she reported the theft to Bedfordshire police on September 13.
Bedfordshire police have been contacted for comment.
