A 7-Eleven owner is being praised for doing the right thing when he noticed that the teenager who was shoplifting from him was just trying to get something to eat, CNN is reporting.
Jitendra Singh is the owner of a Toledo, Ohio, 7-Eleven location. Last week, he was working in his back room office when something on the security cameras caught his eye — a teenager was attempting to slyly hide some goods in his pockets. He went outside to the counter to confront the teen, who was attempting to pay for some items, but by no means all of them.
Singh told the lad to empty his pockets. What he produced was gum and candy and the like. Singh immediately noticed two things. First, the items the teen had attempted to pilfer weren’t the types of things shoplifters usually go after, such as beer or goods that can be sold later for money. Second, they have little nutritional value, at least, compared to the pizza, nachos, and other snacks that are readily available at any 7-Eleven.
Singh concluded that the young man was attempting to steal because he was hungry. The proprietor wasn’t going to let that happen in his store.
“I said, ‘If you’re hungry, ask me. I’ll give you food.’”
#7Eleven Owner Jitendra Singh Helps Hungry Shoplifting Teen https://t.co/yirs8Azkbd
— ERoz (@EdRonline) April 9, 2019
Sure enough, the teen admitted that he was stealing because he and his younger brother — back at home — were hungry. According to People , Singh made good on his promise, and let the lad take home some pizza and some sandwiches free of charge.
Singh said he’s not concerned about the loss to his bottom line. His employees make and sell plenty of pizza and sandwiches, and there will always be more. But he couldn’t keep his conscience clear if he let the teen leave, still hungry, perhaps to go shoplift from someone else.
What’s more, he didn’t want the lad to have a criminal record for trying to feed his family.
“If he goes to jail then he’s definitely not going to do anything good in life.”
Facebook user Cedric Bishop saw the whole thing. In a Sunday post, he praised Singh for doing the right thing. In fact, so touched was Bishop by Singh’s actions that Bishop gave the lad $10.
“Some people just need to know that someone cares.”
Meanwhile, Singh’s wife, Neera Singh, said that her husband has always been a man of generosity.
“It is part of our job [to give back].”
