California store’s ingenious anti-theft technique leaves would-be robbers scratching their heads

A California store developed a unique security system to stop the brazen, heartless thieves who have been breaking in recently, causing damage to the business.

Roman Gonzales, the owner of Fresno-based DripOnDrip, was heartbroken when a group of robbers broke into his old shoe store in November 2023, looting armfuls of merch.

So he implemented a simple yet foolproof plan to stop his merchandise from falling into the hands of the unwanted late-night guests.

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Instead of locking the store up with military-grade mechanisms, Gonzales clears out the store’s display floor each night and moves the empty, open cash registers to the front of the store in view from outside.

On Dec. 30, two white sedans pulled up to the front of the store just after 4 a.m., as one of the drivers rammed through the storefront, creating a hole for several masked and hooded menaces to run inside.

Security cameras throughout the store recorded the brazen robbery and captured the unidentified raiders’ shock when they discovered there was nothing for them to steal, according to video obtained by KSEE.

Gonzales ridiculed the attempted thieves’ thoughtless actions for destroying his storefront.

“If they would have looked through the window, they would have saved themselves some time and energy,” the store owner told the outlet. “They would have noticed that there is nothing here on the floor for them to take.”

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Gonzales intentionally leaves out a wall display of right-foot shoes.

“There’s no value once you take this shoe. I mean, you can’t just buy a left-foot shoe online either. So you’re not going to be able to use that item or even resell it. It’s just pointless,” Gonzales added.

The thieves did snatch a few backpacks that had been lying around and two of the valueless right-foot shoes.

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Although Monday’s break-in wasn’t the first time Gonzales’ store was damaged by thieves, he still hasn’t gotten used to it.

“Seeing the building that you’re working out of almost every day … just be damaged. It’s shocking,” he said.

An alarm was triggered by the thieves, alerting security at the River Park shopping center, and agents immediately responded to the store.

By the time Gonzales arrived at 6 a.m., the store had been boarded up.

The gracious owner credited the complex security’s quick response as their presence made him feel safe enough to continue operating in the area, the outlet reported.

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Additional security would be implemented to patrol the shopping center overnight, River Park confirmed to KSEE.

The placement of safety poles has been considered in front of Gonzales’ store to stop cars from driving on the sidewalks.