- Convenience store has banned the bird for shoplifting spree
- Seagull sneaks in when door is open and steals packets of chips
- Customers asked to help keep the greedy gull out of the shop
Shoplifters are a menace for store managers across the world and regularly get banned from shops as a result. But one store in England has had an more unconventional thief – a seagull.
Sneaky seagull
The bird – nicknamed ‘Steven Seagull’ in a nod to the actor – has been stealing chips, or crisps, for six years from the Lyndale Central store in Wyke Regis in Dorset. However, in recent months the bird has upped his criminal activity and is thought to have stolen 30 packets in the past two months alone.
Crafty Steven has a distinct modus operandi. He waits until a customer opens the door, nips in, grabs a packet of chips from the nearby display and then swiftly flies off. Once he has escaped, he rips the bag open with his beak and eats the chips in the street, sharing with his fellow birds.
Fighting back
With the stock loss getting serious, store manager Stuart Harmer is fighting back. He has put up posters around the shop asking customers to close the door behind them to stop Steven getting in.
This came after Harmer tried to put spicy chips out by the door rather than Steven’s favorite flavor – apparently BBQ beef – to try and discourage him, but the bird still managed to locate his preferred taste.
Harmer told the BBC that trying to explain to his bosses that stock loss was down to a seagull with a penchant for chips was difficult as they thought it was a joke.
But even that might not be enough to stop him – Steven has been known to push the door with his beak to get in.
