It wasn’t a so-called “five-finger” discount. It was more of a 12-digit theft. A local Lowe’s supply store gave an unintended “discount” on an expensive vacuum cleaner, made possible by crafty use of UPC/barcode numbers. Michael Tanenbaum explains for PhillyVoice. 

The incident happened June 19 at the Lowe’s home improvement store on Horizon Boulevard in Trevose. A male approached a self-checkout register with a $400 Dyson vacuum cleaner. Surreptitiously, however, he was also carrying the barcode from a much cheaper item. 

When it came time to identify his purchase with the scanner, he presented the lower price identifier. 

So he walked away with a $375.01 “discount,” paying only $24.99 for the high-end appliance. 

An employee tried to stop the shopper but was unsuccessful. The thief continued into the parking lot and drove off in a newer-model Volkswagen SUV without a registration plate. 

Fortunately, the bogus transaction was caught on the store’s surveillance system. The resulting video clearly shows the perpetrator. 

“This is one of the best videos we could have of this thief,” police said. “Someone knows this guy for sure.” 

Anyone with information about this suspect is asked to call Bensalem police at 215.633.3719. 

More on this crummy illegality is at PhillyVoice.