After burglars stole most of his inventory, a store owner in California devised a simple yet effective technique to prevent further robberies. The trick has already proven successful, as recent footage shows thieves scratching their heads upon realizing they would leave practically empty-handed.

Roman Gonzales owns DripOnDrip, a sneaker store at the outdoor River Park Shopping Center in Fresno. In November 2023, a group of thieves broke into his former location in River Park and stole a majority of the clothing items.

A shoe store owner in Fresno, California, implemented a simple technique to prevent robberies

Image credits: CBS47 KSEE24

On Monday (December 30), Gonzales was the victim of another break-in when two sedans drove up to the front of the store after 3 a.m., KSEE reported.

One of those vehicles rammed through the front of the store, shattering the glass and allowing both robbers to enter.

However, their time and effort were pointless, as Gonzales had already anticipated the crime and cleared out the store’s display, as he does every night.

Robert Gonzales was the victim of an attempted retail crime when two masked thieves broke into his store at 3 a.m.

Image credits: CBS47 KSEE24

Security footage obtained by KSEE shows two masked, hooded individuals breaking into the store, only to realize there are no items to take. One of them throws their arms up in disappointment while looking at the practically empty shop.

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

Image credits: CBS47 KSEE24

In addition to clearing out the floor every night, the store owner leaves the empty cash register open next to the window to show potential thieves there’s no money inside.

Gonzales only leaves 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,” he said.

The thieves went home empty-handed, as Gonzales had cleared out the store a few hours earlier

Image credits: CBS47 KSEE24

Image credits: CBS47 KSEE24

The only items the thieves took were some loose backpacks, shoes that he was planning to donate to the needy, and two right-foot shoes from the wall.

Though he managed to be one step ahead of the criminals this time, he described the attempted robbery as “shocking.”

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

“Let’s hope they get caught and learn from this situation.”

In November 2023, robbers stole most of Gonzales’ inventory at a different store in Fresno

Image credits: CBS47 KSEE24

Gonzales closed the store on the day of the incident and opened it on Tuesday, the following day.

River Park security responded to the scene as soon as the alarm went off, he said, adding that they had the wall boarded up before he arrived at 6 a.m.

A spokesperson for the outdoor shopping center told YourCentralValley they met to discuss future safety measures on Monday and will heighten their security overnight. 

Gonzales said River Park security is considering installing safety poles in front of his store to prevent cars from driving onto the sidewalk.

Now, he leaves the cash register empty near the window and empties the store every night to prevent crimes

Image credits: CBS47 KSEE24

“As a small locally owned business, we are standing up and applying pressure on these criminals,” the shoe store wrote on Instagram on Thursday (January 2).

On social media, people expressed their support for the store owner and lamented that he has to work extra to take precautions against potential crimes.

“Well played, sir. Well played. The confusion the criminals showed when they realized the store was empty is priceless,” one user wrote.

“It’s sad to see the owner has to go all this way to protect his property,” another said.

“A lot of work to remove all the merchandise every night. He should not have to do this. If we had some enforcement of our laws, this would not be necessary,” a third added.

“I passed by that store a few times,” a separate user shared. “I’m gonna make it a point to go in and buy something next time I swing through Fresno.”

Image credits: CBS47 KSEE24

“Such a calm, poised store owner …With the smarts to out smart, not to mention generous. God bless him,” commented someone else.

In the last week, Adel Alsharay, who owns the 4M Market in Oakland, California, was the victim of a property crime after thieves rammed through the front of the shop with a car.

“So they hit the whole front,” the owner told CBS News. “We had to replace the whole window, the rolling doors. Even the counter, they pushed it all the way over there. The shelf was all the way over there. We had to push the whole counter back. Even the ice cream counter had to be redone.

“We’ve been here since 1998. Yeah. We have a lot of people, old people. They need the store. It’s a lot of work.”

“If they would have looked through the window, they would have saved themselves some time and energy from even trying to break in,” the owner said

In August 2024, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed 10 bills to combat escalating retail crimes, car thefts, and the sale of stolen goods.

A new law taking effect in 2025, as part of the state’s efforts to crack down on property and retail crimes, makes a crime punishable by up to three years in jail for possessing more than $950 of stolen goods with intent to sell, exchange, or return the items.

According to the California Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), crime in California has fallen to the lowest level ever recorded.

Californians in 2024 reportedly experienced less than a third of the crimes per resident reported in 1980 and two-thirds of what they experienced in 2006.

From 2018 to 2023, the property crime rate decreased by 3.8%. Larceny (theft without force) and burglary (entering a residential or commercial structure with the intent to steal) decreased by 2.4% and 6.7% in 2023.

In contrast, the violent crime rate is trending upward and increased by 15.1% between 2018 and 2023.

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