Shack-frequented GameStop Robbed At Knifepoint

A GameStop in Bellingham, WA—home to yours truly—was robbed at knifepoint on Monday night ten minutes after the store closed, the Bellingham Herald reports.

Employees of the store told authorities that a tall, skinny man of around 20 years of age browsed the store for some 45 minutes before approaching the register with a stack of games. As his purchases were rung up, the man started towards the door muttering to himself before returning to the register and pulling out a small knife.

The employees gave cash to the man who soon after bolted out of the store and sprinted away. This particular GameStop—the only non-mall location in the Bellingham area—resides in the well-lit, heavily trafficked Sunset Square shopping plaza. The plaza is home to over a dozen stores, including a popular movie theater.

In recent years GameStop has offered cash for systems and games; that coupled with a solid day of sales amounts to a lot of cash in the register. As game stores become more lucrative operations, they become increasingly more attractive targets for armed robbery.