A report of theft at a Fayetteville, North Carolina Krispy Kreme doughnut shop may turn out to be a simple case of a misplaced bank bag, a police spokesman said.

The store is out about $5,000 after a drivethrough clerk handed over the day's cash to a customer, instead of doughnuts, said Sgt. Dan Grubb of the Fayetteville PD.

"The store manager usually takes the daily deposit to the bank concealed in a doughnut box," Grubb explained. "It is her habit to put the money in the box, put the box by the window, then drive around to pick it up." Apparently, a clerk unfamiliar with the manager's theft-protection protocol handed the box to a customer, Grubb said.

As of press deadline, no one had stepped forward and returned the money to the store. The drive-through video is still being analyzed and may yet reveal clues to the recipient. Source: WRAL.com

It's my opinion that this was a security plan destined for failure. On the surface, the manager possibly thought they were being really clever and sneaky, avoiding robbery by not lugging around the obvious blue bank bag. But this incident raises several doubts: is the manager trustworthy? How do we know there really was $5,000 in that box as the manager claims, and that it was "handed out by accident?"

According to a friend with retail banking experience, most thefts involving bank bags turn out to be "inside" jobs: the temptation is often too great for lowly hourly-wage employees. A small percentage of losses are actually stupid moves by careless employees, like this incident, although I have heard of a money bag being left on top of the car, which rates slightly higher on the careless-scale. So this begs the question: how can one not recognize the difference in weight between a box of warm, light Krispy Kremes and an unbalanced box of cold, hard cash? Perhaps the Fayetteville franchise occasionally sells a box of chocolate-covered leadcenters, along with the creme and jelly-filled.

We might poke fun at the poor employee, but until it's proven otherwise, it's not their fault, or the person who received the money's fault for being dishonest. Whatever the truth of the situation may be, in the end it's the manager's fault for this lame-brained scheme, and not clearly communicating the process to all employees- a very expensive lesson.

*For those of you who are unacquainted with the venerable Krispy Kreme Hot Light, and have to suffer through cold, cakey donuts, let me offer my condolences on missing out on one of life's unmatched little pleasures: a fresh, warm Krispy Kreme and a fresh cup of coffee on a gorgeous fall morning.

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