A Florida honey shop runs on the honor system. Then 3 people pulled off a ‘honey heist’
Sometimes all you need is a little trust, and a lot of honey, to run a small Florida business.
Bottles and jugs of honey line the shelves at Struther’s Honey, a family-run shop on Eucalyptus Road in Lake Wales. The shop has been open since 1935.
The small room doesn’t have a cashier. Instead, it uses the honor system. Each container is marked with the price. Customers can come in to browse, pick the honey they want and pay through a drop box located in the center of the store.
It usually works — until a “honey heist” happens, according to the Polk County Sheriff Office.
Polk County deputies are asking you to help find three people who they say stole almost $800 worth of honey earlier this month — a theft caught on camera.
Recently released surveillance video shows a man and woman filling their arms with jars of honey on July 6. They returned two more times, taking even more. The couple puts money in the drop box each time, but they only paid $13 total, according to deputies. The honey was worth $373.
A week later, another man walks in on July 14, pays and leaves with multiple honey jars. The jars cost $420 total, according to deputies. He left $5 behind.
Both of the thefts happened around 10:30 a.m., according to the sheriff office’s public information officer.
Another theft happened at the store two months ago, according to The Daily Ridge. It prompted the owners to install security cameras.
The owners of Struther’s Honey declined to comment to the Miami Herald.
“Our customers are good customers,” Alden Struthers, one of the shop owners, told the Daily Ridge. “If you have a bad apple, you take it out of the bag. Hate to do something like this for a couple of bad people when we have so many good people who come here.”
Anyone with information that can help detectives identify and find the three suspects are asked to call Heartland Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226 TIPS (8477) or submit the tip online on their website. You can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward leading to an arrest.
This story was originally published July 24, 2019 at 9:12 AM.
