FILE No.126Unsolved
A candy shop with no security cameras. The owner, a grandmother, comes out to the register about 10 seconds after a customer enters. During that time a boy slipped a few sweets into his pocket, then bought something else.
At the register, the grandmother said to the boy, "You shouldn't shoplift, you know?" The boy nearly had a heart attack and burst into tears, apologizing. In fact, the grandmother had not seen the boy shoplift.
Why did she say this?
If you get stuck, open the hints one at a time, in order.
Was the grandmother watching the shop?
What effect does saying the same thing to everyone have?
How does someone who did nothing wrong feel when they hear it?
Why did she say this?
Choose the answer closest to the truth.
She did not know about the shoplifting, but said it to everyone to prevent it
The answer is "She did not know about the shoplifting, but said it to everyone to prevent it."
The grandmother did not see any shoplifting. Even so, if she says "don't shoplift," the one who did it confesses on his own, while those who did not just let it pass or say, "Tell the other kids too." It is a prevention measure that costs no money.
There is no camera, and it takes 10 seconds to come out to the register, so she cannot have been watching. There is no basis for her having remembered his face.
Because you assume she said it because she had seen it.
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