Customers at the am store on Ibn Gabirol-Nordau Boulevard in Tel Aviv were shocked to find an AM:PM branch abandoned after the cashier left without informing anyone, leaving the case register and the entire store unattended.
Shiko Altit, the manager of the store explained that the incident occurred on Friday evening—one of the busiest times for the chain, which remains open on Shabbat: "The employee left because she likely didn’t feel well. She didn’t inform anyone, and an hour after she left, we got a call from our security team, who said customers reported that the store was completely open and unattended."
Was there only one employee there?
"Yes, she was supposed to be there alone for a few hours. In a panic, I immediately checked the security cameras, expecting to see chaos with tens of thousands of shekels in products scattered throughout the store. To my surprise, just minutes after she left, the customers began to scan the products themselves.
"Two or three customers took charge, helping each other scan items. They even tried to figure out how to work the credit card machine, and every time the cash drawer opened, they quickly shut it to avoid any misunderstandings or theft. They even gave each other the correct change from the register. It was incredible. As someone who's spent several months on military reserve duty, I was amazed. Despite the difficult circumstances, seeing our regular customers taking turns helping each other out was unbelievable."
The customers operating the register and helping each other
"One customer stayed at the register for 15 minutes, checking out one person after another and leaving the money in the register with receipts. It was amazing. We later checked both the registers and the cameras, and nothing was missing! No one stole anything, and no one left without paying. I was in shock—this was Friday night in the center of Tel Aviv, with the store completely open. It could have been a disaster."
You’re lucky that only honest customers were there.
"Yes, but honestly, I would have expected people to just leave when they saw no one was at the register. Instead, they helped both each other and the store (which could have lost a lot of money that night)."
And the notice you posted in the store—was it to thank those people?
"Yes, some customers really stood out for the time and effort they put in to help other customers and the store. We felt it was the least we could do to offer them a voucher or a small gift."
The notice said, "We want to thank each and every one of you for your loyalty, integrity, and dedicated actions. We’d appreciate it if those who were at the register could contact us so we can properly thank you and reward your efforts."
Have any of them reached out to you?
"One customer, who contacted security, was in touch. We reached her through our security team. She received a 300-shekel voucher for her efforts. We’d love to thank the others too, but they haven’t come forward. What’s clear is that this was a wonderful example of the best of Israel."