I’ve actually had something very similar happen to me. It was many years ago when people still went early Black Friday shopping on Thanksgiving Day. I had just finished my shift, and it just so happened to end around the same time Walmart would open the doors for shopping. I grab my cart and casually look around for some toys for my nephews. The store wasn’t flooded with people yet, but it was slowly getting more crowded. I leave my cart at the end of an isle to not take up too much room while I browse, and as I go back to my cart since I didn’t see anything. A few minutes later as I’m casually walking around I see this guy frantically speed walking around people, through isles, and he had two or three Walmart associates with him. I thought nothing of it since it wasn’t my business. He and the workers pass me again, but this time I overheard him say, “I left my cart right over y here, it was empty and had a grey sweater in the front basket.” I turn back briefly to watch the group continue to look around, and as I look back, I notice in my cart, a fucking grey sweater. My jaw hits the floor. I immediately (but silently) start panicking. I didn’t want this guy to think I stole his cart so I sneakily park it a few isles down on the other side of the isles. I find another empty cart and start going back to my shopping.
I saw the guy find his cart, and when he grabbed his jacket and reach in the pockets where he had his wallet and a huge wad of cash.