Brain Teasers
The Shoplifter
Situation
Situation puzzles (sometimes called lateral thinking puzzles) are ones where you need to ask lots of yes or no questions to figure out what happened in the situation. These are good puzzles for groups where one person knows the puzzle and answers the questions.Situation
Once, there was a shoplifter that started stealing small items, but over time, gradually stole bigger items. A lot of the people at the store knew the thief, but no one knew what was going on. After a period of nine months, however, the shoplifter had to stop. Why?
Hint
Q: Is the shoplifter a woman?A: Yes.
Q: Did she get caught?
A: No.
Q: Was she in disguise?
A: Yes.
Q: Could a man wear this disguise?
A: No.
Answer
The shoplifter was disguised as a pregnant woman. As her "belly got bigger" she could hide larger and larger objects under it. Since many people at the store knew her and frequently asked about her "baby", after her nine months, since the baby should have been born, her "belly" would have to disappear.Hide Hint Show Hint Hide Answer Show Answer
What Next?
View a Similar Brain Teaser...
If you become a registered user you can vote on this brain teaser, keep track of which ones you have seen, and even make your own.
Solve a Puzzle
Comments
Very ingenious thief! Hope this idea doean't get around! Nice teaser, by the way!
this teaser is awesome
excellent teaser
Decent teaser - "nine months" is a dead giveaway, though. "36 weeks" or "270- some days" would have concealed your intent a little better and upped the teaser's difficulty rating.
BRAVO! excellent teaser! very clever. can we see more of these?
Nice quiz--- iagree that 9 months gaveit away--- great quiz.
That was awesome! Write more!
Yet more proof why women are smarter than men. All obvious facts aside, it was fun. OMG just realised that there are 666 visitors to braingle right now! (Some say I have ADD, but I don't really... Ooo look a butterfly! )
a bit of a span in logic though. she'd enter with a flat belly, go in, hide something, and come out with a round belly. obvious suspicion.
coool
awww, i wish i would have thought a little more about it before clicking the "show answer" button. i like this teaser!!!
lol, i cant believe i didnt notice the nine months thing. took me a while then i reread the "man cant wear it" line, lol.
princess2007, maybe she had some kind of container in her belly that she put the stuff in.
Very very clever and smart. Great teaser!
Why didn't she just tell them she was putting on a whole lot of weight. Then she wouldn't have to stop!
The person would not know that they were having a baby until the second month of the pregnancy.
her belly must be big when coming in oohhh a puppy uhh sorr... puppy e.
awsome! It reminds me of a fake beggar in China. She had a big belly, but after nine months, she still had one.
I knew it was something with pregnancy or a baby, even before I read the hint, but I didn't guess that.
To post a comment, please create an account and sign in.
Follow Braingle!