Four Young Men and their Honest Actions Land them on TODAY Show

Aimee Herd : Aug 28, 2013
Karen Sudol - NorthJersey.com

Faced with the opportunity to steal, they chose to use the "honor system."

(Wayne, NJ)—They're being called the "honest shoppers," as word of their trustworthy actions spreads—even capturing the attention of national media and landing them on the TODAY Show.

When Anthony Biondi, Jelani Bruce, Kell'E Gallimore and Thomas James entered the Buddy's Small Lots store on Route 23, recently, the lights were on and door unlocked, but no clerk was on duty.

In fact, the store had mistakenly been left open.

The young men, all football players at William Paterson University, called out for a clerk, but finally—after finding what they needed, headphones, sunglasses and batteries—they counted out the exact amount of money they owed and left it on the counter, signaling to the security camera that they were doing so.

They even figured in the correct amount needed for tax.

After being alerted to the unlocked doors of her store by a neighboring pharmacy, Marci Lederman, director of store operations, reviewed the security footage and saw the four shoppers' honest actions caught on tape.

"I thought, Wow, really, do kids do this?" Lederman told reporters. "I thought it was an awesome thing and I wanted to recognize them and thank them."

She didn't know their identities, so she contacted local media to find out who they were.

At first, the college students thought they were in trouble, but Lederman presented each of them with a $50 shopping spree in her store.

One of the men, Thomas James used the notoriety to point out that "All people are not thieves. You can't judge people by the way they look."

The four "honest shoppers" earned an appearance on NBC's TODAY Show on Wednesday morning.

Says Lederman, "I spent a lot of time with these boys and they're wonderful. They're warm, caring and smart. They're just good people."

Goes to show…honesty really is the best policy!