Honest shoppers accidentally enter closed store, pay for goods — even with no cashier around

A group of four friends in Wayne, New Jersey, mistakenly broke into a store on Sunday night.

Management at Buddy's Small Lots were alerted by police that there had been a break-in at the store. When they arrived, however, nothing appeared to be missing.

They turned to the security footage to discover the "burglars" were merely honest shoppers who were looking to pay for their goods, which they did.

The shoppers entered Buddy's Small Lots — because of a security malfunction, the door was unlocked and the lights were on — and called out for a clerk.

When no one came to their aid, they figured out how much they owed for the audio cable and batteries, including tax, and left the money on the counter.

"I think that there are still wonderful people in this world that have a sense of honour and dignity," Marci Lederman, director of operations for Buddy’s Small Lots, told 1010 WINS. "They were coming in there to shop, they did just that, and they felt that it was the right thing to do to leave the money behind. They didn’t take advantage."

The four friends have since been identified: Thomas James, Kell'E Gallimore, Jelani Bruce and Anthony Biondi, all football players at William Paterson University, came forward after the story made headlines.

"My heart dropped," said honest shopper Thomas James about being named. "I'm like, 'Are we in trouble?'"

Instead of getting into trouble, however, the friends were praised by the store for their honesty. Store management even offered them $50 of free merchandise.

"It's pretty good, because as of now, in the world today, they judge us for the wrong things," James said.

"(We're) just ecstatic knowing that one good deed blew up nationwide and now everyone’s hearing about it," Biondi told TODAY.

"They represented themselves, their families and the team very well," head football coach Jerry Flora told NJ.com.

"We had to get to practice, because we were running a little late," Bruce explained. "So we decided to put the money on the counter instead of stealing it, because that's just not right."