Suburban Jewelers Who Offered Snow Promo Robbed

Police said the incident was a typical "smash and grab."

A suburban jewelry store that offered thousands of dollars in refunds if it snowed three inches or more New Year’s Day was robbed Tuesday.

"We will not be open today, burglars broke into our store this morning," PK Bennett Jewelers posted on their Facebook page. "The police have been here, insurance has been here now we are waiting for the cleanup crews."

Mundelein Deputy Police Chief John Monahan said the incident was a typical "smash and grab."

Two thieves smashed the store's front door around 7:15 a.m. and took off with an unknown amount of jewelry, police said.

The thieves were caught on video, but officials could not detail what was seen on the cameras.

"It's an ongoing investigation," Monahan said. "Some evidence is still being reviewed."

The store's owners said they are cleaning up the mess but "will probably reopen [Wednesday]."

It was not immediately clear if the robbery was related to the promotion the store recently ran.

The store announced plans to refund more than $150,000 to customers who made purchases between Black Friday and Christmas Eve if it snowed more than three inches between midnight and noon on New Year's Day.

But the owners of the jewelry store said the insurance company that wrote the policy claims only 1.1 inches of snow fell at O’Hare International Airport and therefore will not be refunding customers.

“Although we are extremely disappointed in the outcome of this promotion, we are very thankful for the support and fun it has brought to our customers and our business,” the jewelers posted on their Facebook page. “We are in the process of using several resources at our disposal to verify the measurement. If anything changes you will be the first to know.”

Reports showed O’Hare Airport recorded a total of 4.8 inches of snow Wednesday night.

Rich and Peggy Bennett said they were looking forward to the snow and a chance to give something back to their customers.

They even planned a “cash and champagne” event if the snow forecast came true.

“We are also going to a take a few days to digest this and will have more information to come,” the jewelers said on their Facebook page.

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