Over Labor Day weekend, Lynd Fruit Farm in Pataskala, Ohio uncovered four separate cases of customers hiding apples in their cars. Some tucked under seats, some buried in trunks, and even some concealed beneath children.

Most of the theft attempts involved smaller amounts. But staff reported one customer tried to walk away with more than $300 worth of apples in a single haul.

Alex Patton has worked at the farm for more than a decade. He says that he’s never seen this many stolen apples before

He added that parents sometimes attempted to shift blame onto their children, but the oversized bags made that excuse impossible. How would the kids be able to carry something that heavy?

The system at Lynd is straightforward: customers report how many bags they’ve filled with apples before leaving.

Staff say those caught stealing usually claimed just one bag, only for employees to spot additional fruit stashed in their cars on the way out

One worker described the disappointment of finding apples piled under children’s legs. After all, these are supposed to be a family-friendly outings.

In response, the farm added more staff to keep an eye on activity in the orchard. Patton told NBC4 Columbus that employees now note vehicle descriptions and ask visitors to report anything suspicious.

No legal action has been taken against last weekend’s offenders. Going forward, though, Patton made it clear repeat incidents could be handled “differently.”

Lynd Fruit Farm hopes the issue doesn’t overshadow the season

With sought-after apple varieties like Honeycrisp and EverCrisp coming into ripeness, staff say they want honest customers to enjoy the experience without worrying about a few people trying to “game” the system.