Basic Trope: A character buys a weapon, then uses it to kill or rob the dealer.
- Straight: Bob buys a knife, then gets the money back by robbing the shopkeeper with it.
- Exaggerated:
- Bob enters an antique shop, grabs what he knows (and the shopkeeper doesn't) is an Artifact of Doom and gets out of paying by using it to destroy the entire store.
- Bob Once Killed a Man with a Noodle Implement to get out of paying for said noodle implement.
- Downplayed: Bob takes a walking cane from a store and beats up the shopkeeper with it to get away without paying.
- Justified:
- Bob waited until the shopkeeper got distracted.
- The shopkeeper was too incompetent in running a store that deals with weapons but not having any security, carrying weapons themselves or handing over the weapons in a case.
- Inverted: Bob arranges to meet with a sketchy dealer and buy a gun from them, but the dealer pulls out the gun and uses it to rob Bob.
- Subverted:
- Bob's attempt to rob the store is foiled by a Badass Bystander, forcing him to run away empty handed.
- It turns out Bob didn't take the weapon from the store, but obtained it by pickpocketing another customer.
- Shoplift and Die
- Double Subverted:
- Bob tries again the next day and succeeds.
- But then it's revealed that said customer was shoplifting the weapon, so it was from the store after all.
- Parodied: Bob goes to a toy store, takes a foam sword and uses it to rob the store. It works.
- Zig-Zagged: ???
- Averted:
- Bob brings his own weapon to carry out the robbery.
- Bob simply shoplifts the weapon without resorting to violence.
- No one tries to steal anything.
- No one buys weapons.
- Enforced: The writers want to show how incompetent Dave the shopkeeper is by having him sell weapons without taking any sort of precaution such as being armed himself or handing over the weapon in a case.
- Lampshaded: "That was too easy. You'd think they would have some sort of countermeasure for this exact kind of thing".
- Invoked: ???
- Exploited: Alice is at the store when Bob robs it, so she takes the opportunity to steal items for herself as well.
- Defied:
- The shopkeeper gives Bob the weapon in a case and keeps an eye on him until he leaves to prevent him from trying to get out of paying.
- The store hires security guards to deter and stop any would be robbers, shoplifters and troublemakers in general.
- Discussed: "Do you think someone's ever tried to just take one of these weapons and use it to get out of paying?" "Not a chance. The shopkeeper is armed as well and always keeps an eye on the customers".
- Conversed: "Why do weapon stores in these shows never have any sort of security to prevent robberies of this kind?"
- Implied: Bob is shown entering a knife shop, then a shriek is heard and Bob is seen walking out wielding a knife with blood on it.
- Deconstructed: Bob is eventually caught and convicted of his crimes.
- Reconstructed: Bob would have been caught by the authorities, except all the weapons he has stolen this way put him at an advantage and allow him to get away every time they go after him.
- Played for Laughs: ???
- Played for Drama: The villains go to a store to get better weapons, and proceed use said weapons to rob the store. This spells trouble for the heroes, whose own weapons are inferior.
Buy a shotgun and get a Ballistic Discount right here.
