Some stores in West Seattle have warned other businesses to be careful of a large group of shoplifters, including children, who vandalized their stores earlier this week.

“They just all came in at once and the kids started picking things up off the table, grabbing things from outside and running around with them,” said Alyssa Kaliszewski, co-owner of vintage clothing store Doll Parts Collective.

She said that last Thursday afternoon a large group of people – two to three women with several children – came into her store.

And almost immediately she noticed her strange behavior.

“They all bombarded me with questions at the same time,” Kaliszewski said.

Showing KIRO 7 surveillance video, she said, “You can tell it’s all very staged. They’re literally putting me between a rack and aggressively holding things very close to my face so I can’t see what’s going on behind them.”

The shop owner said the group stayed for about five minutes, but she managed to collect virtually everything the group wanted to take.

Then she noticed that someone had even searched her bag.

“Had my wallet, you know, medications… they searched it,” Kaliszewski said.

She posted photos online and then heard about My Three Little Birds, a local children’s thrift store.

Manager Kiki Elbel says the same group came into the store that same afternoon.

“It was really loud and boisterous — everyone was scattering, and the kids started pulling things off the shelves and taking apart packages, and the women were asking these questions and kind of trying to distract my other employee and I while we were helping other customers,” Elbel said. “It definitely felt like organized chaos.”

She says the group stole hundreds of dollars worth of goods.

“It was a punch in the stomach, I just felt sick at the thought that children were involved,” said Elbel.