This has happened to me in California.
A late-40s male (white) wearing a Hawaii shirt and cargo shorts approached me in the store (Pavilions, in Santa Clarita) and said he’d buy me groceries worth $150 if I gave him $50 in cash. I shooed him off, thinking he’s insane or mentally ill.
I guess he was playing the same scam.
That’s just a Pavilions employee as most items there are marked up three times and he’s just making up the difference. s/