Over $4K in sunglasses nabbed from Bluffton-area outlet mall, police say
More than $4,000 worth of sunglasses were stolen from a store in a Bluffton-area outlet mall earlier this month, according to police.
It happened Nov. 13 at the Sunglass Hut in the Tanger Hilton Head 2 outlets. Surveillance video viewed by police showed a man and woman entering the store shortly after 7:30 p.m., less than 30 minutes before closing.
Moving to the back of the shop and out of an employee’s view, the suspects “concealed” about 14 pairs of sunglasses in their clothing and bags from other stores, according to an incident report from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. They then left without paying after about three minutes inside the business.
The surveillance footage also showed the male suspect allegedly opening the drawer beneath a display case and removing boxed sunglasses, which he stowed in his shopping bag, according to the report.
A store manager told police the value of the stolen merchandise was $4,247. The suspects were able to quietly steal the sunglasses because “they were not watched by the employee” inside the store, she said.
Not the first time items were stolen from Sunglass Hut
It was far from the location’s biggest loss this year. In January, multiple suspects used power saws to burrow through walls of neighboring outlets into the same Sunglass Hut, pilfering nearly every display item from the shelves. The approximately 1,600 stolen sunglasses were estimated to cost $1 million.
Both Sunglass Hut locations in the Tanger 1 and Tanger 2 outlets are commonly targeted by shoplifters. Past police reports list losses regularly in the thousands, thefts made easier by the shades’ small size.
- August 2025: $2,370 worth of merchandise stolen from Tanger 2 Sunglass Hut
- July 2025: Nine pairs of Ray-Bans, worth $2,000, stolen from Tanger 2 Sunglass Hut
- April 2025: Six pairs of sunglasses worth more than $1,000 stolen from Tanger 1 Sunglass Hut
- September 2024: Eight pairs worth about $2,700 stolen from Tanger 1 Sunglass Hut
It was not immediately clear whether the suspects in the Nov. 13 shoplifting incident had been identified or arrested.
This story was originally published November 25, 2025 at 11:36 AM.
