The wandering shopper tries to open the front door at a Family Dollar store but the door is locked tight. He tries another door. It’s unlocked, so in he goes.

Instantly the shopper is amazed by the thousands of goodies he sees lining the shelves throughout the store. He doesn’t know where to begin, although he’s first attracted to the toy aisle. Most of the toys are sealed up tightly in manufacturer boxes, but for each toy there’s an assembled sample waiting to be handled by eager shoppers.

The customer pulls a toy down from the counter and starts playing. He’s not sure what the toy is supposed to do, but he’s having fun with it. After all, this is the fun time of year!

Did I mention that it’s 3 a.m. in Beaumont, Texas, when this impromptu shopping spree takes place? Of course, when the shopper came into the store through an unlocked door a silent alarm went off, and within minutes cops are dispatched.

Responding to a suspected burglary call, several cops arrive and cautiously enter the store with flashlights and guns drawn. The early morning shopper is spotted almost at once.

Guns go back into their holsters. No reason to be alarmed. The perpetrator is not dangerous. He’s four years old and playing with toys. Holding one toy up toward an investigating officer, the child laughs as if to say, "See my new toy!"

One of the cops begins canvassing the neighborhood and finds a woman searching for her missing toddler. Sure enough, she’s the mother of the middle-of-the-night shopper at Family Dollar.

According to the mother, her child unlocked a door at home. The cops theorize the little kid crossed a seven-lane street to get to Family Dollar, where he simply walked in and started playing.

Although it appears that nobody did anything wrong, authorities have turned the child over to some relatives — not his parents — until family service investigators figure out the actual facts of the wandering toddler.

Years from now, the midnight shopper may not even remember what a wonderful time he had — just before Christmas.