The man walked into the store about 5pm and flashed a pistol to the young male employee working behind the counter.

He reportedly showed the worker the gun, which had a scope, but did not pull it out of his jacket pocket.

Newsagent staff, who did not want to be named, said the robber took a couple of thousand dollars in cash.

The employee "was not worried or distressed by the presence of the gun, staff said, and casually'' handed over the cash. No one else was in the store at the time.

Police believe the robber ran across Georgina Crescent and then along Staaten Crescent.

Staff said the offender was likely to be caught on one of the store’s CCTV cameras. But they said the camera with the best viewpoint was broken at the time.

The newsagent is planning to place an alarm buzzer under the counter of the store, "in case of future attacks,'' and will also fix the broken CCTV camera.

Staff say other stores at the Kaleen shops have been targeted recently, but the newsagent has been spared.

Detective acting superintendent Bob Wynn praised the actions of the employee, and said he was right not to argue or refuse the demands of a potentially dangerous offender.

‘‘No amount of money or stock is worth the threat to human life,’’ acting superintendent Wynn said.

The offender was white and is believed to be aged between 20-25. He was wearing tracksuit pants and a grey, hooded jumper.

Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via the website.