The Butcher is a wanted criminal in Probably Stolen who also happens to be a useful source of discounted meat. His visits present a difficult business decision, particularly when you're balancing income, reputation, and the consequences of involving Security. Before choosing what to do with him, it's worth understanding how that decision affects the rest of your playthrough.
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Should You Report or Spare Him?
How the Butcher Affects Your Shop
How to Report the Butcher
What to Do After Reporting Him
How to End the Threat
Should You Report or Spare the Butcher in Probably Stolen?
Spare the Butcher if you want a recurring source of discounted meat. Report him if you want to complete his storyline and earn Security reputation. Reporting provides a base reward of 450 Credits, but the resulting revenge storyline eventually leads to a 500-Credit service fee if you want the threat resolved.
The decision comes down to what you value more: keeping an additional supplier available or pursuing the consequences of turning in a wanted criminal.
| Your Priority | Better Choice | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Regular meat supplies | Spare | Preserves his recurring visits and discounted offers. |
| Security reputation | Report | Grants +5 Security reputation. |
| Completing his storyline | Report | Triggers the revenge events and their eventual resolution. |
| Avoiding extra expenses | Spare | Avoids the cost of resolving his revenge storyline. |
I'd leave the Butcher alone if my immediate priority were maintaining a profitable shop. The bounty becomes more attractive when you're ready to pursue the storyline and can afford the eventual consequences.
How the Butcher Affects Your Shop
The Butcher isn't simply another criminal to identify. His merchandise gives you a reason to keep him around, creating a genuine tradeoff between reporting him and maintaining your supply options.
His First Visit Is Different From Later Deliveries
The Butcher can appear as early as Day 14, or Day 5 with Skip Intro enabled.
During his initial visit, he offers a 25% discount on his entire shipment. That stock includes fresh meat, Animal Fat, a Crowbar, and a Small Satchel containing additional supplies.
Later visits occur approximately every seven days if he remains free. These deliveries focus on stolen meat and come with a 20% discount on the lot.
That distinction matters when evaluating him as a supplier. His opening offer provides a mixture of goods, while keeping him around gives you continuing access to discounted food merchandise.
Discounted Meat Has a Hidden Business Consideration
Later meat deliveries are stolen goods, meaning their lower purchase prices need to be weighed against the Heat associated with handling stolen merchandise.
A 20% discount doesn't automatically make every shipment profitable. The actual advantage depends on what you can sell the meat for and how much exposure to stolen goods you're willing to accept.
If your shop already produces enough food, the Butcher's recurring offers may be less valuable than they appear. If you're regularly short on meat, keeping him available provides another purchasing option.
The Bounty Isn't Pure Profit
The Butcher's standard bounty is 450 Credits, while Sawyer's eventual Butcher Hunting Service costs 500 Credits.
That creates a 50-Credit difference between the arrest reward and the cost of resolving the threat, even before considering any optional cleaning expenses.
The calculation changes if your starting perks modify wanted criminal payouts. However, the important distinction remains: the bounty pays you immediately, while the storyline can create a later expense.
There's also a reputation consideration. Reporting improves Security standing, but the available information conflicts on the exact Lower Levels reputation adjustment. Don't assume the arrest benefits both factions.
How to Report the Butcher Without Missing His Offer
You can purchase the Butcher's merchandise before reporting him, provided he's still present at the counter.
This allows you to take advantage of his initial stock without necessarily committing to keeping him as a recurring supplier.
When you're ready to report him:
- Confirm his identity using the Security Wanted List.
- Keep him at your counter while you decide whether to purchase anything.
- Press and hold the Call Security button beneath the counter.
- If your first alarm activation only displays a warning, activate the button again.
- Allow Security to arrest him and collect the bounty.
You'll receive the bounty, +5 Security reputation, and an Incident Slip.
The important thing to understand is that selling him out changes the relationship permanently. The recurring meat deliveries are replaced by a storyline in which he seeks revenge.
Already Reported the Butcher? Here's What to Do Next
If you've already turned him in, the next step depends on the event currently affecting your shop. The revenge storyline unfolds over multiple days, so you won't necessarily see the next development immediately after the arrest.
Your Storefront Has Been Vandalized
The Butcher's first retaliation is the word MEAT appearing across your storefront in blood, generally around six days after his arrest.
Janitorial Service can clean the vandalism overnight, but removing it doesn't resolve the underlying threat.
There's no need to spend additional resources attempting to prevent the next storyline event. Continue operating the shop and allow the sequence to progress.
You Found a Meat Cleaver and a Threatening Note
This event generally occurs several days after the vandalism and marks a more serious stage of the Butcher's retaliation.
The threatening note affects your ability to make nighttime trips. You'll need a suitable firearm inside the backpack you're taking with you, rather than simply owning one elsewhere in storage.
If you can't leave for the Dumping Ground or another nighttime destination, check your equipped backpack first.
You don't need to confront the Butcher outside to resolve his storyline. You can continue operating your shop while preparing for Sawyer's assistance.
Nothing New Has Happened for Several Days
The Butcher's events aren't designed to occur on consecutive days. There are gaps between the arrest, vandalism, threatening package, and eventual offer of assistance.
Continue normal shop operations rather than repeatedly attempting to trigger an event through unrelated actions.
If you've already received the threatening package, your next important development is Sawyer offering the Butcher Hunting Service.
How to Stop the Butcher's Revenge Permanently
To end the Butcher's revenge, purchase Sawyer's Butcher Hunting Service for 500 Credits through Nightly Services.
The option becomes available after the threatening package event and Sawyer's subsequent offer.
- Wait until you've received the Meat Cleaver and threatening note.
- Speak with Sawyer when he offers to deal with the Butcher.
- Return to your bed and open Nightly Services.
- Enable Butcher Hunting Service and pay the 500-Credit fee.
- Sleep and check the following Nightly Report for confirmation.
Sawyer's crew handles the threat overnight, ending the revenge storyline.
Why Can't You Find Butcher Hunting Service?
Two requirements determine when the option becomes available.
First, you need to progress far enough to receive the threatening package. Reporting the Butcher or cleaning the storefront isn't sufficient on its own.
Second, Sawyer must visit and offer his assistance. His conversation makes the service available, but you'll still need to purchase it separately through your bed's Nightly Services menu.
If you've spoken to Sawyer but nothing happened overnight, check whether you actually enabled and paid for the service.
Can You Kill the Butcher Instead?
Killing the Butcher inside your shop doesn't provide a clean alternative to his storyline.
Attacking him can damage your standing with Security and the Black Market, and another Butcher can eventually appear. That makes direct violence a poor substitute for resolving the threat through Sawyer.
The two practical long-term choices are to preserve his relationship as a supplier or, after reporting him, finish the revenge storyline through the Hunting Service.
For players who value predictable business operations, the Butcher's recurring meat offers are a useful reason to keep him free. For those pursuing character storylines and Security reputation, reporting him opens additional events, provided you're prepared for the expense and inconvenience that follow.
