SAN JOSE — He clearly had no yearning for Thin Mints, Do-si-dos or Samoas.

But he was definitely hungry for some quick cash, even if it meant yanking it from the grip of a grade-school girl.

Cody Gintz allegedly snatched a money box from a Girl Scout who was selling cookies with members of her troop outside the Safeway store at 1663 Branham Lane on Sunday. The box held about $600; the girls were raising money for a water conservation project.

Their badge for cleverness on full display, the Girl Scouts recorded the suspect’s license plate and called police. Quickly, a search for the suspect was launched and soon his vehicle was located nearby, said San Jose Police spokesman Albert Morales. Police, he said, stopped Gintz, 23, of San Jose, and arrested him under suspicion of robbery. He remained in custody Sunday night.

Police returned the cash box to the girls, bought $240 worth of cookies — that’s 48 boxes — and gave the girls $60, NBC Bay Area reported.

Safeway stores are among the most popular sites for Girl Scout cookie sales; others market their widely beloved products at BART stations or through a smartphone app. At least one clever young entrepreneurial San Francisco Girl Scout has been selling cookies outside a pot dispensary. No robberies have been reported there.

Contact Heather Somerville at 510-208-6413. Follow her at Twitter.com/heathersomervil.