At about 12:55 a.m., two men were let into the store by the cashier, police said. The first suspect approached the cashier and started a conversation while the second suspect went behind the counter, police said.

The second man pulled a knife and held it to the cashier's throat and demanded that he open the cash register, police said.

The man who had struck up the conversation took cash from the register while the other suspect then beat the cashier, police said.

Both men are described as being in their early 20s, one standing 5-foot-6, the other 5-10. Both weighed between 160 and 170 pounds, police said. Both wore white t-shirts, dark shorts, white sneakers, and dark colored baseball caps. Anyone with information about these people is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300, or *CRIME on your cellular phone. Free cellular calls are provided by Cingular, Nextel Hawaii, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless Hawaii.