The police are investigating two hold-ups which took place within hours of each other in St Paul's Bay and Tarxien.
The first, in St Paul's Bay, took place at 10.30pm on Tuesday when a man brandishing a knife managed to make off with cash from a gaming outlet in Triq iċ-Ċern.
The second hold-up took place at 7.15am on Wednesday in a grocery in Triq Xintill, Tarxien. A hooded man carrying a gun demanded cash from the cashier and fled with cash and some other items, the police said.
The value of the hauls was not disclosed.
No one was injured.