A TEENAGE employee at Priceline Phramacy has shown incredible courage after being held at knife point just two hours into her first shift. 

The 15-year-old girl was working on the front counter of the Sturt Street pharmacy when two men entered the store at 6.30pm on Monday.

CCTV footage shows the two men walk around the front of the store and look over the front counter before leaving.

INTERACTIVE: Timeline of pharmacy armed robberies on Sturt Street.

Minutes later the men return, while one man holds the front automatic sliding doors open, the second man is seen leaning over the counter and points a knife at the teenager's stomach.

The teenager finally opens a cash register and the men escape with a quantity of cash.

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Manager Anne Leviston said the teenager had "amazed" her with her courage during the ordeal.

"She was so excited about her first shift. She'd done work experience and everything," Ms Leviston said.

Ms Leviston said the teenager had been shown just hours earlier how to act in the event of an armed hold-up.

"'Open the (expletive) til,' he said to her. But because it was her first shift she couldn't remember her code to unlock the register.

"He was telling her 'you're taking too long . . . open the till'. She did really well to open the till under the pressure she was in.

"Then she hit the silent alarm . . . while he was still at the counter."

Renee Harwood was supervising on Monday evening and said she was at the back of the store when she received a phone call from security after the teenager activated the silent alarm.

"I felt numb. Because I'm a mum, I felt helpless, it's not just a staff member, we're a more of a family here," Ms Harwood said.

The store remained open until closing time at 9pm.

The teenager did not want to make comment and wishes to remain anonymous.

Detectives from Ballarat Crime Investigation Unit are investigating the robbery and are urging anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or Ballarat Police Station on 5336 6000.