☆Hermes☆

When dressing up the color I recommend is brown, grey and teal/green mix.

Common ways they try to blend in include:

* Dressing like a typical customer for that store’s demographic

* Carrying normal shopping items (basket, coffee, phone, shopping list)

* Pretending to browse casually for long periods

* Using phones as a cover to avoid eye contact or appear occupied

* Shopping in groups so one person distracts staff while another steals

* Acting overly friendly or overly confident to reduce suspicion

* Entering during busy hours when employees are overloaded

* Mixing stolen items with legitimate purchases

* Making small legitimate purchases to appear genuine

* Repeatedly visiting stores to become “familiar faces”

Some organized retail theft crews also:

* Rotate different people into the same location

* Use layered clothing, large bags, strollers, or booster-lined bags

* Quickly move between aisles to avoid sustained observation

* Watch employee routines, camera placement, and blind spots before acting

Behavioral indicators loss-prevention teams often watch for:

* Constant scanning of employees instead of merchandise

* Nervous pacing or abrupt direction changes

* Staying in low-visibility aisles

* Carrying empty bags into stores

* Entering fitting rooms with many items and leaving with fewer

* Frequently touching concealed areas like waistbands or jackets

* Working unusually close with another shopper without obvious reason

never immediately conceal unless ur 100% sure no one is around/theres no cameras. if you walk around with the item a bit and then conceal later in a blindspot, snitches/sa/lp that see you with the item and then later without it will just assume u put it back/decided not to get it which ppl do all the time.

this works for big stores but not really for small ones, for small ones its best to slowly sleeve conceal while you browse (ex push the item up your sleeve a bit more every few minutes) but small stores are riskier in general.

(btw by big n small stores i mean in regards to area not big corps vs local stores. never l1ft from local stores)

okay, not saying these tips are foolproof but i really think that they are what has helped keep me from being caught even though i’ve been lifting on and off for quite a while. they’re nothing new but IMO these are the most useful things to keep in mind, especially if you’re wanting to start doing it more seriously for boosting, holiday season, etc. 

disguises are your best friend. once you’ve perfected your disguises, there are so many more opportunities such as 

visit multiple times close together 

scope out the store on multiple days to see what the vibe is like when it’s busy/slow, check for cams, etc without them recognizing you! 

shake off LP if you think you’ve been sussed 

i know there are several posts going around with disguise tips so i won’t bother typing mine out but lmk if you want advice on this

don’t wear perfume/cologne; it can draw more suspicion. LP is looking for you; they walk by you in disguise but recognize your perfume, do a double-take and realize you’re wearing a wig, took off your glasses, etc. 

lifting with others can be a double-edged sword. i prefer to go solo, or have one consistent partner, because….

LIFTING IN A GROUP IS EXTREMELY RISKY! if you’re all caught, the charges can be much more serious since they may frame it as a “crime ring”, but if you do decide you want to do it: 

pretend not to know each other until you are safely away from the store. don’t come in the same cars, don’t park near each other, don’t all go to each store all at once. 

don’t even ride the same public transport together since most buses/trains have cameras (at least where i live) and if they suspect you at all, the police can pull the bus footage easily. 

a couple people can act as decoys by being extremely sus (staring directly into camera, shifty glances, double-hanging items, etc) while the most skilled lifter of the group is the one actually doing the work.

ALSO, lifting with someone who you’ve never lifted with before can be a disaster. obviously every pair has to pull off their first lift, but it’s so important to practice your concealing techniques with your partner firsthand so that you know what works for both of your skills. my best friend also lifts but we just don’t work well with each other and the risk isn’t worth it when we’re both proficient lifters on our own.

i avoid using tools that aren’t everyday objects. 

i’ve never used magnets bc of magnet detectors, potentially sticking to clothing racks, and severely increased consequences if i were to be caught. 

i use a hook occasionally because it’s easy to conceal on-body, but if possible i just leave it in the car. 

try to get comfortable in crowds. if you’re lifting in a crowded store there is  a higher ratio of shoppers to LP = more people that 1-2 LP are having to try to watch at any given time. i know for some people anxiety or other issues mean that this isn’t possible, but if you think you can overcome it, crowds can be another great tool. 

that being said, other shoppers will fucking snitch on you in a heartbeat, so you need to stay on your toes. 

shoppers are not there to look at other shoppers; they’re there to look at the products. 

don’t smile at other shoppers, don’t pick up the same item as them at the same time, don’t use crouching methods when they’re nearby since you can’t tell if they’re looking over your shoulder without seeming sus. 

if another shopper accuses you of stealing or you think you’ve been sussed by them, GET THE FUCK OUT. it’s just as serious as if LP has sussed you.

some stores will take the side of the customer over the SA since the SA is a representative of the company and they want to cover their ass, but if another customer goes to the counter and says, “that woman there is shoplifting” they’re more likely to follow through, start trailing you, etc. just leave. 

even if you don’t want to risk lifting in a crowd, spend time people watching when you’re not lifting. this can help you gain a sense overall of when people are looking at you or how to predict their next movements etc. this is something that i do as part of my regular job so i think that experience has really helped me. 

if you have to ditch, ditch off camera. even if they can’t stop you after you’ve ditched, they can look out for you when you come back and they may catch you on your next trip.

COMMON BLINDSPOTS/ NO GO ZONES

this is a map of a target, however it was mostly used just so show the titles as a visual.

Red dots - No-Go zones, commonly heavily supervised, almost always cameras and is usually being watched. Green dots - Common blind spots, I think we all know what a blind spot is

No go zones - BEAUTY!!!! - jewelry - women’s - electronics - registers, please never conceal here it so stupid! Not only are there tons of cashiers watching, but they are heavily monitored with cams. - grocery (cropped oops) - pharmacy (also cropped oops)

Common blind spots - bedding/bath/kids rooms - pet care - cards & party - luggage - toys and games - baby - Windows/rugs (basically all home decor) - didn’t put a dot but cleaning supplies, especially like tissue, toilet paper, & paper towel sections