So fun fact I work at cv$ and boy lemme tell ya. You do things right and you could take half the store. So here are some tips I can tell you from working there a year and a half
*** please note that of course this varies by location and states in regards to lp and laws about chasing and who can lay hands on you. And every store has a different amount of cameras and a different layout. It would be in your best interest to go to a store in a “"nice”“ neighborhood
- as far as lp goes, there’s almost never anybody in the store from lp or corporate unless of course it’s predictably busy. My particular store is near a stadium so when they were going to the championships, we had lp and police stationed inside the store to stop ppl from walking out with beer.
- if there is lp, they will be plain clothes
-cameras are not monitored unless you’re being sus, but even then it’s more likely that the manager will follow you around
- we have a no chase policy but I’ve literally seen some manager ignore this and go after them in the parking lot. They also technically cannot touch you but I’ve seen this rule broken before. But I’ve also seen a guy get stopped for beeping at the door and my manager literally see two champagne bottles in his backpack, but bc he didn’t see him conceal them, he had to let him go lol.
-in my state, it’s actually legal for managers to physically stop theft from happening, but it’s against company policy. Again, this doesn’t stop some of them.
-if you wanna return something without a recipe, we scan ids. If you paid with debit, we give cash back. Ppl return expensive medicine and vitamins all the time with receipts from the garbage and merch from another store that they lifted, and we just have to give them the return. You can get a lot of money this way, just don’t do it to frequently.
- i work in a 24 hour store, so the shifts for a store like that would be something like 2 manager in the morning, along with 3 sa’s, around 7am- 3:30/4pm. Then on week days, unless it’s expected to be busy for holidays or games, another manager comes in at 3:30/4-11/12 with 2 sa’s, one leaving about 7:30-9pm. Then it’s just one sa and one manager until the night crew comes. On weekends There’s always two manager so and 2 sa’s before 9pm.
-the night crews are usually facing, putting up tags or shipment. This varies by store but I would not recommend going at these times bc they are bored and pay extra close attention to ppl. It’s so so sus to go at these times for anything other than wine or beer.
- on shipment days, which where I’m at is 2 times a week, is fridays and tuesdays. The truck could come anywhere between 11am to 7pm. On these days, there is obvi more staff on the floor, but the night crew handles the majority of the unloading. Still Be careful bc the truck could come early and the managers will put it up in that case. There are also more sas these days. I’d say find out the days near you by asking something like “"you’re out of this when will you get more”
- basically if you notice only one or two sa’s, And don’t see a manager around, you’re probably good to go find a blind spot.
- avoid pharmacy, cosmetics, liquor, allergy and electronics. Obvi this varies by store but the best places I’ve noticed to conceal is grocery, unless it’s by the door like the one in my store, cards, hair brushes, and seasonal. Just do not let anyone see you and you’ll be good. Remember that cameras are probably not monitored, but act like they are.
-rdif tags are on some cosmetics, nails, all alcohol(along with those cylindrical tops you need a magnet to get off), expensive types of vitamins and medicines, and batteries. But sometimes the towers are old and shitty like in my current store so if you conceal it under a few lays in a bag or on your person you might not even set them off. The liquor tops will always go off tho.
- if you beep, just keep walking. I know everyone says this but for real. Don’t stop. If we don’t see you conceal it, there’s nothing we can do.
-dress normally, be kind and be quick.
- DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT BRING A LARGE BAG OR BACKPACK INTO THE STORE UNLESS ITS FOLDED UP IN YOUR CART/BASKET. This is an automatic red flag for us to keep an eye on you. You’re better off concealin on your body or in the restrooms. If the store has a minute clinic, then they also have a restroom. The ‘take two and put on back’ method is probably the best way to go about things.
- cameras are intimidating, but almost never monitored
- if you beep, keep walking
- As long as nobody sees you, and you don’t conceal on camera ( which I know sounds like genaric advice but avoiding sa’s is not hard at all bc we have to stay up at the front anyway) you can literally get away with so much.
-we do have pictures in the back of people involved in organized retail crime, but thats it. They pretty much stay there forever.
All in all, just be safe, use common sense and you’ll be sittin’ pretty. Of all the people we’ve caught in our store lifting, the one mistake they all made was concealing in front of someone. Not even on camera. If someone sees you, it’s over, just dump and go. Say you forgot the your card or something, ppl do that all the time. Again I work a 24/7 store so I can’t speak for stores that close or more suburban stores.
