larsa

*¨`*•.¸¸.•*¨`*•🍒💖L U S H 💖🍒•*¨`*•.¸¸.•´*¨`* 1) Behavior: • Your behavior could potentially be your number one alibi. Presentation is everything. You will most likely want to do your hair and makeup, wear a cute outfit, look as innocent as possible. The sales associate will ask you what you’re looking for, let them know that you are familiar with lush products, and you know what you came in for.

•Behavior can be a dead giveaway. If you have shaky hands, a worried look on your face, you can’t stop looking behind your back, around the store, and you’re always holding the item you want to take, that is going to stick out to the SA. If you hold onto an avobath bath bomb for 20 minutes the SAs are going to notice if you don’t buy that bath bomb. Be as sneaky and fast as you can. Have steady hands. Don’t stand around waiting for an SA to disappear because chances are they won’t leave you alone.

•Don’t be loud. Don’t be sloppy. And try to avoid taking items to other sections of the store. Don’t fidget be calm. If you act strange or out of place when you’re nervous you shouldn’t be lifting!!!! I promise! Sometimes certain things aren’t meant for everyone.

2) Know your store: • Store size will be the ultimate dealbreaker. As unfortunate as this sounds if your store is tiny, you probably shouldn’t be lifting there. My lush has minimal cameras and lazy SA’s. Most of the time when I go into my lush all of the workers (all twoof them 😂) are just using hand massage bars or scrubs on each other and sampling their products. ^ I once waited at the counter to be checked out for almost 5 minutes. During this time I had my back to the SAs and on a whim (since I had been waiting forever to check out) I stuffed some items in my other bags. So easy when the SAs are lazy.

• Do your research!! Know your stores policy! Even googling your state + shoplifting laws can help you even the slightest bit. I know that my lush has a no chase policy, if they spot suspicious behavior they will customer service you to death. Just cooperate and calm. Don’t lead the SA to believe you feel unsettling.

3) Your purse: • I have a slouchy kind of boho hippie bag that I have used forever. I realized that’s what was a small giveaway in ulta. Walking in with an empty bag, and leaving with a full heavy bag. They knew what was going on. So now I have sleek and structured bag that works so much better. The outside of this bag looks square and fitted and the inside is basically a black hole to say the least.

• With a purse like this, at Lush you can stuff as many bath bombs in your bag as you need with your purse helping you stay discreet. You can also get away with this with a shopping bag. For example hollister has a structured dark bag. With this kind of bag on the crook of your arm and the lush shoppers bag on the crook of your arm (kind of hiding the first bag) you can slip things into your purse instead of the lush bag.

4) Actual tips: • Only conceal an item if you’re positive you’re not being watched. • Its absolutely much better to leave with nothing than to leave with getting caught. Don’t be greedy! Trust your instincts! • Go into Lush on a busier day but at times when the store is somewhat slow. ^ Remember if someone else is shopping most of the time they aren’t paying attention to you. They are too busy shopping! • My fav blind spot in lush is in the back by the foot scrubs. • Don’t spend too much time handling the item you plan on lifting: I brought attention to this once but it needs reiterated. This will give the LP or SA more time to see you with merchandise and more time for them to become suspicious of what you plan on doing with it. Don’t conceal in the same spot more than twice. Don’t go back to the bath bomb display more than twice. Don’t be greedy!!!!! Take your items and conceal as fast as you can! After you conceal in your shopping bag/ purse put any extra items you want back. Most of the SAs are extremely lazy. Grab your phone and pretend you are going to meet up with someone. “yeah I’m in lush. Do you wanna meet here? Yeah. I guess I am. Ok I’ll find you there” and leave. I always take a few of the bath bomb paper baggies and I go into a bathroom and I put the bath bombs in the bags. I always always leave the mall I hit lush. I don’t lift there often. Please make it look like you’re actually shopping you know? Open jars of lotion, smell bath bomb bombs, rub eyeshadow shades on your wrist. Look for prices.

This was written by an LP, i merely copied and pasted it. REBLOG AND INFORM

Despite what you may have heard, there is no perfect shoplifting method. You can be caught NO MATTER how you try to steal. A lot of it is the luck of the draw. Is LP in the store? Are they busy with another shoplifter? Are they watching you? There is no way you can be sure. You can be sure however, that you significantly increase your chances of getting yourself caught when:

10)You carry a flat purse or back-pack: Fairly obvious, right? Not only is this an attention grabber, but it also makes the LP Agent’s job much easier. Your bag was flat, and then magically became full right after all the merchandise you were carrying disappeared. Did the LP Agent watch you fill your bag? That does not really matter. The LP Agent did not need to see concealment (See my article: The 6 Steps of Loss Prevention) to confidently make a stop on you. It is fairly obvious. Most LP Agents will make that stop. On top of being obvious, entering a store with an empty bag can also bump your charge from petty theft to burglary.

9)You over-act: You pick up the item you plan on stealing. You begin tapping on it, wiggling it, playing with it, and looking around like everything is cool. Yes, people actually think this works. When you take this approach you are basically telling LP Agents “Hey, I am not going to steal this! Look, I’m playing with it out in the open. I wouldn’t be doing that if I were going to steal it.” Then you steal it. Happens all the time.

8)You under-act: You pick up the item you are going to steal and immediately palm the item, or hold it behind something. You then quickly walk off to the most deserted part of the store. The race is on. The LP Agent knows he needs to get a view of you, either on camera or on the floor to witness the concealment.

7)You are overly friendly: You come in and immediately start chatting with store employees. You’re such a nice person! You would never steal. This will work when trying to deceive regular workers but LP is not falling for it. I have even had employees try to stop me from making an apprehension because they thought I was going to make a bad stop on that “nice” person. When I see someone being overly friendly with cashiers, managers or anybody with a name tag, I immediately become suspicious. They could be a genuinely nice person but nice people steal too.

6)You fail the “scare test”: When I suspect somebody is a shoplifter I will often give them the scare test. This means I will have several people walk past the area where my suspect is looking at items. A normal shopper will pay little to no attention to who is around them. A nervous shoplifter will turn their head at everyone that passes by. Often times they will look them up and down evaluating whether or not they seem like an undercover. When this happens it is a good indicator that I should set up on this person and wait for them to “go”.

5)You are bringing non-clothing items into the fitting room: Some people actually think that if they conceal merchandise in the fitting room that they can not be arrested by Loss Prevention Agents. This is because it eliminates the possibility of the LP Agent’s step # 3. This might work on some LP Agents, but certainly not the one’s that are good at what they do. If I see someone bringing something into the fitting room that is not supposed to be tried on such as DVDs, Jewelry, makeup, etc., they have my full attention until I see them exit the fitting room carrying that merchandise. Believe me, bringing stuff into the fitting room is a false sense of security and it will get you caught.

4)You are leaving an evidence trail: You select the item you want to steal. You are not sure if the item will make the door beep or not so you decide to remove the item from the package. Or maybe you want to pretend the item was already your’s so you rip the tags off. Now you can conceal the item. However, you also need to rid yourself of the package. So you discard it on the shelf, or you hide it behind something. You just made the LP Agents job 95% easier. Maybe they did not see you conceal the item, but they did see you toss something down or hide something. They find the package. Now LP knows what the item is, they know you removed it from the package (this is vandalism and is illegal), and they know you are up to no good. When you walk out of the store, all the LP Agent needs to do is approach you with the empty package and demand that you return the item. They will likely tell you that you are on video opening it (you may or may not be). They will tell you that if you do not return the item you will be charged with vandalism (this trick is likely against their LP policy but it is completely legal). Once you produce the item you are under arrest for theft. It is a lose-lose situation that you created by leaving a trail of packages and tags.

3)You have “shifty” eyes: Everyone knows that you are not supposed to blatantly look for cameras or look around for people when you are going to steal. However, it seems that the majority overcompensates. When you look up to the ceiling and then side to side without moving your head, you have “shifty eyes”. Shifty eyes get shoplifters caught every day. In fact, if I am about to give up on a perspective shoplifter and they shift their eyes, I will watch them until they leave the store, no exceptions.

2)You use two hands: As an LP Agent, nothing catches my eye more than somebody with both hands on the sales shelf. When an honest shopper looks at a product of interest on the sales shelf, they typically take the item in one hand and remove it from the shelf to look at it in the open. When a shoplifter puts both hands on a product and does not remove the object from the shelf it is a DEAD GIVE AWAY that they are opening something. I have caught shoplifters that I otherwise would not have even noticed simply because they used two hands!

1)You just plain look like a shoplifter: You know who you are! This is by far the most common reason people get caught. If you fit the stereotypical profile of someone who would likely shoplift you are likely being watched as an “easy stat”. So if you have 10 facial piercings, and a bright green mohawk, or if you’re just a shady looking character, don’t do it.

OLD SCHOOL RULES OF CONDUCT

So this is always what I do when I need a calm way to exit a store (works best if you’re at a mall). I know I always struggle with not bolting out of a store and acting sus so this helps me~ 

So after you’ve concealed everything, set an alarm on your phone for a minute or two, and make sure the alarm tone is something that sounds like a ringtone. The alarm will ring and slide to turn it off and hold it up to your face like you’re taking a phone call. Then I usually say something like this:

“Hey, yeah, are you done?”

*pause*

“Okay cool, I’m at [insert store here], want me to meet you?”

*pause*

(right here you’re going to want to start exiting the store)

“Yup yup, I’ll be right there. Okay I’m on my way.”

Grab the panties you want while squatting down. SAs understand squatting but there isn’t really a non-sus reason to sit on the floor. Like if I saw someone sitting on the floor I’d think 1) weird or 2) teenager lifting

You can just put them in the vs purse things they always offer you. Take the initiative to grab one yourself because they’re understaffed and I’ve found myself visibly looking for a SA for hell and not getting any.

Then this is the key to more success: while you’re in line to get a fitting room or waiting for an SA to come by (and I’ve waited 10 minutes before wtf) — definitely this is your chance to start casually sliding panties into your bag. Cover your hand moves by grabbing a bulky item like a sweater and casually draping that over your hands and arms. I’ve gotten 15 pairs of panties into my bag minimum every time doing this. Slide a few up your sleeve too if you have a small bag.

Now this is the most important part. CONCEAL ON BODY. Do not be the person who gets stopped at VS because they saw them and took them out of your purse. I have worn up to 30 pairs of panties out over my own underwear. I also like to stuff 3-4 into each underboob section.

Now at this point you can pretend to be interested in purchasing that bulky item and go over to cash! Where they keep all of their overpriced lotions.

-Alabama

-Alaska

-Arizona

-Arkansas

-California

-Colorado

-Connecticut

-Delaware

-Florida

-Georgia

-Hawaii

-Idaho

-Illinois

-Indiana

-Iowa

-Kansas

-Kentucky

-Louisiana

-Maine

-Maryland

-Massachusetts

-Michigan

-Minnesota

-Mississippi

-Missouri

-Montana

-Nebraska

-Nevada

-New Hampshire

-New Jersey

-New Mexico

-New York

-North Carolina

-North Dakota

-Ohio

-Oklahoma

-Oregon

-Pennsylvania

-Rhode Island

-South Carolina

-South Dakota

-Tennessee

-Texas

-Utah

-Vermont

-Virginia

-Washington

-West Virginia

-Wisconsin

-Wyoming

Taken from the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention (oh, the irony)

ok girlies and gents and y’alls! i’ve been working in retail for a solid month now and i have some tea that’s ready to be spilled! some of these tips are specific to h/L, some can be applied to any store. anyways, here we go!!

1. if you lift something, for the LOVE OF CHRIST. please lift all of it, including the packaging. it honestly pisses us off more when you steal a single earring & leave the packaging and other earring as opposed to just taking the entire thing. if you take it all then we don’t have to try to sell the item

2. we can’t do anything to you unless we specifically see you concealing an item. if we have suspicion, the best thing we can do is cs you to death and hope you drop the item. so be wary of where you conceal.

3. this is kind of location specific but my h/L has probably 3 domes and TONSS OF BLINDSPOTS. not to mention, i am 99% sure the domes are fake because i’ve been in every little secret room in that store and there’s literally no where to watch cameras. basically, just make sure to conceal when sa’s can’t see you.

4. h/L employees are SUPER INATTENTIVE. unless you ask us a question, we basically just keep to ourselves. we’re too busy restocking merchandise to be watching your every move.

5. there are only RFID’s on really expensive things.

6. ask us questions about locations of merchandise and just random stuff about the store. it makes you look less sus if you’re willing to show your face to sa’s and ask questions. it’s even better if you genuinely act interested in what we’re saying.

7. clearance aisles are cliché. don’t conceal there, don’t ditch packaging there. it’s the first place we look if we suspect someone of lifting. you’re better off concealing in crafts, floral, party, or seasonal. maybe even frames.

8. don’t even try to use the reusable bag or walkout method. reusable bags are a red flag. we don’t have company specific reusable bags, and when you’re putting things in reusable bags it’s superrrr sus, so you’re better off just concealing in a purse or on your body. the walkout method isn’t good either because there’s always at least 1 sa near the entrance retrieving carts or sweeping the floor or some shit like that. if we see a bunch of stuff in your cart & it’s not in bags, we might ask you to show your receipt or come back in the store.

9. this is probably the most important one. if you think you’re being sussed and you feel sketched out, it’s because you probably are. we have an entire binder of BOLO’s (be on lookout) for shoplifters that we catch on cctv (which are only pointed towards the entrance & registers!) so basically, if you feel sussed, just drop&ditch, because we’re most likely onto you and we WILL remember you next time you come in.

again, some of these are LOCATION SPECIFIC!! please do your own research as well!! i’ll add more tips as i learn more! just remember that h0bby l0bby is a racist, anti-lgbt, misogynistic trash company, so rob that bitch blind!!!

 … That I found since I joined the community:

STARTER POST for begginers (!)

How to get a big haul

Great tips from Haullsey

Concealing methods

How to conceal on the body (without a bag or purse)

How to lift makeup (specifically from Últā)

How to avoid being caught

Lifting methods and techniques 

Tips on lying, scamming companies for money and other naughty things

Tips about security cameras

Removing tags guideline

Videos that explain concealing methods

Youtube videos: How to remove tags with a magnet and with a hook

Repost to spread the information so we can all lift safely.

So it’s been requested that there be a huge list of stores and the types of tags they use so here is kind of a first draft. I actually had a lot of this written down already so there’s also some general advice about each store. I’ve put down what I learned through research or experience so some stores may have less info than others. Remember this can vary depending on where you live and you should always check thoroughly for tags!

This is a guide on types of tags (with pics) and removal for reference:-)

If there’s a store left off that you want me to add or you have any corrections/additional info please message me so I can add it and this list can be more informative!

Abercrombie and Fitch/Hollister Super tags that require a hook Black dome cameras, mostly near register, but the separate rooms make for easy concealment

Aerie/American Eagle Tags for items over $30-$40 In my experience the dressing rooms aren’t well monitored so I conceal there

Aeropostale No tags Personally I don’t shop here so I don’t have much advice about dressing rooms or cameras but as always scope out the store and leave if you’re sketched out!

American Apparel RFID and pencil tags Sometimes you can find things untagged. SAs count going into the dressing room but they don’t usually hover so you can conceal a few things

Anthropologie RFID

Bath and Body Works No tags! Few cameras (mostly by register) and easy to conceal; SAs will probably greet you but if you’re nice they’ll leave you alone

Barnes and Noble NEVER try to lift medical textbooks. Paperbacks are hardly tagged, especially books that have been out awhile, but still flip through them. If you are lifting a moleskin journal or something take the plastic off first. The best method is taking a school backpack, picking out a few books, then sitting for awhile, reading/doing work/etc then just sticking your new books in your backpack

Charlotte Russe I haven’t been in awhile so idk the tags but they do monitor dressing rooms. Once I went in an unlocked dressing room and an SA knocked and asked who gave me the room and why I didn’t have a card saying my # of items etc. However I don’t think they count coming out.

Claire’s No tags Lots of mirrors in Claire’s so watch for those when finding a blind spot!

DIck’s Sporting Goods Tags require a hook I believe; almost everything is tagged in apparel Someone has to unlock the dressing room but they don’t count items

Dillard’s No tags from what I’ve heard

Forever 21 Dome ink tags; require a magnet I don’t believe they use RFIDs, so if an item is untagged it’s probably good to go; However the dressing rooms are well monitored, so concealing on the floor is probably best 

Francesca’s No tags!  The stores are pretty small so concealing clothes can be a bit difficult, but if they don’t count in the dressing room you’re prob good to go. Jewelry is super easy though

Free People Attentive SAs; they like to start rooms for you. Conceal on the floor and try not to linger

Garage I believe some things have tags but I know there are things that don’t. Not many SAs in my experience so pretty easy to conceal if you find a blind spot. They also monitor dressing rooms pretty well

J Crew Tag items over $30 and uses RFIDs

H&M Not sure about tags Stores are generally big and the SAs stick to the register area so concealing isn’t very hard

Hot Topic Not exactly sure about tags but I don’t think they tag everything

Loft RFID Large store usually, and I don’t remember anyone ever monitoring the dressing rooms very much

Lush No tags! Small store and attentive SAs, so getting in out as fast as possible is best

Lululemon Most things are tagged (I don’t remember what kind) and SAs count going into dressing rooms. You can conceal things like leggings and shorts pretty easily, but only if you find a good blindspot since there are cams

Madewell RFID tags

Old Navy No tags Generally few cameras and dressing rooms aren’t monitored

Pacsun Ink tags or super tags, RFIDs inside cardboard tags. I’ve also seen gator tags that you can remove with a hair band Generally inattentive SAs, few cameras (still scope out in advance), don’t count going in dressing rooms

Starbucks No tags This is one of the easiest stores. After ordering a drink just pick up whatever stuff you want and hold it like you own it. As far as I know employees don’t really do much when merchandise goes missing, but make sure no other customers are paying attention

Sephora Some tags, likely RFIDs on palettes I don’t really mess with Sephora; lots of cams and attentive SAs

Target Black dome cameras all around the store. They count going into dressing rooms. Finding a blindspot is hard but can be done. Please be extremely careful here they have plainclothes LP that are generally pretty good and they really don’t fuck around lol

Urban Outifitters Black square tags that require a magnet; RFIDs in price tags I’ve heard they count going in and out of dressing rooms and that they use magnet sensors so be careful. I also believe they have LP but not much info on that

Victoria’s Secret Pencil tags that require a magnet, but they sometimes use tags that require hook so be prepared; tag almost all clothes and bras and the occasional panty Locations vary greatly, but employees can’t act on you unless they are sure you’re stealing. There’s a lot of advice about VS floating around, and most people conceal in the dressing room, using shopper bags to bring in a lot of underwear

first of all, i understand the “beginner” excitement. 

it like suddenly you walk into a store & you think “i can have this. i like this and i CAN have this. right now. no saving up. no waiting for sales. no finding dupes. it can be mine right now“ it’s a feeling that someone who hasn’t grown with money (why would someone who has the money shoplift?) has NEVER felt before. 

BUT you mentioned you have been lifting for ONE week & your total is already in a few hundreds. that’s what you should get to in your first YEAR, if you’re lucky.

why? it’s not that i dont want you to have nice things. it’s because you know NOTHING about lifting yet.  you could have read every single post in this community top to bottom but it won’t actually make you a good lifter. at all. 

imagine this: if you read books on painting scenery, can you suddenly make the most breathtaking lanscape? hell no. it’s gonna be horrible, even if you read/researched everything about it. with TIME & practice you get better at it. those books will guide you & make you have a better understanding of what/how to do so you can learn much faster, but they won’t teach you how to paint. they can’t. 

when you begin, no matter how good you want it to turn out, or how much you know how it should turn out, you will make mistakes that will make you cringe in a year & wonder how the fuck you weren’t caught/arrested (IF YOU WEREN’T. IF) 

what i am trying to say: slow down. slow down right now. you are new, you have literally just begun. you should still be doing pens & gum & chapstick.  it’s a crime. think of the possible effects. 

if even thinking about  getting caught makes you scared, think about it actually happening. 

think about losing your caregivers/parents trust for years. 

thinking about paying 200€ for a 15€ necklace. 

think about being in court because of it. 

the mere fact that you have been lifting for a week & already begin to feel “addicted” is by itself the indication of a huge problem. think about this. stop & think on this implication. 

 please, for yourself, please i am begging you, slow down, go smaller, don’t even think of doing hauls yet

this is not the same advice i would give to someone who has been lifting for years on how to deal with this, but i feel like this is the advice that can help you.

also, i want to add, these posts you see here- the big hauls, most of these people are not minors. most have been doing it for years. most have been caught several times. some are even faking it.

• Best Buy. THE CAM QUALITY IS RIDICULOUS and their LP don’t FUCK AROUND. You WILL get caught and your ass will get handed to you. Don’t fuck with it.

• High Dollar Perfumes. This is a big no-no. NO. No perfume is worth getting caught for. They are heavily tagged, heavily watched and protected. If you have a lifters death wish, then sure. Go ahead. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

• Kohl’s. This place should be off limits to EVERYONE. they WILL rack up the amount they suspect you stole until it hits a felony amount. plus LP is literally full of DICKHEADS and will fuck you over big time.

• Target. pretty much everything is either soft tagged, secret rfid tagged or spider wrapped. plus LP IS CRAZY.

• Aluminium wrapping tags. This is just a bad idea. Tooooo damn risky. Too many variables that could lead to you getting caught and slammed with a fine. Just buy a detacher or a hook. Which that leads me to my next point.

•Having a golf detacher/Neodymium magnet/Hook detacher. Personally, I would never do this. I won’t stop you, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. There’s no true way of telling if a store has magnet sensors. Plus, if you get caught lifting with one or more of these items it can boost your petty theft charge to a felony. Not for me. Be extra vigilant if you have one and keep it well hidden.

• UNBOXING ITEMS. WHY. NEVER DO THIS. This is honestly the dumbest thing a lifter can do. If it’s tagged with the white box of death just leave it the fuck alone. it’s not worth it. if stores see there’s an open box lying where it shouldn’t be, with nothing in it, they’re gonna check the tapes and see that it’s you. maybe not for all stores this may be true, but assume it is ALL THE TIME.

• Assuming cameras aren’t being watched. This I especially don’t fuck with. Assume you are being watched all the time. Do not let your guard down. What you are doing is ILLEGAL!! And making the mistake of not being on guard is what got me caught. Stay aware, lovelies.

(well it's in a charity shop but its behind a till so eyup)

GLANCING AT THE WORKERS CONSTANTLY. from observation, Normal shoppers will smile/look at/nod at a worker once when entering the store and once while leaving. While you're lifting i know it's hella tempting to constantly look at SA's to see if you've been sussed but it's a major red flag, real shoppers completely ignore the presence of workers.

BEING SMELLY !! ik this sounds like a joke but people who lift from my store ALWAYS without fail smell of B.O or alcohol or weed etc. Maybe invest in/lift a nice perfume to blend in & save that blunt for tomorrow!! :)

being TOO nice/considerate when lifting. Im guilty of this one tbh, but I can always tell someone is lifting when they hold their items in an obvious way outstretched from their body or go out of their way to let someone know their going in the changing room in an attempt to look innocent like 'yes I'm holding these items in plain view i would never take anything!! ' Normal shoppers don't even think about going in to changing rooms being associated with shoplifting so forgetting to ask is common.

Holding money very obviously in your hand to make it look like you're getting ready to buy. from experience, regular shoppers will keep money concealed until the very last second to keep it safe.

If it's a shop with a tag sensor at the door (the ones that beep, I forgot the actual name) most people will be shocked/scared at the sound but then almost immediately act relieved and laugh it off as they know they're innocent and it must be someone around them . not reacting to the beep is a sign that you knew it could be coming (lifter) and reacting shocked a few seconds after the beep could also indicate shoplifting as they're shocked they've forgot to remove a tag.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST doing circles around the store. I'm mega mega guilty of this one. most people rarely go back to an aisle/section they've already been to and doing it more than once is a BIG sign of a lifter as it's typical that they're waiting for someone to leave their blindspot so they can conceal! I recomend searching up your store on google images to mark out every blindspot in advance so you can follow the regular direction/flow of the store when concealing as opposed to going back on yourself and sticking out.