melody

hello my pretties today i wanna talk about groceries! as much as i try to keep my page as vague and lyfting-centered as i can, some things do need to be addressed like with my standing in solidarity with palestine and congo and sudan. a certain orange skinned president has cut funding and accessibility to snap/ebt starting november and onwards unless or until the government can come out of this shut down. when that does happen, the amount of people receiving benefits will be heavily reduced, due to there being new restrictions and criteria for being approved for the program. because of this we will most likely be seeing a large influx of people lyfting, especially in grocery stores. in times like these we need to stand with our community and do what we can to give aid if we are able, and if you are someone who’s been affected by this shutdown or will be affected in the future, i hope the people in YOUR community will rise and do the same thing. i am one person who’s food stamps have been cut and i am fortunate and privileged enough to still be cared for and taken care of during these times, very few people relying on stamps are as lucky i am. please remember to be kind and compassionate while we all figure out how to proceed. now let’s move onto the grocery tips!

ATTIRE - attire will heavily depend on who you are and what you look like, for me as an almost white passing hispanic woman, i don’t have to put as much effort into my appearance as say a black woman or a darker skinned woman. unfortunately in the system we live in, you WILL be more suspected if you have darker skin, so it’s important to be careful and scope out the area before going for it. if you are white or white passing, id recommend wearing something casual, pajama pants, a graphic t shirt, jeans, no jackets or hoodies. for visibly poc people id recommend dressing up a little more, jeans and a going out top, something less baggy, hair or makeup done, to give the vibe that you have money and will be spending it here. this is all for the initial impressions store associates will get from you. if you are alternative i HIGHLY recommend toning it way down for your lyfting trip because alternative people will always been suspected over non-alt people. i currently have dyed hair so i will usually compensate by being extra kind or chatty with the workers as it breaks down their initial barrier and suspicion.

CAMERAS - cameras in grocery stores are often fewer and farther between than in retail stores or malls and in my experience they’re not USUALLY monitored, however it’s still good practice to find a place to conceal before doing so. i’d recommend the pet food aisle or maybe the baking/utensils aisle. it’ll be different for every store so scope it out!

CONCEALING - there are multiple methods when it comes to lyfting at grocery stores now thanks to self checkout, but if you’re afraid of it like me, you can use this method. in a perfect world, ill bring my big cooler grocery bag and i’ll put a few disposable bags inside, if possible ill throw in some groceries i already have like pasta or jarred/canned goods in there before i leave to make it look like ive just been to another store. once im in the store ill fill my cart with things i need and once im clear from the cams ill put the most expensive things into my grocery bags in the cooler bag. id highly recommend making a list on doordash beforehand that way you can see the prices and whats in stock in real time. i always pick the most expensive items to conceal and then purchase the cheaper things if i have the funds. this also allows you to try cuts of meat that were maybe out of your budget before! once ive concealed everything i want, ill zip up my refrigerator bag and go to check out. this usually sits under the seat in the cart. in my experience they never ask me to unzip and show them, but if for some reason they do, go ahead and unzip and show them and tell them it’s from another store you just came from. as long as you have mostly generic store products in there they won’t be able to tell the difference and they cannot go through your bag.

OTHER METHODS - there are a few other methods I’ll tell you about though i will not recommend them because they are riskier! higher reward perhaps but more dangerous. the first method is very easy and simple, fill your cart with all your groceries, walk straight out the door and get into your car and LEAVE. this ONLY works if your grocery store is laid out to where the exit and entrance are both unblocked and there’s no security guard. many stores i’ve been to HAVE security and have little automatic gates that open and close. again, if you’re going to use this method, SCOPE OUT the store beforehand. the second method is the self checkout switcharoo, where you can either swap barcode stickers IF your store allows you to peel them off and restick them, OR where you hold something smaller and cheaper over the barcode of the original item when scanning. i do not recommend this method because stores have been catching onto this. please proceed with caution if you decide this method is right for you. the last method is not full proof but can result in a few saved items, where you put items under the cart on the lower portion and hope the cashiers forget to scan. this actually happened to me the other day at h m@rt and i saved $65 on a stand-alone grill for hotpot and my instant rice!

GETTING CAUGHT - i can’t exactly speak on this because i have never been caught at a grocery store, id imagine if you only took a few items it would be a matter of giving those items back and being on your way, however a higher total may be more tricky. if there is security you should ONLY use the first method, because they can’t prove you’re lyfting UNLESS they’ve been watching cams, and if there’s security up front there is PROBABLY no one watching the cams. if there is no security and one of the associates catches you on your way out, i would recommend running. run WITH the cart if you can! they will 9/10 not chase. if they catch you before you leave the store, simply explain that you’re just shopping and you’re extremely offended that they would accuse you, take your items out and leave. maybe threaten that you’ll take legal action, i probably would lol.