I got caught today in Zara. Its a long story that goes across like 4 days but at least I learned heaps.
It all began on Friday when my hook arrived. It was also the day my super catholic aunty came over to dinner and tried to convert me, which I thought was a funny coincidence. I was super excited to go lifting and had been planning which shops to go into since I’d ordered it, so I went on Saturday in the main shopping mall. While I was there I got a white skirt from Zara and a coat which I carried out under my arm like I already owned it. I was going to upload a haul picture but I wanted to go lifting again the next day so I postponed it. But basically my first time lifting was very successful and gave me a false sense of security. That evening I added up what I’d lifted so far and it was like over $700.
Then on Sunday I went to a mall thats not in the centre of the city, unlike the other one, and it was pretty bad. First I went to Sportsgirl and I thought that the towers looked like they were from like 10 years ago and probably fake, so I (hopefully) inconspicuously held a pair of jeans through them, and no alarm went off so I concluded that they were fake and took a necklace, a $100 jacket and a $50 bag, but when I left the towers went off (and I looked back and made eye contact with a shop assistant because I’m an idiot). I bought some scissors from a supermarket and cut the tag (the type that needs a magnet btw) off the jacket but I couldnt get it off the bag, so I left it. It didnt set off the sensors of any other shop so at the time I thought it must have been a weak or unreliable magnet, but now I think it was a fake tag and they just tag the more expensive items. At Glue, the last shop I lifted from, the alarm went off (it was the second time I went there that day and it didnt sound when I went the first time). I took a skirt but I removed all the visible tags so I thought it was the bag’s tag being unreliable again. I almost took some really cute shoes from Blue Illusion, which had no towers, but decided not too. I felt kind of bad because the shop assistant was being really nice to me, and the shoes were individually wrapped so I knew she’d find out as soon as I left, and I thought that would be a betrayal for some reason. At home I learned to use pliers to take the security tag off the bag.
Now on Tuesday I wore the skirt that set off the towers at Glue but I still thought it was the bag at this point. I set off the sensors when I entered Zara, but I thought it must have been a coincidence because I hadnt lifted anything yet. I checked all through my bags and on my skirt just in case when I got to the changeroom. I detagged and concealed a white skirt, the same one I took on Saturday but in a smaller size, and I thought it was kind of dumb of me to try to lift when I already set of the towers but like I already said, I’m an idiot, so I did it anyway. I guess I’m just used to security being kind of relaxed. Anyway, when I left the shop the towers went off a woman called me back and even though I was already at the door and she was lik 5 metres behind me I stopped. I would have had time to get away unless she ran and jumped on me, and I can’t see that happening. Then she looked in my bag, found the skirt, asked if I had a recipt and I said I did, and when I couldnt find it I said I must have dropped it or it hadnt been printed, and we went back into the shop (luckily she was a nice young woman, it could have been so much more scary otherwise) and she asked me who served me. I said I didnt remember, and she asked all the cashiers if theyd served me, and they all said no. So she was like ‘did you pay for it’ and I said no, and I was allowed to go. I thought I’d feel more ashamed, but really I’m just upset that I didnt get my skirt.
Then I went to General Pants and I set off the sensors on my way in, but I got the shop assistants (who are really nice and easy going because they hire people depending on how ‘cool’ they are) to help me find the cause of the alarm, and we couldn’t so I just looked through the shop and lifted a $180 coat. I almost didn’t because I thought it would be so bad to get caught twice in one day but I wanted to cheer myself up after being caught. Also the tag came off so easily so it must have been fate. They turned off the alarm so I wouldnt set off the sensor again on my way out btw :)
When I got home I looked all over the skirt I lifted on sunday and set of the alarm then and today, and found a tag hidden like under the pocket under the seam. I dont know why they would put a tag in a place even the cashier wouldnt find it so I suspect another shoplifter hid it there when lifting something else.
Anyway the moral of the story is:
1. If you set off an alarm dont rest until you find the cause.
2. If you can’t find the cause don’t lift anything.
3. If you set off the towers dont look back even if they call you back. This is so obvious omg why am I an idiot.
4. be nice to everyone when you’re caught.
5. In retrospect I realised that after being caught in Zara I could have insisted I paid and accused them of not paying attention when they serve me and didn’t give a recipt. i think this would depend from place to place, but it looked like if I acted 100% certain and offended without offending anyone I could have gotten away.
6. If you’re going to lift at least get it in the right size so you dont have to risk it again.
7. Look at the cashiers on your way out so if you do need to you can say who served you. But its mean to accuse one person so maybe remember two so you can say you don’t remember which.
8. Keep walking when the towers go off. I know I said this already but its so important omg.
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