uk : active november 2020

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.

obviously couldn’t leave without doing a giveaway

first pack (makeup pack) worth £229

second pack (random pack) worth £256

giveaway ends today midnight (uk only obvs)

only rule is to reblog, good luck 💓

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