★Shoplifting 101★

I shared the story on Peac˙h but don’t think I shared it here, so now I’ve got some distance from the experience I thought I could write about it in a way that could maybe be helpful.

I completely know what I did that ended up in me being caught, and it was a case of being damn sloppy, brazen and greedy- no surprises there as the things that ultimately bring a lîfte® down. I just still can’t believe I let it happen. So anyway, story: 

I knew what I wanted and when I entered the store, went straight to the area (Çhånel fragrances). I picked up two items (although I had only planned on one),  I pulled a couple of items to line them up so it looked like nothing had been taken.

Mistake 1: making a beeline for this area instead of casually making my way over. and in hindsight, me pulling products forward in an area that is very likely being watched like a hawk would be an immediate red flag. impulsively picking a second item.

I walked around with the products for a while, but felt a bit uneasy in that I couldn’t find anywhere to conceal- this was in a town I was visiting for the day so hadn’t previously scoped. I considered doing a walk-out but it was fairly busy and the layout wasn’t the most comfortable to just breeze out of the store in. 

I remember distinctly feeling that I was being watched but daftly told myself “how would anyone actually know they’re being watched though, it’s not really possible”. big mistake!

Mistake 2: ignoring my gut. walking around for far too long. I cringe when I think how sus and obvious I must have looked. trying to do a high value lîft in ‘previously uncharted territory’.

I had a get-out when I received a phone call from my boyfriend who was in the town at the time, who was asking me to come and meet for coffee. I agreed to meet him. Now, I should have just ditched and left. But the greed in me was festering and I didn’t want to give up and leave the damn products after spending so long trying to work up the nerve, so I took a deep breath and just dumped them in a shopping bag I had, thinking (hoping?) that nobody would notice. Walked out of store, beeped (even though no outer tags, must have been inside the packaging) and when outside, I felt a hand grab the handle of my backpack and the detective showing me his badge where he brought me back inside and I had to go through the horrible motions- Brought to back room, store fine, police called, another fine at the police station. my boyfriend waiting for me not knowing where I was and then having to tell him (he previously didn’t know a thing about it). to be honest it was the waiting boyfriend, and having to tell him aspect that was the worst part for me. And tbh I was also very lucky that it was only fines and no prosecution, and I had couple of young and kind police, they treated me very well throughout. 

Mistake 3: again, ignoring my instincts. succumbing to greed. most likely doing it all in view of a camera. 

(also- putting the products in a bag. they told me that fact I put them in the bag was what ‘sealed the deal’ as it were, maybe if I’d tried an unconcealed walk-out I could have feigned it as accidental but that’s by the by now.)

how to report tiktok lifting tutorials

as we all know tiktok has had a random surge in videos teaching how to lift, and they’re getting LOTS of views. it’s garnering attention and chances are going to make things much harder for ALL OF US. here’s how to report, with visual screenshots above to assist:

go onto the tiktok you want to report.

press the fourth button on the right side of the screen that looks like a chat bubble, there you can find the report button.

press “illegal activities and regulated goods”, then “promotion of criminal activities” from then on you can add a description of why the tiktok is being reported exactly, but they speak for themselves so it’s optional.

WE NEED TO MASS REPORT THESE VIDEOS AND GET THEM OFF THE APP. the fact that tiktok has an option to report videos specifically like this shows that there’s a chance to get rid of them with a little work. i highly suggest going through the tag and reporting every tiktok that gives tips, you can do it on desktop too which i personally consider a faster process.

on desktop you can find the report button is the one on the far right at the bottom of the tiktoks page:

this has been requested a few times so I wanted to make a new guide. i have lifted hundreds of dollars worth of bras at VS for quite some time now and i’ve never had any problems so i figured i’d help yall out.

there’s two methods i use, one with a shoppers tote and one without. if your VS usually counts then you might have better luck just holding the bras.

1. walking in - basic rules apply, it’s better to come not in a group, be friendly but avoid SAs. i look around for a lil bit and then take a shoppers tote. sometimes i will lift bras without using the shoppers tote but i will write more on that

2. i usually lift undies as well if i’m using the shopping tote, it’s less sus to have the shoppers tote that way so you can act like you just didn’t want to hold a bunch of panties. if you don’t use the tote you can grab a panty or two after you get some bras but it’s harder to hide.

3. looking for bras - the bras you need to look for are ones tagged on the lace or fabric. this makes it easier to cut. don’t be frustrated if you find a style of bra you like that doesn’t have this kind of tagging. tagging on the elastic is standard procedure for vs but i can always find some tagged on the lace or fabric, even some without tags on a good day. you can cut out tags on the elastic if you really wanna but it’s harder and might damage the bra. don’t be sus while looking for these bras. it looks kind of odd to be checking different bras of the same style and size for tags. be discreet, act like you’re checking the price. take the bras and put them in your shoppers tote or hold them if you are not using a tote. after finding the bras i usually take a couple bras i don’t intend on buying or lifting.

4. find an item with pockets and another large item to cover the stuff. i usually take a sweatshirt and sweatpants and lay it on top. if you’re not using a shoppers tote, take a clothing item and place it on top of the bras in your hand. don’t completely cover them, but cover the bras you want to lift and expose the ones you don’t. i usually take one of their stain slips for this method. make your way to the dressing room. once in the room, make sure the SA is not sitting outside doing other shit. if she is, send her out to the floor to get another size/style or w/e. you’re going to have to detag fast now.

*if the SA counts, you’re kind of fucked but if you reeeally want your shit, you’re going to have to be a lil risky. the SA has only ever counted for me once when i’ve been trying to lift. what i did was detagged as normal and waited for her to leave/help another customer in another fitting room (it’s best if she left) and haul ass out of there. they rarely ever recount anyway

5. since you don’t have a hook or magnet, you’re going to have to cut out the tag using a pair of durable, curved nail scissors. these are small and easy to hide and they have the ability to get into smaller spaces, which makes them ideal to use. the hole isn’t very noticeable but you can sew them if you want. place the tags in the item with pockets.

6. if the SA is outside when you leave, DO NOT give her back the item with the tags. put that one back yourself. whether you take the bras or other items you didn’t lift and put them back yourself is your choice but i usually do it myself, i think it minimizes contact with SAs which is what you want.

7. after you do all this you can fake a call or just walk out. enjoy ya bras girl 😎

i hope this guide helps! if anyone has questions my ask box is open

i like to enter a store and have headphones in, and make it so that they’re blatantly visible - ie, the universal sign of “i am not open for conversation.” i have the device on but with the volume all the way down so it looks like i’m listening to something, but i’m actually listening to my surroundings. (please do not actually have music playing while lifting, seriously! use your ears to keep track of your surroundings)

if an sa asks me if i need help, i get out the device so they can see me pause it, and take one of the earphones out to make it look like i’m making it so i can hear them and converse with them. then i politely ask if they can please repeat what they said because i couldn’t quite catch it. i respond that “i’m just killing time browsing, but thank you! if i need help, would it be okay to come and ask you?”