☼ Sunshine-Shoppy ☼

Okay so I was talking on Peach about how I hate that I only ever see the stereotypical self care items like haircare, skincare, makeup, etc. So, I decided to make a list of things to lift to care for yourself that isn't just the usual lotions and lipstick. This can be for people with mental illness or neurotypicals who just aren't that good at participating in self care. Alright, here we go.

A water bottle. If you have a really nice water bottle you're way more likely to drink water, it's a proven fact. I take several medications with side effects of dehydration but for some reason I very rarely feel thirsty so I am chronically dehydrated. Honestly if you feel like shit one day and can't figure out why drink some water and see if you feel better. I always feel so icky when I don't drink enough water. I've even seen smart water bottles that you can connect to your phone. If you don't like regular water, lift some of those Mio water flavoring bottles, or some fruit to make infused water.

Nutritious foods. Grocery hauls are becoming way more of a thing on liftblr which I love to see because there's only so many clothes and so much makeup you really need and can use. Lift some fancy nutritious food from like Whole Foods or something. I mean how hard is it to slide a couple of organic bananas into your bag? Some granola? A bar or vegan and ethically sourced dark chocolate? Whatever man just lift a nutritious snack to eat during your self care time.

Socks. I feel like socks are a pretty common lift but just in case you weren't thinking about it. I like those really thick and cushiony old man socks lmfao, they're so comfy to wear around the house especially if you've just put some lotion on your feet.

Nail polish. I feel like this is also common to lift, but if you haven't thought about it, consider it. Taking a little time to paint your nails garuntees you won't be doing anything for awhile, and gives you an excuse to just sit around while your nails dry. Plus it's fun, simple, and I feel like everyone feels a little more put together with their nails painted.

A really nice robe. Getting a really nice robe to just wear around the house or after you leave the shower is heavenly, truly. Imagine stepping out of the shower freshly shaved, moisturizing with a thick nice smelling body butter, and then sliding into a silk robe? The vibes.

Comfy pajamas. I always just wear old t shirts and boxers at my house, but consider lifting some cute and soft pajamas. How you dress is directly related to how you feel, so even if no one is going to see you that day it never hurts to dress up a little for yourself. I don't recommend anything sexy and lacey, just some simple, soft, comfortable PJ's to lounge around in.

House slippers. I honestly hate having things on my feet, I like my toes to be free. But if you've got carpet like me, walking around barefoot absolutely sucks the moisture out of your feet and leaves you with cracking, crusty heels. Gross. You could always just wear the aforementioned comfy socks, but having a designated pair of fluffy house slippers is just the height of luxury.

Foot care in general. Face and body care gets all the hype, especially on liftblr. But, feel get neglected asf by almost everyone. Do you know how luxurious it is to give yourself a good pedicure at home and have soft, smooth feet? I lifted myself a Pedi Perfect (one of those motorized foot files) and it's life changing especially if you're like me and your feet are just the gross neverending callous. Get some nice toe nail nippers, some foot cream, a pumice stone, whatever. Your life will never be the same.

Tea and coffee. Stop buying cheap af tea and coffee when you can lift the good stuff. Get the bags of Starbucks coffee beans, steal a French press, get some loose leaf tea, whatever. Just get the good shit ffs I never see y'all lifting tea.

Plants. Obviously don't lift plants if you don't think you can care for them, and ofc you can't fit a huge ass shrub in your bag, but taking a few succulents home won't hurt. Some people find that caring for something else, like a pet, makes them feel better. If you don't have a pet, try a plant! Plus being around a lot of plants always lifts my mood, especially in these dreary winter months.

Vitamins. Lift some good quality hair skin and nail vitamins, pre natal vitamins, or even just a multi. Getting some extra nutrients that you may not get from your diet can't hurt. Also, speaking of the dreary winter months, a lot of people suffer from seasonal depression. This can actually be caused by a lack of vitamin D! Lift some vitamin D and take it in the winter, it might keep you from feeling sad and tired. If you get dizzy when you stand up too fast, get cold easily, or are easily fatigued, you might also be deficient in iron. Obviously get any of those symptoms checked out by a doctor, but it won't hurt you to lift some iron pills and see if they make you feel a little better. A pretty reliable sign that you aren't getting enough iron is if your nail beds have a pale or bluish tint. Finally, try some St. John's Wart. It's an herbal supplement that has been shown in recent studies to help relieve mild depression symptoms. If you have major depressive disorder, obviously an herbal supplement won't be quite as good as a real antidepressant. But, if you suffer from mild mood problems or need help feeling a little calmer, try this. Before you try any of these supplements please READ THE WARNINGS and TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR. If you don't have access to a doctor right away at least GOOGLE if these supplements interact with any other medications you are taking, I know that the St. John's Wart in particular can be tricky.

An aromatherapy diffuser and essential oils. Idk if I believe in aromatherapy completely, but it's pretty hard to feel shitty when you have the gentle smell of citrus essential oil wafting around your room, I'm just saying.

A salt lamp. Apparently the salt lamps are supposed to "cleanse your atmosphere". Again, not 100% buying it, but they are soooo pretty and I use mine as a nightlight because it gives off a soft orange glow. It's apparently better to use a red-tinted light at night if you have to have one because it won't keep you up. You can even lift tiny salt lamps that plug into the outlet just like a night light.

A notebook/journal and pens. Sometimes writing about your feelings makes you feel a bit better. You can also get art supplies and express yourself that way, or get a planner and organize your life to reduce stress related to a busy schedule.

I can’t even believe how much I got the other day. What even.

Never going back to the location/strip mall I was at, so I went a lil wild

🌸 NUMBER ONE RULE EVER IS KNOW THE AREA of the store. I am not talking about the store layout, type of store, I am talking location of the property. Macy’s can be in shitholes with hella good security or be in snooty folk town with almost non-existent LP.   

🌸 Rule 2 NEVER NEVER ASSUME THERE IS NO LP. As stated above even if its a snooty area, they will and can have lp. Example, A very very rich part of my city has a walking outdoor strip mall type thing ( I forget the word) Of literally just makeup stores,mac,sephora,ulta, bloomingdales and whathaveyou. They have a fuck ton of security. But in the higher middle class area its bare none. Always explore all options of places you want to lift and always count the Lp, some will be labeled while others wont, and some may be straight up police officers stationed in that store. This can be good and bad, because it means its a high shrink store so there are quite possibly very easy ways to steal from these locations as the police are mostly a scare tactic. It is up to you, as I have mentioned before I have lifted so much from stores like this its stupid. Use your own judgement. 

🌸 Rule 3 ALWAYS no matter what carry your lifting tools on your fucking body. I don’t care if you'rer a dude or androgynouss or whatever you identify as. If you do ever get stopped it saves you automatic jail time and a felony. I keep my hook and mini magnets on my left bra cup and my big magnet on my right bra strap that wrapsaround my body. Exacto knifes and smallscissorss are okay to carry in a bag, pocket w/e because they are not considered to be under the category of intended theft. If you don’t wear a bra, use spanx, a back brace, shoulder braces, even your fucking shoes.This is just me but I also have a fucking lock pick (so extra) But half the good stuff is locked up and their locks are not good at all, you could prob do it with a bobby pin tbh.

🌸 Rule 4 ALWAYS ALWAYSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS WEAR A DISGUISES.I DONT GIVE A FUCK IF YOU ALREADY “blend in” GET A FUCKING DECENT WIG, GET 3, USE MAKEUP TO CHANGE YOUR FACE, GLASSES, CONTACTS, WHATEVER. I have 15 wigs. I use them all. If they ever for some reason tracks something back to you, this is your defense. Don’t confess, obvi. But this is your last line.

🌸 Rule 5 NEVER take more than 10 items from one store (unless its likeclairess or some shit) This will cause them to up their security and you don’t want that. I explained it in a previous post. You want to aim for 3-5 per store. 

🌸 Rule 6 OTHER CUSTOMERS ARE YOUR WORST ENEMY I should not have to explain this just fucking never do anything in front of them, because it’s human nature their jealously kicks in and they want to tattle. NEVER. Thats the whole reason antis exist. “they get this I don’t and its wrong according to these old white men” whatever just don’t.

Now onto the details. The mini magnets are the small circular ones from home depot, they open any kind of hook blocker, like at sallys on hair extensions or at walmart on some electronics, and you can make yourself a bracelet that either holds them or they cling to for easy access and to not look sus while “examining” the price tag, you and use anywhere between 4 or 6 and be fine. The big magnet I use for clothing tags, bags, anything else magnetic is 15000gs golf detacher I bought online, just google it. Same for the hook. Same for the lock pick if you wana go hard(but please practice first I have had to do this for like 4 years before so yeah). Go to michaels or A.C Moore and get yourself the exacto knife and small scissors. And get a pack of rubber bands, they are a game changer. Bit tall boots, you can drop things in, panties, makeup, accessories, whatever as you go! Please wear thick socks tho or else your feet will  hurt. You can take them out in the bathrooms. SPANX! Use to conceal palettes, brushes, even clothing literally almost anything really, HUGE game changer.

SEPHORA- I went into a pretty detailed explanation for sephora last post, so I will just copy paste that and put in a few more tips  For sephora it’s completely dependent on the location. Similar to ulta, in the poor parts of town they usually have beefed up security so try to go for richer, snooty or middle class stores. If your sephora is in a mall, leave it for last as in your last lifting stop before you leave. If it’s a stand alone sometimes you can get away with just walking out with a bag (like the tote I have done this 4 times) if it’s busy. In every sephora I have been to they have a big slanted display for the sephora brand products and at least 3 big ass pillars with mirrors on them. Usually only one side of the slanted display is covered by cameras ( I can think of 3 locations like this off the top of my head), And you can do the walk and conceal method when passing by a pillar that is blocking you from view ( This is my favorite ) just make sure your not on the mirror side doing this lmao. Do this as you are browsing, and try to make sure no SA’s see you with said item. Example: Find a palette, grab it look at price, swatch, walk to blind spot drop in bag and keep walking to next target item. Lastly you can always find blind spots in regular makeup aisles, every sephora I go to has at least 2-3 blind spots just in general. Your biggest problem in sephora are the SAs. They will make or break your trip, I swear to god sometimes they can be the most annoying racist shits ever. I am white passing, but I am latina and if you try hard enough you can tell and I swear to god I was at this uppity sephora and the manager and 2 sa’s followed me around, legit isle to isle just staring with their arms crossed. If this happens, don’t even try I think I only got some lipsticks on that trip it was horrible. But do not ever be rude to them, that will make you memorable and you do not want that. If you are approached be nice, if asked if you need help, say I am looking for -insert vague item here- and I think I found it I am just comparing, or No thank you I am gift shopping and know what they want, ect. Do not ever say anything that will make them want to help you because they will just drag you around forever and waste not only your time, but if you already looked at a product because they showed you then go back to it later its weird. Also I know everyone says “If they offer you a basket they are on to you” but thats just not true all the time. It is literally part of their job to be helpful and that is considered being helpful. Pay attention to their tone and body language if they do hand you one, but most of all watch to see if any other SA’s are watching you. The little shopping totes can be quite useful at times too, for having decoys on top and whatnot. If you are ever recognized and you are in a different disguise, Immediately play dumb and leave like 5 mins later and don’t go back for at least 3 months. It happens, it is fine and no reason to freak out. Sephoras inside a JCP are not impenetrable, but please use this as a last resort. Wear long sleeves, in trend. I have a long black sweater with ties around the wrist and the sweater hangs over my hands, this is perfect for this kind of store. Hold your phone in one hand, and find an item, hold it with your phone, and detag the rfid strips with your thumb, but don’t look like an idiot just standing there fidgeting, keep browsing, testing products, moving around. Moving around make it harder for any lp to follow you or see what you are doing. act calm, act natural. 

ULTA - This is pretty tricky. Pay attention to your state laws first and foremost. Ulta will ignore policey and chase you/grab you/ get your plate/ block your car if they know you stole or REMEMBER you from a previous visit. Park FAR FAR away. The LM boxes ( white boxes that are light sensitive) are basically just stickers. Unless you have an inside person at an ulta, the only 2 ways around these are taking the item out of the box that the LM is on and putting the empty box back, or coming on shipment day before they are all tagged and everything is out in carts. Ulta’s difficulty can range from location to location, some don’t use LM on every palette, some do, some only use them on perfume. The RFID’s that are found on most other makeup product can be either peeled off or cut with your exacto knife. hair care and skin care have never had tags in my experience, but always check. Ulta has pretty shitt cams but still try not to conceal on them, they do have a million blind spots, use them. Always have decoys. This is different than my sephora technique because I conceal all at once and usually leave, so I get decoys to make it seem like I am still carry the items. I honestly hate going to ulta, but I have figured out the safest times to go is ( for me, this might not be for everyone)  either Sundays around 4:30-5, shipping days, or fridays from 6-7. Ulta rearranges their stores quite frequently, if you happen to go on a day like this you are in luck! lots on blindspots and boxes stack high and random shelving units. 

Starbucks- Usually only one or 2 cameras, sometimes none. I have 3 that have none that i frequent for snacks and cups. Just make sure a customer doesn’t see you and its easy as shit. 

MALLS- This is probably where most everyone does lifting, so I am going to make a post about rules for malls. ALL MY OTHER RULES APPLY STILL. Go to the bathroom 2 or 3 times during your visit. Never take anything out of the packaging. If you beep, keep walking at a normal pace. Always carry a reusable shopping bag ( even 2 if you plan to lift a lot ) it is not suspicious and is an easy access quick conceal. If you don’t have one, go to some store like hot topic, box lunch, forever 21, aerie, and just ask for a bag. Make sure its not see through and big enough to carry what you want but not obnoxious. As for the whole in the side of the bag concealing method, cut a hole in the side of paper bags to slide things in, while this is a great tip PLEASE use your exacto knife to cut the slit, and make sure whatever bag you are using is not white. If you try to use scissors, the cut will be way to noticeable. Cut exactly where the crease is naturally in the bag. Only use this for small items, like lipsticks, hair pieces, jewelry, ect or you can risk ripping your bag and then you are fucked. Make the cut towards to top of the bag, so when you hold it closed its virtually unnoticeable and the weight of the items in your bag won’t cause continuous ripping of your slit. ALWAYS be friendly to SA’s. I legit just make small talk about how their day is and retail sucks and share  a bit about myself, it makes you WAY less suspicious because you come off as an honest, nice person. This is KEY in smaller stores, IE zumies, HT, Aerie, whatever. BE NICE. RELATE. ALL SA’s ARE DOING IS THEIR JOB DON’T BE A DICK. I also sometimes have one earbud in listening to music and lightly singing it helps deter the SA approach.

HOT TOPIC- Literally the easiest thing in the world. you can pick up items you want, if they have a tag hold them under your arm (the one with the magnet) while continuing to look at other things and hide the magnet in whatever you were looking at. Rinse and repeat. 

ZUMIES- Tbh I stopped going here and like, cosmic and tilly’s when I was like 16 so I can’t really give too much info besides I believe the one I did go into had massive blind spots, you don’t need the fitting rooms to conceal if you are kind to the SA. They will leave you alone after that. 

ClAIRE’S/ICING- like, idk this is so dumb just dump whatever you want in your bag avoid mirrors and pay attention to the SA. If they are giving a piercing its a free for all. Overall SA’s here really do not care and are either swamped with paperwork or overwhelmed because its only them in the store with 16 kids or 15 teenagers. I feel for them. 

VS/PINK- OK long awaited post about this shit company. I feel zero regret stealing from them. I am going to copy paste my previous reply with added detail. For VS, you have to see if its busy or slow. If it’s busy, I usually get a tote and get about 7 items (not including panties) but only steal 3 and only some undies in the fitting rooms and listen for no SA to be outside when you exit and just leave the tote in the little tote/rack thing. If its slow you can find blind spots in the store and remove the pencil tags easily if you carry your magnet like I do (in your bra strap that goes around your body) just holding it under your arm while looking at another item or w/e and just hide the tags as you go, or as always throw them away in the trash cans in the fitting rooms. Trash cans can also be found in the store, so use them as well. If you want something with a hanger, either take the hanger with you and ditch it somewhere else (or keep it like I do they are so soft) or find something to switch it out with. Most of the time they will have hanging items, and folded items of the same design and I tend to grab those. 2 I got today didn’t even have tags on them. VS and PINK are both a giant question mark until you get to the store on how much you can get away with or if you can get anything. This store is where the reusable totes come in most handy, and use your rubber bangs to make bulky clothing less bulky. If you are using a tote they provide, you can put perfumes/makeup/socks/sandals/ w/e in them and hide hem under clothes if you want them. a good bulky distracting item to get is a robe ( even the velvet/satin ones in the VS section are good), because it covers SO much and most sa’s assume that plus like 1 or 2 things is all you have. Also vs and pink all have blind spots in the store, the legging racks, VS sport, and the little walkways between sections are ones I have noticed. Good places to conceal if you don’t want to rick fitting rooms because if the SA is in a super duper mood fitting rooms can be somewhat difficult.

BEST BUY- So its not impenetrable but it is hard. The person at the front is the “main” AP (asset protection) and they have monitors that cover most of the store. Be nice to them, seem normal, and it will make it easier. I have someone in bb so its easier for me to get things but either way its not impossible since I have lifted from them before I knew my guy. Least monitored sections are housewares, and believe it or not TVS. I am going off my stores so take all this with a grain of salt. Best buy marks up ALL their products ridiculous amounts (1 year rosetta stone is bought for $15 and sold for $120) so yeah they are kinda dicks. If you DO chance it with best buy, so for small items, grab a distraction, shop around for a blind spot, conceal the small item, and go back to where you got your big item and compare again. Do not leave asap, shop around, then always say have a nice day on your way out. Be careful each store is different. here is a story : there is a best buy near me that used to have a HUGE shrink rate, for ALL kinds of theft, orc, employee, petty, you name it and it happened there. UNTIL a new GM was hired and he was like no this is not happening and installed a completely new camera system, it was very very expensive but guess what, they now catch everyone who tries to steal and have the lowest shrink rate in the state. If you abuse your spots, they will fight back so don’t ever ever ever take some memorable amount or this will  happen.

Target- I rarely fuck with target because its where I get my medications so I can’t really help you here.

Aerie- On floor concealing is best, lots of displays to hide behind. no cameras ( at least at my location)  Always be aware of SA’s.They change their clothing often so if you see something you love I suggest getting it before its gone for good.

Forever 21- Honestly I rarely lift from here anymore. Most of it rips or falls apart, that includes clothing and accessories. I don’t recommend them at all. If you MUST fitting room is best option, there are decent blind spots but it is usually too crowded to use them. Honestly I hate this company and everything about them so even stealing from them feel so so wrong. Sorry I can’t be of more help.

BOX LUNCH -  MY FAVORITE! I actually try to buy here when I can, they have great bags for the slit method, and their products are AMAZING. They actually sell nendoroids like omg. Best store ever, no cameras, but SA’s can be aggressive, just be nice, relate, and they will move on. Not much is tagged, and if it is just use the method mention for HT.

CVS/WALGREENS- Easy as pie. I always go here for drinks, shipping supplies, food, whatever. Their cameras are extremely shitty except for the ones up front.You can use your body to block is necessary. Both stores have MASSIVE blind spots, in seasonal, grocery, drinks, toiletries. Like is so easy to get vitamins and shit please get some be healthy. 

PACSUN- I don’t really like much here, but sometimes they have golden pieces. I always use fitting rooms, bring 4 items and leave 3. they are just such a bare store I cant feel good going in with a ton and leaving with a little. You will need rubber bands and to detag while the music plays. 

 BnN/BAM!- AMAZING novelty items and books are easy, just find blind spots. I adore these stores because of the increase of certified japanese figure imports ( BTW I COLLECT PLASTIC BUTTS AMIAMI LOVE ME) 

Container Store- Cake, usually only 4 cameras, both of the ones I go to don’t have cameras in the bath storage.makeup storage isles so, literal ffa. 

Hallmark- No cameras, or one near the toys. Ffa.

DSW/PAYLESS- For dsw, I grab 4 or 5 boxes, 2 of which I want, go to an isle about 2 over from the closets camera, and make a huge mess sitting on one of the mirror chairs. I slide the shoes I want into my purse also sitting on the opposite side on the bench thing using other boxes to block the back angle and put all the paper back and all the boxes except ONE with the shoes in it back, walk around a bit more, then decide not to get them and leave them somewhere. never conceal in clearance, but feel free to look.  For payless, just pick an isle without a camera, or if they all have cameras sit on the thing with your back to the camera, stack boxes between your seat and the self to block its view, detag, move into purse.bag. and put lid on box and put box back. 

IKEA- So this is gonna be kinda sketchy. I have only done this twice, and I had a partner. So you shop like usual, pick little knick knacks for your cart and write item numbers down. now while your in the actual storage part, you can conceal some of the smaller items you picked out while looking for your right color item or whatever leaning in. To get the big items out, we walked to line, waited for a good 5 mins, then acted like we saw an open register further down. He went to get the car and I push the cart and just push it through the sales point and out the door, smiling at the receipt check holding a safeway receipt lmao. Honestly I have no full proof way for ikea but I do know they are more concerned with ORC and internal theft so thats where most the cameras are. I just really wanted my two alex drawers for my makeup vanity so I took a risk and it paid off.

WIGS STORES- if you do not live in a large city, I Highly suggest ordering a high quality lace front wig online. If you live in a city with good chain wig stores, bring a big bag, and just stuff that mother fucker in there in a blind spot. the main thing with wigs is care, so you will want to get wig care stuff, cleansers brushes, ect. specifically made for wigs. 

🌸 For anything designer ( Kate spade, MK, Calvin klein) Go to outlets if possible, if not try to find a macy’s/bloomingdales.lord&taylor/whatever that doesn’t do that stupid string lock bullshit. bring a magnet. 

today’s haul! super excited about this one :)

n0rdstr0m r@ck:

bralette: $26

thong set: $26 x 2

drying lotion: $17

UD de-slick oil control: $15

glamglow mask: $25 x 2

p@csun:

br@ndy necklace: $10

br@ndy earrings: $5

u!t@:

tinted moisturizer: $33

miracle leave in: $43

ch@nel blush: $45

illuminating powder: $35

highlighter: $38

face mask: $23

l0rd + t@ylor:

MK purse: $278

(I have a post below this on this bag!)

my beautiful new lifting bag! I’ve been using my regular purse, which hasn’t been great because 

a) it’s light pink so its pretty recognizable

b) it has all my important stuff in it and i really like it, so I couldn’t ditch it if i needed to

c) it’s not very big

i got this bad boy from l0rd + t@yl0r, it was untagged and there was no one around, so I just put it on my shoulder, checked myself out in the mirror, and walked out on another floor. i’ll prob wait a while before i revisit this store haha. 

So I know I’m not popular at all… and that’s kinda the way I like it. But I just wanted to share a tip

Have your bag set up so that if you get caught (I hope not sweetie) you can drop your bag, and you don’t care. I walk into a store- I have my phone in my hand, my keys in my pocket, and my ID card or cash in my front pocket.

The purse I lift with is not my actual purse. That’s in my car. I don’t want to ever be caught with someone holding on to my purse and unable to leave.

The only things I need are on my body. It makes me feel more confident. I have medicine I should have on me, but I leave that too. It’s too risky to have on me basically.

I remember watching this caught video of a lady unable to run because the LP had a hold of her purse and she just had to wait for the cops to show up and arrest her because he wouldn’t give her back her own purse. Screw that. LP tries that I’m so out of there. And usually they can’t touch me so hopefully they would just watch me run and think they have my info…. hopefully. They will want to grab you and hold you to the ground and handcuf you, but that’s because they think they’re important. Anyway- another subject.

I know some people don’t have cars, but I would just think about packing very light on trips, and having anything important on your person at all times.

This is by a current Seph0r@ employee who has been trained extensively on their LP situation . Disclaimer: This is for my Seph0r@ ( and theSeph0r@s in the district ) and may be different for yours. This guide was made December of 2019.

Your Look It doesn’t matter. A lot of guides I see talk about how important your look is, but the bottom line is that it doesn’t matter. How you do your makeup doesn’t matter. We have clients who spend 400 a week on makeup and always come in no makeup, and we have clients who spend 10 a week and come in full face beat. The way we can tell if you’re stealing is your behavior and what you’re carrying. 

At Seph0r@, we’re taught not to profile and profiling is 100% wrong. However, big tip offs that make us watch you a little more closely are the following. 

Asking questions that don’t make sense / telling us info that makes no sense*

Looking nervous / being very aloof / non-responding

Shifty Eyes

NOT ACCEPTING A BASKET / PUTTING PRODUCT YOU PLAN TO CONCEAL IN THE BASKET **

A big bag that appears empty

SMALL BACKPACKS THAT ARE CARRIED AROUND YOUR FRONT

Shades in store

Going in with a large group of friends and constantly splitting

* This is our biggest tip off. If you’re telling us you’re here for a matte foundation but you’re in hair care lingering and watching SA’s, we’re going to watch you a little closely. If you’re telling us you want a natural finish foundation but you’re looking at full coverage foundation / picking up and playing with it, we’re going to watch you a little closer. If you refuse help from an SA when it’s clear to us you don’t know what you’re talking about, we’re going to watch you a little closely. ( This isn’t to make anyone feel bad, but we can tell the different between just being clueless about makeup vs feigning ignorance to drive us away ) 

** A lot of tips say to take a basket, but I would also like to say that we have plenty of paying clients who refuse baskets ! If you take a basket, either put a decoy in the basket or don’t put anything in the basket at all. If you refuse a basket but have other behaviors of a potential shoplifter, we will be passive aggressive ( as we’re taught to do to deter theft ). I don’t know about y’all Seph0r@ but at mine, if you acting sus, we remember your basket. If you put a benefit brow in there and suddenly it’s gone and you leaving? We know what happened. We can’t do shit, but we know lol.

Chase Policy The only people at Seph0r@ who can apprehend you is LP, which are frequent during holiday seasons and extremely high end store events. We, as employees, can not apprehend you. WE CAN CONFRONT YOU IN STORE IF YOU ARE CAUGHT CONCEALING, and if you admit to taking product, we are obligated to call LP and mall security. Typically, we confront at the door. We literally can’t do anything other than report it to LP, who may or may not take it further. I caught someone concealing three items under her jacket in her hand ( terrible concealment move at Seph0r@, btw ) and reported it on the ear piece and my coworker confronted the lifter, who simply said “piss off” and walked out. We could only call mall security lol. 

I also want to state that at a solid amount of stores, we do know you’re lifting. We may not see concealment, but we do know. We can’t do anything, but we do know and we will remember for next time so space out your hauls.

Cameras I can’t speak for all Seph0r@s, but at mine, we typically have one manager or boss at least two - three times a week in the office. On weekends especially, ESPECIALLY during holidays. They are typically not monitoring cameras closely, but they are in there with the monitors. All cameras work and are high quality but again, this is my store. Conceal away from the camera. 

Tagging Again, I can’t speak for all Seph0r@s, but majority tag ONLY fragrances.If you beep out the store, its a fragrance, but we won’t say that. We want everyone to think a lot of stuff is tagged. I won’t lie, please do not steal fragrances ( or over the felony charge worth of product in one trip at the same store ). We had two girls steal fragrances ( over 200-300 dollars, I believe ) on the other side of the city ( I live in a major city ) and EVERY store in the city got notified with their pictures and everything. When they came into my store, we all were immediately notified and CS’d them to hell to make them leave. Seph0r@ doesn’t care if you steal a palette and maybe a mascara, we have a budget for that, but if you steal over 100-200 dollars, we will know and be extremely pissed and probably will get LP on your ass. 

Also idk about y’alls stores but some really expensive tower items are tagged. For example, dysons are typically tagged or they beep by the towers. Also sometimes we leave everythig in there except the product so you take an empty box home. You could take one and leave but I wouldn’t do it lol. 

Basic Tips

Conceal while going around the corner of an aisle of entering a new one. Body conceals work great too if there is no LP or customers around ( you can usually spot them easily or even look up a few on some lifting facebook groups lol ) 

We are required to help everyone in our zone or check in with them at least once or twice. You’ll definitely know if you’re being sus’d because we say shit like “Would you like a basket for your [product]” “Would you like to see matching [similar product] for your [product]” If you get CS’d like that, drop and leave. 

We talk on the ear piece constantly, but usually we’re just chatting, asking for restocks, calling zones, etc. But we are vigilante and if you are sus’d  everyone in the store will know. If you get a feeling, drop and leave. 

Just research basic makeup things so you can sound slightly knowledgeable if you’re trying to make convo with an SA. If not, just say you aren’t familiar with certain things and would like to hear more. 

Don’t act like you’re browsing for a looooong time and circling the store, and everytime you get CS’d you say “No thanks, I’m just looking”. Get your shit, conceal, maybe ask about skincare services or ask for a sample and leave. Better yet, lift, conceal in 10-15 min and then ask about our makeup services. Especially during the holidays, we’re booked. When told we’re booked ( or pretend the day you need is booked ), leave a bit disappointed. Best way to be in and out without being sus.

That’s all of my advice! Out of difficultty, I would say a typical Seph0r@ is a 7-8/10, A good one, a solid 9/10 and a bad one, 5-6/10. 

Shrink Departments (aka do not lift in these):

Men’s Accessories/Gift

Fragrance

Beauty and Hair Care

Handbags and Accessories

Men’s Furnishings

General policy is to greet all customers within 10 feet individually and within 10 seconds, so expect a bit of employee interaction. Employees DO notice items that don’t have price tickets, and that don’t have hard tags/spider wraps when they regularly would. If an area is messy, employees are required to clean it up, organize it, or call it in. Employees will routinely walk through the top shrink areas looking for disorganization, suspicious activity, etc.

Employees get a $25 cash reward for tipping off LP on customer theft, and up to $350 for internal theft that leads to termination. If an employee finds an incorrect or missing ticket, and corrects it, they can win a $20 gift card.

Tip: You can unlock the wire that holds all the purses to the display by holding a magnet to the flat round part of the black plastic piece (“lock”) holding the wire together. You could hide a magnet in your fist and make a little opening for it to touch the piece, and discreetly move the wire so that the “lock” can’t be seen by cameras. The wire won’t make a noise when unlocked, but remember that the purse will have another hard tag on it. Associates are not allowed to let a customer walk around with a purse so make sure to conceal it (unless you can pull off acting like you own it!). You could walk in with a jacket over your arm and after you get the purse, you can simply put it under the jacket on your arm!

Employees will look for these signs (alert signals):

Looking for cameras.

Group of 2+ entering together then splitting up, or one of them distracting an SA and the rest stealing.

Lingering.

Quickly grabbing items, not looking at size or price.

Empty bag, backpack, stroller, purse, etc.

Tugging or looking at hard tags/security devices.

Being overly friendly or avoiding associates.

Looking nervous.

Full carts (walk out).

CSing techniques:

Asking to hold your items at the fitting room/front desk.

Eye contact.

Commenting on merchandise that you’ve selected.

Offering a cart.

Checking back in with you.

ONLY LP CAN STOP YOU. Associates/managers are NOT allowed to hint that they know you’re shoplifting, or stop you. All they can do is deter.

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