LIFTING 101: How to Look, How to Act
Sorry guys, this is a long one!
BIGGEST TIP: Act as if you have the full intention of buying something: Convince yourself that you are in fact about to spend your hard earned money. Look at prices, look at sizes. Do you see a sale rack? Gravitate towards it as if you are keen on getting the best deal. Just picture how you act when you are actually planning on buying things and mimic that.
Smile!! Act friendly!: This is another big one. Store associates usually don’t suspect the ones who look as if they didn’t have it in them to steal anything, and on the off chance that you do get caught, always act nice, innocent and apologetic. If you display to the SAs that you are a clean cut, nice, rich person that they are much less likely to follow or suspect you, and are more likely to be more lenient if you get caught.
Light, clean makeup (unless going to Sephora or Ulta): This also relates to the tip mentioned above. You don’t want to draw any attention to yourself. You do not want to have dark, gothic make up or bright colored eyeshadow or anything like that when you are lifting. You want to keep your look as clean and boring as possible.
Wear hair away from face: This seems counterintuitive but I’ve personally noticed a difference regarding this. SAs will be more wary of someone who has heavy bangs or hair in their face. By pulling your hair back into a high ponytail or plain headband you are silently saying “Hey, I have no problem showing my face. I’m confident.” Remember, the goal is not to exit the store without being apprehended. The goal is to leave without anyone even knowing something has been taken. Therefore, if you have done your job, there should be no risk if your face is fully exposed.
No statement accessories: Again, you do not want to bring any unnecessary attention to yourself. No cat earrings, no chunky necklaces, NO LOUD BRACELETS, no patterned tights. Outfits that I usually wear to go lifting (in the warmer months) are a pair of skinny jeans (rolled up to right above the ankle), black leather flip flops, a cream blouse, and a thin gold necklace. You want to look put together, but not flashy.
Wear clothing that is in season and tight!: This will help keep you from standing out or being suspected. If you’re carrying a small bag and wearing fitted clothes, where could you possibly be hiding anything? If you go into a Walmart wearing a huge sweatshirt in the middle of the summer, the employees will already have a reason to suspect that you may be a shoplifter so make sure you don’t give them a reason to pay attention to you.
Don’t carry a large bag (tote can be fine, try and invest in a bag that is much bigger on the inside than it looks from the outside): Get a cute bag that looks small. I have this purple Kate Spade purse that looks very small from the outside but I’ve fitted 3 books, 4 pairs of leggings, a t shirt, and 3 bras inside all while having it still look normal from the outside. Huge bags draw attention, but you can probably get away with carrying a large tote bag so long as it looks expensive and/or has a brand name prominently displayed.
Wear accessories on only one hand to draw attention to it, use the other hand to take and conceal (works best for concealing small items): The eye is drawn to sparkly things! Wear rings and paint the nails a bright color on only one hand. Use this hand to pick up and put back items that you aren’t going to lift; use the other boring hand to discreetly take items and slip them into your bag. If all goes well, even if someone is watching you, their eyes will be drawn to the flashier hand.
Don’t take quick glances around at people and/or cameras: This makes you look very VERY SUS. This has been said a million times and I can’t stress this enough but look for cameras ONLY with your eyes! Don’t move your head, don’t quickly whip around if you hear a sound. Movement draws attention, which is exactly what we don’t want. If you hear someone walking behind you as you’re concealing, stay calm and act as if you are doing nothing out of the ordinary. You must convince yourself that you aren’t doing anything wrong so as to convince others watching you of the same.
Act calmly, don’t fidget, consciously slow your movements: If you are a person who acts strangely when nervous, YOU SHOULD NOT BE LIFTING. I cannot stress this enough; the most important defense you have against being sus is your demeanor! Radiate tranquility babes, if that means taking a bubble bath right before lifting do it! Don’t walk too quickly, don’t jump, don’t fidget with your hands.
Don’t spend too much time handling the item you’re planning on lifting: This just gives LP more time to see you with that piece of merchandise and more time for them to become suspicious of what you’re planning on doing with it, especially if they see you leave the store without buying it!! Take the item, and conceal as soon as you possibly can.
And that’s all for now! Hopefully something here helped someone, these are all pretty general but they’re good especially for people who are just starting out! Shoot me a message if you have any questions and I’ll try to answer them as best I can!