$M-MONEY$

Just a few pieces of advice about being aware of your surroundings

- When you enter a store, is there a person standing at the entrance? Is it a greeter, LP or just some random person who happens to stand there? If there’s someone, I personally always remember their face for when I exit the store, and I always try to exit when they’re walking or looking away for a bit.

- When you’re browsing, is someone watching you? Not just people in uniform, is anyone watching you, or seemingly following you around? Could be nothing, could be plain-clothed LP.

- Trust your gut. If you feel like you’re being watched, you probably are. If you’re in a store where you lift frequently and you feel like you’re being watched, ditch it. SAs aren’t stupid, they’ll remember someone who comes in all the time but never buys anything.

- When you’re done and on your way towards the exit, take a moment to see, VERY DISCRETELY, if someone is following you. DO NOT keep looking behind you, that is super sus. Just maybe stop by a shelf near the exit and act like “oh I hadn’t seen this shirt here, better take a quick look before I leave”, or glance in a mirror, pretend to check your hair, if there are any. Don’t linger, just take a moment to see if someone’s following you or pointing at you.

- If there was no one standing at the entrance when you came in, but there’s someone standing there now, I would ditch it. Especially if you’re in a store you lift from a lot. Since LP are not allowed to stop you inside the store (you could still be on your way to pay) and often not allowed to stop you too far outside the store, they’ll try to stop you in the doorway just as you’re leaving. If this person is staring at you, don’t even try, they know. 

Okay so after a week of talking to my friend and a bit of “convincing” this is what I managed to find out about employee policies:

Cameras are not actively watched unless the manager is just super bored - if there’s a manager on the floor you’re good to go. He also said something about the cameras not being a full streaming device but “pictures in 15 second intervals”??? IDK - assume you’re always on camera.

If there’s evidence something has been stolen (open package, clearly missing from display) they will check the cameras and identify who that person is. If it’s a regular they will try to remember to question them about it the next time they come in. If you’re caught on camera concealing more than once, a picture of you is printed out and hung up in the break room. BLIND SPOTS PEOPLE.

The most stolen items: electronic toothbrushes, crackers (wtflol), formula, laundry detergent, and pregnancy tests.

They also use a ton of codes to speak to other employees without alerting other customers - he said depending on the store some of these could differ.

IC3 - (literally I See Three) when there’s 3 or more people waiting to checkout with only one open register they use this code to call another cashier  6 - someone needs to cover the register because the employee needs a bathroom break or is about to go on break 10 - something with the restroom (if they need to be unlocked/cleaned for a customer) 20 - voided sale at a register (needs manager for key) 30 - return  (needs manager for key)  40 - change needed at a register (no customer is waiting) 44 - register pickup (I think this means when someone ordered something through site-to-store pickup) 45 - alcohol - manager needs to come to checkout because current cashier is too young to sell alcohol 50 - change needed (customer is waiting for their change) 60 - too much cash in the register 66 - manager needs to open safe for armored trucks 99 - AWARE OF SHOPLIFTER IN STORE AND MANAGERS ARE PREPARING TO TAKE ACTION - if you hear this get the fuck out because they’re coming after you Red zone - cosmetics (Code 99 in red zone) Gold zone - electronics (Code 30 in gold zone) Code BLACK - Suspicious customer/activity. They will normally say “Code Black in Aisle 5″ if you hear this check where you are - if you happen to be where they called out DON’T PANIC! They don’t have evidence of you concealing - just being suspicious. He said this is used a lot to keep an eye out on groups of kids.  Code ADAM - missing child, stop concealing bc it’s policy that every employee must immediately stop what they’re doing and look for said child.

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

Different tags can be removed different ways, some of which I won’t go into to here only because I want these tips to be as general as possible in order to be helpful to more people. These tips will work on every tag I’ve ever encountered except 2alarm or 3alarm tags which are the physical embodiment of the devil.

These techniques are tried and tested personally by me, my favourite and most foolproof techniques are marked with an asterisk(*).

Do not read this expecting some miracle technique, this is all just common sense. Also do not try these all in one go, work on each technique one by one and polish your skills to avoid getting cocky or sloppy.

Sus= suspicious, getting caught or being close “Don’t act sus” “security looked super sus” “I hope they don’t sus me out” “I think my mum has sussed out where all these new things are coming from”

*IMPORTANT INFO TO REMEMBER BEFORE DETAGGING* 1. Never detag on the shop floor, take items into the changing room and detag and conceal in your bag or under clothes in there. Sneak items into the changing room unseen by: - slipping items into your bag or pockets or down the front of your trousers or bra in a blindspot (an area where you cannot be seen by cameras, be sure that no staff or customers can see you either) - dumping an open, mostly empty shopping bag below a rail of clothes then subtlety dropping clothes on the hanger into the bag in a blindspot (this one requires super awareness of who can and can’t see you behind your back, very dangerous and not for rookies) when you then pick up this bag be sure to cover the opening of it with your jacket or clothes which you wish to take into the changing room - slipping small items into the pockets of a coat or pair of jeans that you’ll then take into the changing room (stick to things like small wallets and jewellery that are found within or near the clothing section, it will look weird if you are carrying a big coat around the electronics) - *hanging more than one item on a hanger is the easiest and most fool proof way of getting items into the changing room to detag. Grab something chunky and something long, like a floaty dress and and a chunky cardigan or jacket, then hang what ever you want on the neckline of one of the items, you can also hang things on the back loops of jeans, the loop sometimes found on the inside of jacket or a looped label. A few things to watch out for: jackets may fall off the hanger due to the extra weight and reveal your concealment, and make you look nervous and sus, you can avoid this by closing up the jacket, this will also hide the item hung on the jackets loop far better. And make sure to pass a mirror before entering the changing rooms to check if you have any hangers sticking out and hold something against yourself as if you’re checking to make sure it suits you so you don’t look sus. Also if the fitting room attendant takes the items off of you and find the double hung items you can just act dumb and say “oh I knew I had more items” “oops sorry I forgot I was making an outfit” it sounds out of the ordinary but it’s never not worked for me. 2. Some paper tags and barcode stickers have RFID tags hidden inside, these can be deactivated by making a tear which ruins the electronic signal, but I prefer to be leave these behind inside the pockets of jeans or a coat. 3. Always take a pair of jeans or a coat with lots of pockets I to the changing room to hide all your tags in, I find a coat is best because you can hang hangers inside to make more space inside your bag which looks less sus and leaves more room for more stolen goods. A coat isn’t always available though or looks sus in the summer but jeans are stocked year round so is a safe bet. Always remember to take anything that you left tags inside back out to the shop floor and dump somewhere messy in the store or back where you found it, never give it to the changing room attendant! If they find the tags it will be almost impossible to talk your way out of it. 4. Ink tags are not there as a deterrent, they are never fake and do contain ink that will stain your skin and your clothes if it is broken open and it will break open if you are too rough and you will be caught for sure. You need to be super careful with ink tags, super super careful. 5. Do not over stuff your bags, you might as well write “shoplifter” across your forehead in day glow glitter if you’re gonna walk around with a over stuffed bag.

Okay detagging techniques: 1. *Yank the tag, just yank it. Pull the fabric taut and yank the tag itself firmly until there is a rip in the fabric big enough to pull the tag through. Be careful not to pull too hard and make a big, suspicious noise and a big ugly hole. With ink tags you’re better to hold the tag at the edge, and yank softly but firmly, if you keep your hands on the sides it shouldn’t break. 2. Using a seam ripper to make a hole big enough to pull the tag through, get the seam ripper as close to the pin that hold the tag on the garment as possible and dig the point I to the hole made by the pin and push forward softly to rip the fabric. A seam ripper is a tiny metal tool, sort of like a two pronged fork with a razor between the prongs, it is used for ripping out bad seams believe it or not but works just as well on fabrics. Keep your seam ripper inside a small sowing kit inside your bag so that if you get searched you can say you just carry it as part of the kit in case of a wardrobe malfunction, this will get you a far more lenient punishment than if you were caught with the seam ripper on its own. You can find these in any haberdashers and most craft stores. 3. A small pair of nail scissors is also good for digging at the hole made by the pin to make a big enough gap for the tag to come through. Again carry it inside a small nail care kit with nail files and polish and things so you cannot be charged with “going equipped” to steal. 4. A craft knife does the same job but if you are found carrying these around it could look super weird so I’d suggest not carrying these or cutting a small slit in the lining of your handbag and slipping it in there. 5. Plant clippers or socateurs with a thin set of blades will easily cut through tag pins and wires but make a loud sus sound when they snip and could get you caught. Also are much harder to explain or hide than a craft knife, I’d suggest hiding in the handbag lining and only carry them if you truly 100% need them.

Hiding your tags DO NOT LEAVE THEM BEHIND IN THE CHANGING ROOM this is how most shoplifters got caught when I worked in retail. You must hide them and there are a few ways to do this: 1. Take the tags with you and hide them in the pockets of jackets and jeans as you walk about, this is super dangerous and should only be done if the other three methods are impossible. 2. *Hide tags inside the pockets of a jacket or pair of jeans or anything with pockets that you brought into the changing room with you, when you leave do not give the item with hidden tags to the changing room attendant, take it with you and out it so wwheres messy or back where you found it so that the tags will not be found until you are long gone. 3. Tape tags to the bottom of the changing room stool, be careful because the tape might make noise when you peel it and the tag could be found as you leave, fairly risky. 4. If the changing room dividers are thick enough you can reach up and set the tag on top of it. I have been back to shops I did this to a year ago and the tags are still there covered in dust ahahah be careful not to drop the tags I to other changing rooms or too near the door where someone might see your hand.

NOW PLEASE FOR MY SANITY STOP WITH THE ROOKIE ASS QUESTIONS

I worked there in 2015, in a higher-income, low-shrink area with an older store SO take all of this with a grain of salt, but…

Go wild. Buy something small one day at the Walgreens you’re not planning on lifting from and keep the bag and receipt. Go to your target store during pharmacy hours, hiding the bag in your purse or whatever. Browse around, filling a hand basket, then run to the restroom and conceal in that Walgreens bag. Then you can just walk on out, even waving the receipt to the cashier, and they’ll just assume you checked out at the pharmacy!

Bonus points if you can get a prescription envelope to shove in the front of the bag.

Otherwise, it should be really easy for you to just conceal in a random blind spot - probably in the toy or home cleaning aisle. AVOID CONCEALING IN BEAUTY AT ALL COSTS, the beauty advisor will have an eye on you to make a sale. Make sure to use the “take 2, put 1 back” method because the beauty advisor/cashiers will probably keep an eye on you when you’re in beauty/hair in general, but not THAT close an eye. Watch for mirrors by the ceiling, also, and narc-y old people. But cashiers won’t give a shit, the only people who can act as LP are managers, and typically you can spot them from a mile away in their grey vests. We had a no-chase, no-accuse, hands-off policy. RIFDs were generally really easy to spot and peel off and I never encountered hidden tags or anything. We couldn’t ask you to come back in if you beeped so we often waves people through, if you were to stop we could only check your Walgreens bag (so if you use the first method make SURE you don’t have any RFIDs!)

Everything people have said before is true

No cameras anywhere, they’re literally against company policy. People steal shit all the time, but we’re always doing things so we never notice. And even if we do, we’re not allowed to confront you because the company doesn’t want a lawsuit.

before i sleep, i’m going to type out some things i collected from lift-pros who have deactivated their blogs and adopted into my own routine! i’ll just detail my routine and try to give a few tips at the end so that the newer lifters can have some of the wisdom of those who have left us.

routine: 

whenever i go lifting, i always bring a medium sized purse and a large shopping bag. i gently fold the shopping bag and put it inside of my purse. other than this, i’ll bring:

my magnet and hook (i hide them inside of these hidden zippers in my purse) {some lifters use scissors. same goes.}

a wallet with a decent amount of money (if i have it) in case i get caught 

earphones (personal preference, but i find that music calms me and makes me look nonchalant. sometimes i won’t even listen to anything so that i can appear occupied, but actually be attentively listening around me.)

when i enter my first store, i’ll browse around, examining fabric, price tags, comparing clothes to my body in the mirrors. this is useful for concealing. if you conceal an item of clothing in another, mirrors are so good for checking if you can see it. just look as if you’re checking our your appearance. 

try to take some items without hangers, so that you can put those items onto hangers when you have extras. 

once i’ve taken a couple items i want along with some larger items with pockets (jeans, overalls, collared shirts) i’ll go to a changing room. if an attendant asks me how many items i have, i’ll lie and say 2 less than what i have. if they physically count the items, then i’ll probably only steal one item. if no one gives a shit, then still, don’t be too careless about stealing items. there’s still video cameras. 

***MAKE SURE not to steal a boldly printed/colored item that’s showing in your pile of clothing or the first item that you’re holding. they’ll probably notice it’s gone, or at least there’s a greater risk. ***

in the changing room, i’ll probably take my shoes off so i don’t look suspicious from underneath the curtain. and if the curtain doesn’t fully close, i ALWAYS hold it closed with my body as i detag. a lady once walked in on me as i was detagging and i nearly had a heart attack, thankfully she didn’t see anything. 

after i take the tags off of the items i want, i’ll put the tags into or onto the clothes i don’t want. DOUBLE CHECK FOR TAGS PLEASE!!!! THERE’S CHANCES OF EXTRA HARD AND SOFT TAGS. i’ll put the clothes i detagged in my purse. if i don’t have space, i might wear the item of clothing if it’s small and unnoticeable. when i exit the changing room, i’ll most likely leave one item that has been untouched on the rack outside of the changing room. 

PLEASE MAKE SURE NOT TO LEAVE THE ITEM WITH THE EXTRA TAGS ON OR IN IT ON THE RACK OR WITH THE ATTENDANT the attendant will be touching these items the soonest and it’s pretty sketchy when a tag falls out of a pocket or if there’s an extra on there. 

i usually take the items with the tags and bring them back out to the store, if i’m not lazy i’ll put it back where it came from. i always try to put it in the middle of the rack.

then i exit the store, trying to look calm. 

so you probably noticed i haven’t mentioned the shopping bags yet. this isn’t what everyone does, but i always head to the bathroom and put the clothes i stole into the bag. it works for me because i can’t necessarily pull off walking into my mall with a bag in hand, but if you want to start off with the bag, just put something thin and dark inside the bag to put on top of the clothes you stole. just in case. 

then i hit up other stores! except at these other stores, i can put the clothes i take into the shopping bag.

tips: 

1. always double check for tags on the clothing. this is a given, but really, you have to check for any kind of tag. you might have gotten the hard tag off, but there could still be a soft tag somewhere, or some other lifter could’ve left a tag somewhere. hold up the price tags and clothing tags up to the light and look for chips and shit.

2. HIDE your tools. please. hide them. if the LP sees your tools, you’ll get punished so much harder because you were shoplifting with the intent.

3. DON’T RUN!!! don’t run. if you run, well, it depends on store policy. but if you run, they might tackle you or call the police or some shit.

4. if you don’t have a good feeling about a place, drop the shit and get out. seriously. get out. leave the mall if you have to. give it a little time before you return. just don’t risk it. no item is worth a record, especially since we’re all young with our futures ahead of us.

5. find somewhere to put your tags. don’t be careless. i’ve seen people just leave the tags in the changing room, it’s not necessarily traceable but it draws attention to the fact that shoplifting is prevalent in the store. what i’ve found is putting them inside of purses, pockets is effective. and of course, retagging clothing as well. i usually tag the inner tag on the seam of the clothing. 

6. always be nice to the SA. if they talk to you, they’re just doing their job and being polite. but if they’re following you around a little too closely, they’re probably suspicious of you. 

7. dress appropriately for the store. this is also a given, but don’t wear shit like black hoodies and sweatpants, cause you probably look like a lifter who wants to wear clothing out of the store. also, i recommend changing your appearance up a little.

8. don’tttt please don’t go to one store too much and never buy anything. give it some time. if an store attendant asks, i like to say that i’m just trying on things and i’m going to tell my mom what i want so we can come back. also, don’t always go at like 4:00 on a tuesday. change it up, so you catch different employees at different shifts. 

9. don’t grab a shitton of stuff and then steal a large portion of it. for me it’s usually: stealing one item for every four pieces i grab, two if the SA’s aren’t nearby or paying attention, or if i concealed really well.  

10. you don’t NEED to buy a small thing to alleviate suspicion. i understand the logic, but honestly i’d just get out of the store. don’t stay longer than you need to. 

11. when you’re leaving, don’t rush out. walk sloow and calm like any normal shopper would. i get it. you wanna get out ASAP. but you also don’t want to be sus. fake a phone call if you must. or look at your phone. just be natural. 

12. DON’T BE AFRAID TO WASTE A DAY ON SCOUTING. lifting at a new store is very exciting but sometimes they might have something you’re not familiar with, like at zara, they will scan every single clothing item and make sure there’s a tag when you’re entering and leaving the changing room. when you scout, figure out the layout, security cameras, SA procedures

13. THIS IS REALLY USEFUL FOR ME idk if it’s useful for you but some of the stores i go to have a level for men’s wear and a level for women. often times, the changing rooms on the men’s level will have fewer people and fewer SA’s. if you feel like the SA’s on the women’s level are hardasses about the clothes in your arm, check out the men’s level. 

14. DON’T TAKE WHAT YOU DON’T NEED. don’t be greedy. this is just me, but i take only things i will actually wear. some people boost, so that’s different, but don’t be greedy. stores will probably notice a larger loss in inventory way sooner. pleaseee don’t be greedy. sometimes shoplifting is so easy you think you can get away with anything, but it’s still illegal at the end of the day. only take things you really want. i always look at store websites before hitting up stores so i have an idea of what i want and i have my limits. be smart about it. there’s a ton of big, flashy hauls on tumblr, but you don’t need to compete with others. go at your own speed. 

15. don’t ever underestimate the fact that shoplifting is still a crime. even if you’re a teenager, you’ll be punished. don’t forget that. you can still stick it to the man, just, be careful. 

other methods besides dressing room concealing:

so there’s a lot of other methods out there, especially just on the floor concealing where you put things in your bag or your sleeve. personally, it doesn’t work for me, so i’m sorry i didn’t cover it. i’m afraid of blind spots not actually being blind spots and i’m also afraid of tags. if there’s jewelry i want or something non-clothing, i’ll hide it under the clothes in my arm. this is only if the SA will not take these things from me and count them. so you need prior knowledge. anyways, a lot of jewelry i’ve seen have tags as well so be careful. i’ve taken shoes, bikinis, jewelry, socks and underwear this way ahaha i’d say it’s effective but you need to know your store.