Many of you have asked about my method of acquiring designer purses. I’d told everyone to ask me privately, and have since then failed to respond to all of my DMs because, well, I was in jail, and afterwards I was naturally somewhat bitter and reluctant to return to tumblr, as I didn’t feel comfortable talking about what had happened to me, nor did I want to see everyone’s pretty hauls, since I knew I would kick myself for having made such stupid mistakes which have now deprived me of the courage/ ability to lift such nice things for myself. I’m sure you can all understand. But now that I’m alright and feel that I can handle myself I’m very happy to be back. Rather than answering everyone’s DMs individually, I’ve decided to post this publicly, since I have nothing left to lose. Additionally, I should clarify that I was NOT caught lifting purses. I’ll go over my arrest in a separate post. I’m not saying that this method is fool proof, but I have yet to have any issues executing it.
Let me start off by saying that I derived some of the basic techniques I’m about to explain to you from an entirely separate post I found on here many months ago. I can’t remember who posted it, so unfortunately, I cannot credit whoever originally shared some of this information. The post I’m referring to went over techniques for lower end bags, from stores like Target, H&M, and Francesca’s, if I remember correctly. I’ve had success at Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, and Macy’s (though I advise everyone to stay FAR AWAY from here, PLEASE).
YOU WILL NEED 2 SHOPPING BAGS. A coat is optional. While a hook/ magnet will help, this can be done with wire cutters as well. On more than one occasion, I’ve seen purses with no tags at all. I personally advise doing this at Nordstrom, as they don’t hook their purses to displays requiring an SA to unlock it (as Macy’s does). Nordstrom will typically use a small white pencil tag requiring a MAGNET or wire cutters, Bloomingdales and Macy’s alike will typically use tags that require a HOOK or wire cutters. If you have neither, SOME tags (usually the white pencil ones) can be removed by placing the tag on a hook in the dressing room (so that the purse is suspended), and twisting hard enough to pop the tag off. I do not recommend this, as it takes too long in my opinion. If you have access to scissors, you CAN REMOVE THESE TAGS. It will take some time, but it is possible. You start by cutting through the plastic coating. Once you get to the wire, do NOT attempt to simply cut through the entire thing, because it will not work. You will notice that, rather than being one large wire, it is actually composed of many small ones. Maneuver your scissors between the wires, separating 2-3 from the entire bunch. Use a good amount of force with the scissors and it will cut through them. Work your way through the bundle of wires until you’ve cut through them all, and you’re done. Just be VERY cautious of SA’s and try not to make too much noise. Also, be careful with the wires, as they’re very sharp once they’ve been cut. They’ll both scrape you and stick to clothing.
Alright, so in most department stores, the purse section is located on the first floor. Start off with your two shopping bags on the crook of your arm. Make your way over and pick out whichever purse you would like. Obviously make sure that you do not already have a purse on you, which would look super sus. Additionally, make sure that no SAs are watching you as you physically pick up the purse. They are quite attentive, and I have reason to believe they may make commission, so if they believe you’re interested in purchasing the specific purse you’re trying to lift, not only will they customer service you to death/ offer to hold it at the register for you, but they will also be sus of you when that purse goes missing. So, when no one is looking (or at least no employees), pick up the purse and place it on the crook of your arm, in front of your two shopping bags. Casually leave the purse department and make your way to the escalator. More often than not, the dressing rooms will be on the second floor, which is where you’ll be heading next.
This next step is the one that I find to be the most important of all, it could make or break it entirely. It is crucial to wait until you are at least mostly out of view of the cameras. Usually, once you’re half way up the escalator, it’s pretty hard for any cameras or SAs to see you. Quickly and discreetly, move your purse and shopping bags around so that the purse rests in between the two shopping bags, in the crook of your arm. It sometimes helps to have a sweater draped over your arm/ bags, as to better conceal the purse. Once you’re on the second floor, shop around a little. Grab various articles of clothing to try on, making sure you grab at least one article (a coat, pants, etc.) with pockets to leave the tag in. Head to the dressing room, untag as you please, and discard the tag in a pair of pants/ coats/ etc. If you’re going to lift any clothes along with your purse, I advise concealing them in the purse that you’re lifting. Why? Because if something goes wrong, or you get a bad feeling, it allows you to ditch ALL of the merch at once, simply by leaving the purse. If this is what you are doing, remove some (or all) of the stuffing inside of the purse and put it in one of your shopping bags, but whatever you do, DO NOT leave it behind in the dressing room. Once you’re ready to leave, place your bags and purse on the crook of your arm once again (with the purse concealed between the two bags), drape your coat back over your arm if you please. Do NOT hand the article of clothing with the discarded tag to an SA. If they ask about it/ offer to hold it at the register for you, just say it’s a “maybe” and that you “want to hold on to it so that you can find some other pieces to match it”. Shop around a little more, putting the article of clothing with the extra tag back where you found it (not at the front of the rack), and then make your way to an exit. I advise parking close to an exit, but not too close (you don’t want LP taking down your plate numbers) and not in sight of a camera (for the same reason).
As you’re about to exit, take note of your surroundings. LP will generally be dressed in plain clothes as normal shoppers. They will always have some form of communication with one another (typically a phone). If anyone seems to be following you while constantly on their phone, they may be on to you. LP will not stop you until you’ve exited the store. This means, if they ARE on to you, they will be waiting outside of the exit for you. If you see anything like this, I advise dropping the purse and coming back another day. This has never happened to me while lifting purses, but this IS what happened to me when I got caught lifting other things (once again, making dumb mistakes and not taking my own advice). I saw the guy before I left the store, and had second thoughts/ almost turned back, but I didn’t, and I’m kicking myself for it now.
Once you’re out, I advise putting the purse/ other lifted things in you trunk, as police cannot search your trunk or glovebox (if it’s locked) without a warrant. And that’s that! If anyone has any further questions I’d be happy to answer them. And as I said before, I’ll be making a separate post about how I got caught, in hopes of potentially helping everyone avoid some of the mistakes I unfortunately made that night. Stay safe lovelies ~
