TARGET INFO STRAIGHT FROM LP
***Okay, so this was submitted to me by a lovely follower of mine, prior Target AP!! Eat up babies!!***
Ok, so! A good way to start is to find out if AP (as it’s called at Target) is actually working. Target is very stingy on its AP staffing (the only exception being Black Friday - Jan 15) , so there is usually only 1 AP team member there at any time, and they come in at 3pm, give or take an hour. Occasionally, there’s only opening AP on Fridays, Saturdays, and sometimes Sundays.
I worked at the highest volume, highest shrink store in my state, and the AP hours were like that, so I would be amazed if any other store had more than 1 AP scheduled at any given time. If you’re not sure, call the store early in the morning. Block your number before calling. Ask to speak to AP. The operator will literally not ask questions, if they are not there, the operator will tell you lmao. We would get a lot of calls from PD and other stores in the surrounding area, and even people who lost their belongings in our store calling us, so this is VERY commonplace.
The reason I advise to find out if AP is even there at all is because they are the ONLY ones who can call the police.
- There is a very strict no-chase, especially for non-AP team members. If team members even literally see you steal, if AP is not in the store, the team member will walkie-talkie whoever the ETL (Executive Team Leader) is on the floor and the ETL will just say, “Sorry, we dont have AP” and that’s that. Seriously.
- If you are seeking to score a high-dollar electronics item, you’ll need to go right when freight is pushed. At my store, it was 12:30, 3:00, 4:00, and then 5:00 was the last batch. The backroom team member will push the freight in a cart over to electronics, and the electronics team member is the one who puts spider wraps/shell cases on stuff and then puts it all away on the floor.
-Your store might be different, but if you ever overhear on the walkie “It’s time for the 3:00 CAFS!” You’ll know to expect that freight is going to be pushed soon. The electronics team member is usually the only one over in that area, so they may be doing other stuff when the freight is brought to them and may not get to it for some time. Be quick though.
-The freight is not secured in any way, although sometimes it is placed in a flimsy box inside of a cart so as not to have a shiny new untagged XBOX screaming “take me” to the whole world.
-Also, check to see if cases have been left unlocked. The cases are quite old because target never upgrades anything even when it’s broken and sometimes the cases do not lock all the way, or the electronics team member just forgets lol. Doesn’t hurt to discreetly check. Bonus: If it’s behind a locked case, and there’s no spider-wrap on it, it’s good to go. No source tagging.
-The only thing that I can think of in that whole store that is actually source tagged is perfumes, and just the ones in the plastic hardshells.
-Now to on concealment/tags.
I dont particularly advise on-the-floor because even if AP doesnt see you, a lot of customers like to play hero and tattle for some reason lol. But anyways! A lot of people prefer home/bath/decor to do their concealing. Unfortunately, this is usually not a good place because AP does watch those sections because they are typically placed right by beauty. We would find empty packages over there all the time (Dumb dumb dumb! Always take the packaging with you after inspecting thoroughly for tags! beauty is not source tagged and if it is tagged at all, it’s spider-wrapped, so you can tell)
Empty packages are scanned out after they are found, but they are noted with the aisle and exact shelving location, and the date and time it was found, placed in a bin, and then AP would review video when they got spare time and would see who took the item and then went to that aisle.
-Target saves pictures of people, but doesnt usually do anything with that info unless you’re doin stupid shit like that frequently enough to have your photo brought up frequently as well.
The best section for on the floor concealing, in my opinion, is seasonal. (Right now it has the Easter candy and picnic tables and garden hoses and shit over there lol) Limited cameras in that section, even though at my store it was next to electronics.
It’s just not a high-shrink area of the stores.
****Pharmacy restroom is NOT a good place to conceal! Usually right by beauty, it is heavily watched! For some reason this was a lot of peoples’ favorite place, but they almost always got caught!****
-Dressing rooms are ideal. Operators (yes, they also answer the phone) are instructed to count, but usually don’t. Get a feel for the operator first. Are they taking your stuff and counting it? Are they even counting at all? Are they even at the desk? (Sometimes, due to short staffing, they are forced to put the phone on overhead mode and then just put clothes away. If the fitting room is unmanned, have fun, but be careful, the entrance to the fitting area is almost always on camera.
-Operators are supposed to do sweeps in every room every hour, on the :00 mark, but usually they forget. I actually did not know about taping tags to the underside of the benches and stuff like that until i found the lifting blogs, but I would be wary of doing that because other targets may know about this. Target clothing is not tagged, with the exception being an expensive winter coat or the spring designer collection. The thing about tags at target, is that they are intended to be visible if they are on the item at all, in an attempt to deter you from trying in the first place.