The Lift-Witch complete and comprehensive guide on how to lift without a magnet or hook
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
If I missed anything out feel free to add relevant and informative tips, no falsies please xxx
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