I recently had an ask pop in my box asking for tips on lifting from a couple stores. I see a lot of new lifters spamming the inboxes of the community with the same “how do I life xxx from xxx store?” rephrased a few different ways. So let me break down my NUMBER ONE TIP: SCOPING.
SCOPE OUT THE STORE BEFORE YOU LIFT FROM THERE. SCOPE OUT THE STORE BEFORE YOU LIFT FROM THERE. SCOPE OUT THE STORE BEFORE - - are you comprehending what I am trying to say?
What does it mean to scope out a store?
“Scoping” is a verb that shortens “look around the store for cameras without looking suspicious, and all in all figuring out if and when you can get away with lifting at said location.”
Why should I scope out a store?
Lifting is a CRIME. I will not sugar coat it. If you lift anything from a store you are a CRIMINAL, regardless of being a minor or not. There are more ways to mess up a lift than there are to successfully lift from a store. Plain and simple. When you scope out a store you are deciding what places are best to conceal items, where to avoid, what you can reasonably lift, and how to scamper from the store in a calm manner in the shortest time and distance possible. This is useful if for whatever reason you have to halt your lift and get out of the store. Scoping also aids your confidence when you lift. If you know what to do ahead of time, you will be faster and more intelligent with your choices.
I see tips for lifting from XXX all of the time. Can’t I follow their guide and be fine?
Yes and no. Yes, tips are great! Yes, tips are fun! Tips are amazing resources to give you ideas. Yet there is nothing pragmatic about reading tips. No two stores have the same layout. I have three Ulta locations in my area. Ulta does not magically build new buildings for every location so they can look exactly the same with the exact same layout. In this case, Ulta works with the existing building structure to create their store layout. Just because Ulta doesn’t have a camera in the high end foundations at one location, does NOT mean the other two Ulta’s in my area ALSO have no cameras in the same section. Based on building structure and shrink (or items lost/stolen), cameras, two-way mirrors, motion sensors and monitors are in different spots at every store. When someone gives tips about where cameras are located they are only giving a generalization based on THEIR knowledge of ONLY THE LOCATIONS THEY HAVE ENTERED.
How do I scope out a store?
This is a complex question, so forgive me if I ramble. I will take you step by step as to how I scope out a store.
NEVER scope out a store on the same day you plan to lift from the store. Try to plan it out at least a week in advance. I don’t care if you are a minor and your mommy has to drive you everywhere. If you want to seriously take these tip posts to heart, you will scope the area BEFORE you lift, on a day where you are NOT planning to lift.
Use the store location to your advantage. If it is located inside a mall, wall down the hallway and glance through the store windows to locate any cameras nearby the doors. Sometimes you can clearly see all of the camera locations especially in smaller store locations. If there is seating outside the windows, sit in the chairs, sip on a Starbucks, text or talk on the phone, and continue to study the store through the windows. If it is located outdoors in a stand alone building are there any windows you can stand outside? Slip on your sunglasses as being outside in the sun is a perfectly normal reason to wear them, but it also hides your eyes from where they are looking if they are a dark enough tint. Chat on the phone while doing this so you aren’t just standing. Be creative but believable with your conversations. You are waiting for a friend, you are waiting for a ride, you got a call from your boss about work, you were on your way inside when a friend called you for help with a school assignment, or you just wanted to clarify something with a friend. Use this time to hunt for security: cameras, mirrors, SAs (sales associates), bear traps, etc.
Enter the store. If you are greeted be cordial, but do not spill into a long story about how you are just looking around and isn’t it such a nice day and oh look at all of these cameras. Spend your time browsing the store as if you are shopping normally. Depending on the merchandise, read the labels, compare products, search for an ingredient or two that you don’t understand, take a picture of the product, sniff them, lick them. While you are doing this search every. damn. aisle. Walk up and down each aisle as if you are just looking around at the different products and killing time. (A lot of people walk up and down every aisle if you like to people watch or stalk other shoppers for fun.)
MEANWHILE, meaning while doing step two and browsing the products, be on the look out for more cameras. Even if they are dome cameras and they look incredibly fake, assume they are real. There are companies that make horribly cheap cameras that are easily mistaken as fake cameras, and you would not be the first person caught on film because you made the mistake. Keep an eye out for mirrors.
MEANWHILE, meaning while doing step two and step three, be on the look out for mirrors. Assume all mirrors are two-way mirrors, meaning to you it looks like a normal mirror but if someone stands on the other side it looks like a window and they can see your every action. Most people overlook mirrors, and it gets them into trouble. I have seen people IN PERSON, walk up to a mirror until they are practically on top of it, and thinking no one can see them from the angle they are standing, conceal items in front of the mirror. Then LP or a manager waltzes in and confronts the shoplifter in question. Mirrors are dangerous. SAs can see you from certain angles and it is best to avoid them. If they witness you take and conceal an object (and walk past the point of sale) it is grounds for loss prevention to have them assist in filing a report.
MEANWHILE, BE AWARE OF SAs! (Do you see how this “meanwhile” stuff makes this post very long and probably somewhat confusing when someone asks be to simply break down scoping out a store?) How many SAs are there? Where are the SAs located? How attentive are the SAs? Are they greeting everyone within ten feet or within twenty feet of their presence? Perhaps ask questions about products to several different SAs? Are the SAs earnestly concerned and are trying to help or do they seem pretty disinterested? If you drop your phone on the floor in the same aisle as an SA do they notice or are they too busy working on a project? The more obtuse the staff is, the more likely you can get away with stealing more volume or stealing more cumbersome items.
MEANWHILE, be on the look out for customers. Assume anyone in plain clothes is a member of their loss prevention department OR a vigilant citizen looking for an opportunity to relive their football days and tackle someone. I don’t care if it is a ten year old boy running up and down the aisles while his mother chases after him, or if it is a somber looking granny who is holding onto her shopping cart to keep herself upright. Anyone can snitch, anyone can be LP, anyone can tackle you (Never know - Granny could be doing Cross-Fit four times a week and skydives on the weekends) and therefore ANYONE can get you into trouble. How many customers are in the store? Where do customers like to congregate?
MEANWHILE, be on the look out for exit doors. If you need to make a speedy escape later on how many options do you have? Are there emergency exit doors? Does the door have a label warning of a time lock or a ten second delay?
Mentally make note of the blind spots you have discovered. Hell, you can open up your phone and jot them down - after all, you will look like you are texting. For craft stores check the fabric aisles and the seasonal aisles. Not many people steal an entire bolt of fabric so usually the only cameras in that section are focused on the cutting table where it is easier to stuff small pieces of fabric. Also, not too many people are looking to lift a wreath covered in Easter bunnies and carrots. For clothing stores I usually go the mens department as they are not monitored as heavily. I will even use the mens fitting rooms if I can. They are less busy, usually unattended, and if you are questioned as to why you waltzed into them if you are not a man, there are a billion excuses. You couldn’t find the fitting room for women, the other rooms were full, the other rooms were dirty, this was closer and you really need to find a restroom but wanted to try things on first. For grocery stores I usually locate the aisle with instant noodles and other prepared goods. Not too many people WANT to steal packets of Maruchan Ramen.
ATTEMPT TO GO OUT THE DOORS LABELED “ENTRANCE” when you leave. If there are two sets of doors, of course. I do this to test if the doors have motion sensors on the inside. If someone tries to block your exit during a lift, you confidently know you have another option. Or if someone is sent to the front to ask to check your bag as you leave, usually they assume you will go out the exit and not the entrance.
This is also a great time to play around with how you dress. If you are unsure of the store’s clientele base (meaning what kind of customers walk into their store to shop) you can experiment now. Can you get away with jeans and flats? Is it time to break out the five in heels and an all black designer outfit? Is that MK bag too noticeable? Will a bag from Kohls or F21 look out of place? Try your options then, rather than when you lift. If you need to make several trips to try out several outfits because you are getting negative responses then please do that. It is better to find outfit options that send you under the radar with SAs than something that sticks out. There are plenty of amazing outfit posts out there in this community.
A week or so later, feel free to hit the store. You now know where to conceal without cameras or SAs breathing down your neck! Now you can put into play all of those tips you read about concealing.
I would like to finish my post with two golden rules and an advisory.
First rule of lifting is SCOPE SCOPE SCOPE.
Second rule of lifting is DROP IT LIKE IT’S HOT if you feel uneasy or are sensed by staff or customers, and get out of the store.
Remember, LIFTING is a CRIME. Just because we usually call it “lifting” does not make it different than “stealing”. They are synonyms. They are the same damn thing. Lifting is stealing and both make you a criminal regardless of age.
People will tell you that stealing will lead to employees being fired. While this is not directly true at most retail companies, understand that by stealing you may cause employees to burst into flames. Repeat, employees may have to be set on fire. We are basically arsonists that like to collect pretty things.
