Okay, so I do a lot of my lifting at Hot Topic. And I donât tend to see too many master posts about it. Ever. Iâve seen small stuff like the bag tips, though. So, Iâm making my own.
I lift from two Hot Topics in two different malls. Both are VERY simple. The Hot Topic thatâs larger is HT1. The Hot Topic that is smaller is HT2.
So letâs go over basics of Hot Topic.
Theyâre known for art theft. They sell band and fandom merch, as well as general âpunkâ and even cute accessories and clothes. Their minimum age to be hired is 16 so you can bet 90% of their staff is under or close to the age of 20.
Now, the general feel and atmosphere of my two Hot Topic stores:
Towers. No ceiling or pinhole cameras that Iâve observed, however, there is ONE mirror in an upper corner. Two dressing rooms, one with a bench that is larger and a smaller without. Lots of large displays and general a cramped but large store itself. Around 3 or 4 SAs on any given day, but more around holidays. Almost nothing here is tagged - Iâve only seen bracelets and a few shorts clothingwise, even then thereâs almost always an untagged duplicate, and I havenât seen any RFIDs yet.
No towers, cameras, OR mirrors. 1 dressing room. Much smaller store in general, and still very cramped with displays, several of which are tall. Theyâve made their OWN doom with the body jewelry displays blocking off the entire view of the register. You are completely hidden once behind it. 2 SAs usually, 3 during Hot Mess, one of which is almost always by the sale area since itâs usually just boxes of unsorted clothing and accessories right next to the door. (This is actually the same with HT1 as well). Nothing is tagged, since thereâs no towers to begin with.
So, in Hot Topic, the biggest thing to be wary of is probably being in plain sight. HT2âs body jewelry shelves are a good method. Be quick with your concealment. Walk around the body jewelry stand and conceal while youâre behind it, but donât stop there. If youâre there too long the SAs will check it out. I believe many Hot Topics have their Body Jewelry shelves in a position thatâs easy to conceal behind.Â
SAs are usually lazy teenagers but theyâll also probably still customer service you to death if they see you.
They donât count in dressing rooms, but you need to ask an SA to unlock it for you. They will ask to confirm how many items you have, but you can just lie your way out of this by saying âyesâ if they underestimate.Â
Double hanging is a viable method and not a bad idea at Hot Topic, as they donât count very carefully.Â
 Lots of their clothes are black, so have some shirts on hangers and two black shirts balled up together. They most likely will count it as one.Â
They donât stick around until you exit the dressing room, so itâs not really an issue, as when you exit, chances are theyâll be on the other side of the store.
 Thereâs usually no detagging to do, so I just put clothes on under my own, return whateverâs left in my hands, and then shop around a little longer before leaving.
SAs do not have a uniform, so watch out, because who you thought was a customer could be one of the employees very close to you, and be paying more attention than you think.
Donât hang around their hair dye for too long -grab, walk away, and conceal. Come back if you need another bottle, but be just as quick as before. If youâre there too long theyâll come and talk to you about colors, and more customers might show up and join the discussion - trust me, itâs happened to me before.
Watch out for tags on shorts and pants, theyâre one of the only clothing articles IâVE seen tagged.
Tights and socks that are wrapped in the stores packaging are more than likely not tagged and will only have the price sticker on the back. This is not an RFID. Leave it on, it wonât go off.
Rubber bracelets may be tagged but in this situation thereâs usually an untagged duplicate of the same bracelet, so just look a little harder.Â
Whenever my partner and I entered the stores recently (as of about August 20th generally) they are having a sale where you stuff clothes in a backpack and everything + the backpack is 30% off. Donât worry if an SA tells you this, because itâs an ACTUAL sale. They arenât sussing you out - weâve been told this at both locations.
Pop figures could have RFID or source tagging? I havenât lifted one yet.
No cosmetics are tagged. Use sleeves or just stuff them in your purse or shopping bags
Buttons arenât tagged. Just grab them in your hand while sifting through the bin and get as many as youâd like using a slight of hand.
Beanies arenât tagged, and Iâm pretty sure Snapbacks arenât either.Â
Scarves arenât tagged.Â
Socks arenât tagged. ]Dresses arenât tagged.Â
You can get shirts without real effort by just putting your purse or shopping bags (open) on the ground in front of their shirt wall shelf things, and slip your size in while pretending to look for a size. This way, you wonât have to get a dressing room opened for you.
Bring a purse and hang it so the opening is kind of in front of you so you can inconspicuously drop things in while looking at displays and clothing racks.
Take all of this with a grain of salt - Iâve seen a lot about Hot Topics that tag, but mine doesnât that often.
