Decided to share everything I know about Ulta. I was employed at this shithole for 4 months before I quit. Have at it.
SECURITY:
Alright. So the Ulta I worked at never had LP. They might hire Security during busy holidays, Black Friday and so on, but the store where I worked relied solely on the employees to stop shrink and theft. We had to do special LP training. We are NOT allowed to ask to search somebody’s bag or purse. We are not allowed to imply directly that you stole something. If we see you put something in your bag, we can ask something like “I saw you looking at that Tarte Bloom Pallete! Can I suggest one of my favorite products to pair with it?” Basically my GM explained it like this. “Never accuse a guest of theft, be as kind and overly helpful as you can if you suspect something. Usually the thief will put back the stolen merchandise out of guilt if you kill them with customer service.” Now if we see you steal something and we are 100% sure, then we notify a manager, watch footage on cameras to confirm the theft, and then contact police. If you beep on the way out of our store and happen to have a SA stop you, or you make the mistake of stopping/turning around after you’ve beeped, they say something like “let me check your shopping bag to make sure we didn’t miss something!” If they check and you beep again you’re screwed. Moving on, our cameras seriously suck. The frame rates are awful. We can zoom but the quality is awful. There is usually a manager in the office but they rarely watch the cameras. Often they are organizing the back room or doing paperwork/scheduling. There are usually little tags stuck on expensive products. Super easy to peel off.
TIPS:
1. NEVER CONCEAL IN FRONT OF ANOTHER CUSTOMER. EVER.
2. DO NOT take products out of boxes and hide boxes in store. It’s seriously so stupid. We find them and put them in a box called Know Theft and go over tapes to see who placed it there. You’re always better off taking the whole box.
3. Because our frame rates are so low, it gives you the perfect opportunity to lift/conceal in the open, as long as you do it really quickly. Does this mean you should be careless and constantly conceal without blind spots? Heck no. Be careful not careless.
4. BLINDSPOTS are your friend! There are almost always blindspots in prestige haircare. If you can’t find one, create one with your body while facing away from the camera.
5. NEVER linger in one isle for too long.
6. DO NOT look around super obviously at cameras and SA’s. This is a sure sign you’re lifting.
7. DO NOT go from prestige to haircare to prestige and back again a gazillion times. This is another thing we are supposed to look for.
8. DO dress nice. Like you can afford to buy everything in the store. It’s bad, I know. But if I saw somebody dressed to the 9’s I never suspected them. 9. If you carry an Ulta shopping bag, and use this method to lift, make sure you put extra products you don’t want in them so if you ditch the bag, it doesn’t look sus.
10. A tip I’ve used lots of times to lift at Ulta’s. I would load up my bag with tons of products and take a couple to the front and bring a coupon with me. I knew it was expired or I knew it wouldn’t work on prestige products. I would bring my items up, give them the coupon, and when they told me it didn’t work I acted super bummed and told them I would wait to buy them and leave with my purse stashed. It gives you a way out without just leaving.
11. If you beep, keep going!! Don’t look back.
12. Park far away or out of sight of the store just in case. They will try to get your plate if suspected.
13. Try walking out at the same time as another person so if you beep it could have been either of you. Turn around and look at the other person and raise your eyebrows real suspicious like. 😂
14. Never take more then 20 minutes in a store when lifting. I always try to make a 10-15 minute lift or less.
15. Be NICE to SA’s. I was way less likely to sus a person that was friendly and sweet to me. Somebody that was rude or ignored me was someone I suspected more so.
16. If you see managers come from the back and SA’s check you out in the store or come up and ask you if you need help a ton, drop your shit and gtfo. Stash it somewhere in the store. Get out. Use common sense. If you get a bad feeling, trust your instincts. Seriously.
17. Don’t get too greedy.
18. If you can, try to lift more on your body. Not so much in your purse. Hide in your bra, your waist band, your boots. It’s always safer. The first place somebody will look is your purse.
19. Try not to lift in groups. I was always more sus of three teenage girls than I would be if one person was browsing. A lot of people like lifting partners. I honestly feel like it’s better and safer to fly solo.
20. Wait awhile between each lifting visit at any store. It’s smart. It’s safe. I’d say 2 weeks to be super safe.
DISCLAIMER:
The Ulta I worked out and the staff that works there might not be the same as the Ulta in your area. Always take caution and be careful. Scope it out and use common sense. Happy Lifting.
