by Crimethinc. Workers' Collective
Available in 284 free installments
Owner:
Sutveillance Cameras When you are in a store, keep track of cameras, but don't get intimidated. It is true that cameras get people busted, but research shows that they work best as deterrents. Keep in mind that most stores with dozens of cameras don't have dozens of employees studiously watching dozens of video monitors. More likely, it's one person watching one or two monitors, either rotating between cameras or split-screen viewing v^dth nine cameras per monitor. If this dimestore Big Brother gets interested in your activities, he can follow you from camera to camera through the store, but even then the cameras have wide angles and low resolution. Keep your movements subtle and casual. No store is free of blind spots. Find one and do your concealing there.
The cameras covering the registers at the front of the store are called "hold-up cam-
shoplifting eras." The silly notion of an Old-West-style stick-up at a super-mart provides a feeble
478 excuse for the store to aim surveillance at its own employees, who are inevitably the main
cause of what is known in the industry as shrinkage. Shrinkage research shows that half of what stores report as shopUfting loss is actually due to employee theft and damage to merchandise. See, the store doesn't trust its workers any more than it trusts you. Research also shows that when employees are paid well and cared for, theft drops significantly. If you are in a store with massive amounts of cameras on employees, you can be sure that the employees are poorly treated and probably don't give a damn about the company.
Be respectful of employees. Don't be too obvious?this makes them feel like you think they're stupid. They may well not care if you steal, but for civility's sake you should do it subtly.
If you're stealing a lot of stuff, it's a good idea to purchase at least one item; the security Decoys, Devices, Distractions guards will be less suspicious if you go out through the checkout lane.
Alternatively, after you've pocketed what you need, you can ask an employee up front for an item that is unavailable?for instance, in a grocery store, ask if they have kerosene. This will give you an excuse to walk out vrithout buying anything.
There are several variations on this theme. After you've got what you need, you could bring an item vvdthout a tag up to the front and ask its price; when your question is answered, comment that it is too much, and leave. You could also fill your backpack and pockets with what you need, and a shopping basket with random items; when you have been rung up in the checkout line, explain that you've forgotten your wallet at home and you'll be right back.
If you go shoplifting vnth a partner, one of you can dress nicely, and the other as a shifty-eyed thief Walk in separately; the one in hoodlum drag should sneak around looking suspicious, distracting security, while the well-dressed one fills up her bag and exits the store. In a variation on this method, one shopper fakes an epileptic seizure or
similar crisis, while the other takes care of business. 479
Shoplifiing
When you fly or travel by bus, beware
of your friends stealing your luggage
when you arrive?you can collect a
lot of insurance, especially if you have
receipts for the valuable itenns you lost.
For companies giving out free items
to those who have collected a certain
number of stamps or other verifications
of purchase, you can stand outside,
asking if people mind getting stamps
for you when they do their shopping,
thus accumulating stamps while
simultaneously educating consumers
about their own coupon options.
You can steal coupons from corporate
stores, or replicate them?if the
coupons need a stamp to be valid, just
steal the stamps or stamper, as well.
You can get free drinks at fast food
restaurants by retrieving a cup from
the trash and asking for a refill.
Shoplifiing 480
If employees or customers are aware of you but not paying close attention, it is a good idea to take two of an item you need off the shelf, then put one back. This can be a good maneuver to fool surveillance cameras, too; their resolution is usually too low to show the number of items in your hand.
