by Crimethinc. Workers' Collective
Available in 284 free installments
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Precautions Since laws vary from state to state, it's good to know the local laws and penalties. For instance, if you are in an area where it is a felony to shoplift a value of $ioo or more, you might choose to steal no more than $99 of merchandise at a time.
Look through the vwndows of a store for cameras before you enter; make note of alarm sensors, security personnel, and receipt checkers. If you look to the ceiling for cameras while you're inside, move your eyes, not your whole head.
Often, it's wise not to pocket an item until you have moved away from the place you picked it up. Consider which areas of the store will be under special observation?departments with small, expensive items prized by shoplifters, for example. Take your items to aisles stocked with bulky, inexpensive items. For example, throw the toothbrush in your cart while you are in the medicine and beauty product aisle, unwrap and conceal it in the toilet paper aisle.
Always look for security tags inside packages?inside the boxes of CDs, for example. Shoplifting ^^jou see that the store has an alarm system, it is usually safer to take items out of their 484 packaging entirely.
when leaving a store with security tags, time your passage through the sensors to coincide with other shopper traffic. If you set it off, keep walking. False alarms are not uncommon, and the more customers there are, the more confusion there wiU be to cover your getaway.
Look out for vigilante customers who may turn you in or attempt a citizen's arrest.
Flat mirrors are almost always two-way. To be safe, assume that somebody is indeed watching you. As for the round ones, if you can't see the employee, she can't see you? but be careful, sometimes they have cameras behind them.
If you set off alarms, keep walking and ignore them; employees are often slow to react, used to false alarms, or too timid to accuse people of stealing unless they act guilty. If necessary, you might be able to walk into a nearby store and ditch the item.
If you are caught and there is any heavy-handedness on the part of the store detective, employee, or rent-a-cop, get indignant and make a racket about a lawsuit. Lawsuits brought by shoplifters whose rights have been violated in apprehension represent a large cost for major retailers, and threats may put them back on the defensive. If you plan to go this route, it's best to know your rights to the letter so you can strike fear into their hearts with chilling accuracy.
You might want to bring enough money with you to purchase the item in the event that you get caught. Sometimes the store will settle on that and leave the authorities out of it.
If employees see you with your hands in your pockets, try pulling out some money to count or a shopping list to look at.
If you are doing a return and they are treating you like a thief, stand your ground. Remember, you are a customer who bought the wrong item and have no thought of swallowing that cost. If the manager is brought in and begins to say no, don't walk away like a whipped dog. Ask to see a copy of the store return policy. Get mad: you are going
Trouble in Paradise
ShopHfiing 48s
to complain in writing; you are calling the Better Business Bureau; you are writing a letter to the editor; you have been a loyal customer for years; you don't want an exchange anymore, you want a refund so you can take your business where it is appreciated. Of course, don't pull any of that nonsense unless you stole the item on a different visit or from another store.
If a store detective is onto you, don't let on that you know. If you have to dump stuff, do it as carefully as you concealed it?you don't want to be caught dumping. If you are caught dumping, never let a store detective know it was because of them. Claim a mistake or a guilty conscience and stick to your story.
Experts advise store detectives and managers to look out for abnormal eye and neck movements. Darting, shifting, jittery eyes give everything away. Experts also warn about shoplifters who run reverse surveillance, looking all over the store, particularly at ceilings where cameras may be. A nervous thief may startle easily even when approached casually. A nerve-racked thief may look back or pause briefly before exiting or passing alarms, or yawn or otherwise fidget in exaggerated composure. Stay conscious of all such behaviors. By the time you leave, you are either suspect or you are not; one way or another, it's a done deal. If you're not under suspicion, don't attract it at the last moment; if you set off an alarm or are chased, one last look before exiting isn't going to do you any good.
Coordinated Strikes
Shoplifiing 486
