Having caught 100's of shoplifters, I have seen just about every technique in the book. The professional shoplifters have techniques that make them untouchable and this is a collection of techniques that prevented me from making numerous arrests. I will undoubtedly be blacklisted for sharing these shoplifting secrets.

What Loss Prevention Does

In order to shoplift without getting caught, you need to understand how loss prevention detectives work. Due to liability issues, they have to follow a strict code of conduct. If they deviate from that code of conduct they are severely disciplined by their companies.

The Five Steps Loss Prevention Needs Before Making An Arrest:

1. Observe the individual in the area of the product without the product in their possession
2. Observe the individual select the merchandise
3. Observe the individual conceal the merchandise (unless they walk out with merchandise in plain view)
4. Maintain sufficient surveillance and ensure the individual has the product in their possession and does not have an opportunity to discard the item
5. Wait for the individual to begin exiting the store before approaching

Unlike law enforcement, probable cause is not enough reason to stop a shoplifter for a loss prevention agent. If the above conditions are not met, the case will not be winnable. The agent and company open themselves up to major law suits.

The pros are aware of this fact and work to break up these steps so that loss prevention cannot make the stop.

Shoplifting Indicators Loss Prevention Notices 

They watch body language to see who is there to shop and who is there to steal. Go into a store and study other shoppers. Most people are not aware of their surroundings and are in thought over their next purchase. Try to mimic them when shoplifting. Always keep your cool, walk slow and methodically, and select merchandise in the same manner a regular shopper would.

Here are some of the standard give aways:

• Fast movement
• Eye contact and darting eyes
• Palming merchandise
• Pulling carts instead of pushing them
• Baggy clothes
• Empty bags

The truly gifted loss prevention agent will usually have a gut feeling on someone when they are shoplifting. Most of the time, this gut feeling is based on body language they are observing subconciesly. Always act completely natural and make slow, deliberate movements.

Shoplifting Methods...

Method: The Box Stuff
Team Size: 2 (Stuffer, Buyer)

 

This method of shoplifting is by far the most effective way of acquiring large amounts of merchandise without getting busted. You are able to break up the steps required for an arrest between step 3 and step 4. One individual does the selecting and concealment, the second individual carries the product out of the store.

1. The box stuffer should be a clean cut individual preferably wearing business casual clothes. He enters the store and begins shopping, filling his cart with multiple items, many of which are not high theft items such as toilet paper and groceries.
2. Select the target merchandise gradually, always examining the merchandise closely before placing it in the cart as a real shopper would.
3. During the course of the shopping, select a big box. The alarms at the door do not mean anything; they simply act as a deterrent. However, since you want to avoid drawing attention to yourself, I recommend using a vacuum cleaner box because they are known to loss prevention as setting off the door alarms.
4. Select a vacuum cleaner and take out the vacuum cleaner as if you are examining the merchandise. Place the vacuum cleaner among the displays and continue to examine the item.
5. Put the empty box in the shopping cart
6. Move to an isolated area and quickly fill the box with the merchandise and tape it back shut
7. Place the box back on the shelf in the rear and visually think of a way to tell your accomplice where the box is located on the shelf. Do not mark the box.
8. Leave the store after placing the cart back in place
9. Several hours later, send in the buyer
10. The person should also shop and work their way into the area with the stuffed box
11. The buyer should select the box only after examining the merchandise in the area as a regular shopper would do in that situation
12. The buyer should then purchase the box with cash and leave the store. This is obvious, but if you use a card or a check to purchase the item you create a trail that can easily be followed.

The stuffer will not be stopped if loss prevention is onto him because he did not leave the store with the merchandise. The buyer may be stopped, but will not be taken to jail because her story should simply be, “I just needed a vacuum cleaner”. Just play dumb.

The key to this operation is patience and randomness. Do not hit the same store over and over again because once loss prevention has video of you committing the act, they will stop and prosecute you.

Method: Price Switching
Team: none

 

Every item that is sold in a store has a universal product code (UPC) that is in barcode form that contains the product information. By manufacturing your own labels, you can pay whatever price you want to pay on an item.

For example, you want to buy a $400 drill at a big box store, you could apply the UPC sticker for a $39 drill and simply pay that price. As always, it is best to perform this with a team but is not necessary. In all my time as a loss prevention investigator, I only was able to catch one person using this tactic and that was because he got greedy. Never hit the same store more than once or twice with this method. Video never lies.

1. Acquire a UPC barcode program and scanner.
2. Find the barcode of the item you want to replicate.
3. Print the barcode on a label and trim it down to just the size of the barcode
4. Go to the store and keep the barcode in your pocket
5. Select a cart and other merchandise
6. Select the item and place in the cart in the seat area
7. Quickly place the barcode sticker over the original barcode
8. Proceed directly to checkout. Self check out works best for this method

The key to this method, as with any method, is to not act suspiciously or buy items where everyone knows the price. A clerk is probably not going to notice a drill ringing up for the wrong price. But if an Xbox only rings up for $19, that is going to be easy to spot. And whatever you do, DON’T use any type of credit or debit card to make the purchase.

Also, don’t use the same barcode over and over again. That is too easy to track in the internal point of sale software. Once they have you on video buying something with the same barcode at a discounted price more than once you are busted and they will simply arrest you the next time they see you.

Method: The Naive Spouse
Team: 3 (Husband, Wife, Decoy)

If you paid attention to the steps you have to take in order to make a legal arrest, the person must have participated or have active knowledge of selection and concealment. You can easily use this to your advantage to protect yourself from arrest.

Boosters, professional shoplifters, love using this method because it is quick and effective. If you do it right, you will never get caught.

1. The husband and wife enter the store and begin shopping for everyday items. The wife should have a large purse and a separate money holder.
2. The husband should place a small trash bin in the cart
3. He should then select a pack of napkins and place over the mouth of the bin. The bin should be mixed in with other household items.
4. The wife should leave the husband and go to the other side of the store
5. The husband should slowly select the target merchandise and place it in the trash bin, covering the mouth of the bin with napkins
6. The decoy should enter the store and begin acting in a suspicious manner by quickly selecting merchandise, walking quickly, and looking around as if looking for security.
7. The husband should find an isolated area and quickly place the items into the wife’s purse
8. The husband and wife should meet up
9. The husband should go to the bathroom and then exit the store and leave the area
10. The wife should never touch the purse and purchase the other items in the cart with money from her pocket.

If loss prevention is watching the husband and wife, they will not be able to prosecute the wife and the husband will be out of the picture at the time.

Method: Han Solo
Team: none

 

If you are the Han Solo type who doesn’t want to work with a team, or you find yourself alone, you can go solo. The risk of getting caught goes up substantially working alone. Depending on what you are shoplifting, here are a few tips to keep out of shackles.

• Use decoys. Wait until teenagers, preferably black males, enter the store and make your move in a different part of the store.
• Get loss prevention bored by shopping all over the store, slowly and methodically before and after concealment.
• After concealment, double back over and over again looking for anyone that is looking at you. If you get suspicious, dump it immediately and exit the store.
• Don’t wear baggy or unseasonable clothes
• Don’t go for the obvious electronics’ items. Loss prevention stakes these areas out and spends 90% of their time watching high dollar and popular items such as DVD’s and CD’s.
• Keep your dollar amount under a felony. In Georgia, shoplifting more than $300 worth of items is a felony. There is a substantial difference in the penalty for felony shoplifting and misdemeanor shoplifting
• Look for additional team members or suspicious looking people at the front of the store, they could be security waiting to arrest you
• If a cop car is in the front of the store to pick up a shoplifter, this is a prime opportunity to shoplift. Most stores only have one or two agents on duty who will be tied up with the police and the shoplifter making the store your playground
• If you never plan on coming back to the store, using a fire escape exit may be a good plan if you want to push out a ton of merchandise.
• Choose your store wisely. Stores like Target and Wal-Mart have aggressive loss prevention teams, while stores like Best Buy and Circuit City are less likely to act on a shoplifter due to liability concerns.
• Keep calm when exiting. If you get stopped, just try to walk out of the store. Some security teams are authorized to use force. If you fight, you will probably lose and could end up with additional charges. Remember, shoplifting usually just brings a slap on the wrist and it is not worth hurting someone or getting hurt to get away.
• Video is your enemy. If you are caught on CCTV security cameras, especially multiple times, you can easily get busted. If security tape has you concealing merchandise and loss prevention is able to get a tag number or an identity they may take out warrants for your arrest.

Disclaimer: We do not endorse any methods in this article. Do not attempt shoplifting as it is illegal. The article is intended for entertainment purposes only. Any action you take based on this article is your responsibility; we do not endorse your actions.