Obviously only when you lift small, easily concealed items. That's how I tend to do it when I'm grocery shopping at a supermarket I don't frequently visit. I put small, but relatively pricier items into my cart, then when I'm in a less watched isle, like the cereal isle, I discretely slip them into my sweater pocket. I don't do this often, certainly not often enough to build up to a felony amount at any particular store. That's about the only way I feel brave enough to do it.

In a big store, how likely is it that someone notices it on security footage? It intuitively feels much less risky than just pocketing something and walking out the door without paying for anything.

  • jwsmrz [comrade/them]
    ·
    2 years ago

    I shoplift probably 75% of my groceries, I have a few different tactics. In all cases, extra reusable grocery bags are essential

    In my area it's common for people to make several stops on your shopping trip at once for different stuff, so seeing people carrying bags that are half full isn't weird / they dont get checked

    If I'm just grabbing a couple things, I'll just put my bags inside my basket / small cart and put the expensive things inside a bag and put the cheap things on the outside. Then when I get to the cash I'll just put my bags over my shoulder while I unload my stuff onto the till and pack everything else overtop of them, pay for whatever got scanned and leave.

    If there's a self checkout, my tactic is just performative ineptitude. Basically you want to make such a maelstrom of mess in your cart / around the self checkout till that no one can really keep track of what's going on. Alternatively, just pack the stuff you mean to shoplift into a specific bag in your cart like the previous tactic but on a larger scale

    Advanced big cajones tactic - Bring a granny cart and just fill it up with shit as you're shopping as if it's your grocery cart, pay for a few things you're carrying. Again, not weird to make multiple stops on a grocery trip and 95% of people here are pedestrians or using transit so its not odd for someone to have a granny cart but only be buying a few things. Wouldn't make a habit of it but I do it every few months to stock up on things for the freezer

    Pretty much everyone I know does stuff along these lines, grocery costs are out of control

    Anyway I've been doing this at the same handful of stores for years.