A novice shoplifter is discouraged when he sees a security tag on an item. A professional shoplifter blesses the tag. If there’s a security tag, that means someone is relying for it to work. And if people are relying for their security system to work, they’re more lax about other security measures they could be using. Think about what happens when you lock the door to your house or apartment. You expect the system to work. If you didn’t expect the lock to be an effective measure against break-ins, you would surely install more rigorous security systems. Likewise, a store that outfits all of their items with security tags is relying on them to work. You can use that to your advantage. Since all security tags are removable, that means you too can remove them.
Nothing’s worse than going into a store where everything is out in the open, with no tags on the items and no security in sight. While these types of stores do exist — Apple stores being the prime example — at some point, you simply have to assume that there is something more going on than you can physically see. Perhaps there’s loss prevention hiding in plain sight amongst the iPads? Perhaps there are cameras that are less visible than what you are used to seeing? At least when there are obvious preventative measures — such as mechanical sensormatic security tags and magnetic security tags — you know what you’re dealing with.
So bless those tags when you see them, because if there’s a tag, there’s a way to remove it, and if you can remove it, you’ve got your ticket out of the store. The advantage you have is that the store believes its items are safe. They would not use security tags on if these tags were not effective. It costs money to outfit every item with security tags, which is part of the reason you don’t see them in grocery stores. It would be too much effort and too much money for food items that don’t warrant that type of security. A store that has tags on every item is probably relying on that particular system more than they are relying on video feeds. When a store has no security tags whatsoever, you can be sure there are other measures such as video recording and plainclothes loss prevention. You can’t exactly “remove” a loss prevention officer or a video camera the same way you can remove a tag!
If you’re wondering exactly how to open sensormatic tags, look no futher. All that’s required to remove a sensormatic tag is a specific, tiny, easily-pocketable key called a sensormatic hook detacher. Unlike magnetic detachers, which can cost upwards of a hundred dollars, a shoplifting hook can be bought for all of fifteen dollars. You can easily purchase them online on various websites
I'm really not surprised a store forgot to do this, but in the end I was left to dealt with this.
When my Mom brought home her new pair of gloves, which she paid for not stole, she went to use them and found that the security tag (non-ink one) was still attached.
The following is a simple and very useful instructable to free your clothing articles.
So my neighbor ordered some stuff online from a big chain dept store, and when it came it had a store security tag on it. She came to me and asked if I knew anything about removing it without activating the GPS module and releasing the dye pack and nerve gas. I told her I would see what I could do security tag two minutes later I returned unharmed with her garment in one hand and the evil device in the other fully intact.
