Target II

by Dr. Santa

If you haven't read the first article in this series, please do so before reading this one, as I will not be covering the same material in this article. I'll jump right in:

Risk Levels:

Each Target store has a risk level between 1 and 4. A 4 is the highest risk, with a 1 being the lowest risk. Risk levels determine how much equipment and payroll AP gets. Want to find out the risk level of your local Target? Simply call the store, and ask to speak with the APTL, if the APTL is not present, ask to speak with the APS. If neither is present then hurry over and grab something! Once you get the APTL/APS on the phone, explain to them that you are the APTL at fill-in-the-blank(just name a store in another state, not one close by...you can get a list of stores on Target.com) and you are working on a project to make sure that all of the stores in the group have performed a site survey in the last year. After the APTL answers, then just ask him what his risk level is. Equipment:

If you are at a SuperTarget, then most likely the store is equipped with a digital recording system over every lane. This means that EVERY transaction is captured on digital recording, and usually has a retention time of 45 days. Searches can be done to look up any transaction. Most risk level 4's have a digital recording system. Many 3's do, with 2's rarely having one, and 1's almost never. ALL SuperTargets have them. Most of the domes are fake, but each store is different.

Payroll:

Risk level 4 stores usually have at least 80 hours (per week) of APS, but can have more depending on the area. 3's have 40-80, 2's have 20-40, and 1's 20-40. Odds are a 1 will only have 20. These are just averages, as each market is different.

Parking:

Before doing anything at Target, make sure you park in the back of the parking lot. All of Target's parking lots are equipped with PTZ's (Pan/Tilt/Zoom cameras) that can read license plates in the parking lots. They can't reach to the back of the lot though. I know the instinct is to get in and out as quick as possible, but if you get away, or they let you go because they missed a step, they can get your plates and begin building a case on you.

Passing:

This goes for those of you who are current Target team members, or those of you who have friends that are target cashiers at Target. Passing is a great way to get a lot of merchandise, but it must be done carefully. Passing is when a cashier does not scan an item that a guest brings up. The guest leaves without paying for the item. Cashiers: when passing DO NOT void or price change an item. This leaves a paper trail that reports can flag. If the store is equipped with a digital system you have a good chance of getting caught eventually, if not the first time if it is a high dollar void. Do not pass thousands or even several hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise at one time. Find out what the felony limit is in your area, and keep it under that. Do not pass to the same person more than twice a week. If you pass every week to the same person you will eventually get caught. Have the person you are passing to use a credit card to pay. If someone is watching, and they catch you, it is against Target policy to apprehend the guest for passing if they paid with a credit card. Think about it, when you pay with a check or cash, you know exactly how much you are paying. If you pay with a credit card, you can argue that you were just signing the slip, and didn't realize how cheap it was. Cashiers, if you are caught for this, explain that you made a mistake. At the end I will explain in detail what to do if you are caught. The best time to pass merchandise is Monday morning, when the APTL is in the executive meeting. This is not full proof, but if you are going to do it, this is the best way. Also, for the person making the purchase, don't make it obvious that you are waiting for a specific person. This is one of the things the AP team looks for: someone has a cart load of merchandise, and there are 4 lines open. One line has two people waiting, the other 3 don't have anyone waiting, don't be an idiot and stand in your friends line for ten minutes while the other lanes are open. Walk around some until your friends line is open.

Another variation on passing is to have the friend put some high dollar items in a duffel bag. The cashier knows not to check the bag. If you are caught, they will just call the lane and tell the cashier to look inside. Don't make a big deal about it, just leave. They shouldn't apprehend on this, but if they do, explain that you meant to pay for the items, but forgot. Their case is weak and the district attorney probably won't take it (you'll get off).

Push-Out:

I don't recommend this method simply because eventually you will be caught. SuperTargets are much easier to pushout of than regular Targets, in fact, I seriously do not recommend doing a pushout at a regular Target unless the TPS is no-where to be found. But if you are in a bind and need lots of merchandise then I have some pointers to make your chances better. The idea is to get in and out as quickly as possible, without looking like you are trying to get in and out as quickly as possible. The best time to pushout is during busy times, or early in the morning. Dress nice, this is critical when doing a pushout. Don't look like someone who can't afford new shoes, but has a thousand dollars worth of merchandise in their cart. Don't do this late at night, AP is usually there on nights, and if it is slow they will see you. It's simply a game of chance from this point. Either AP is watching soemone else, or they are not there. As you are selecting merchandise, stay out of DVD's and music. The TPS' are there, plus the AP office always has the cameras on electronics. Do what you need to do by getting phones, cd players, GPS units etc, just stay away from the electronics showcase. Once you have what you want, go up front. Now if you are doing this at a Target, you will need to make sure the TPS is either not there or have a friend distract them. Hint: if there was a TPS there when you came in, but he is magically not there now, he is either on break, or the APS/APTL has told him to get the hell out of there because they can tell you are doing a pushout. You may think this is paranoia, but we used to do it all the time, and it is a classic trick of the trade. If the AP staff is good, pushouts are easy to spot from the beginning. I'm not saying it's impossible, in fact, the odds are you'll get away with it, but it's a crap- shoot. Now if the coast is clear (no TPS'), then start to make your move, just when you get to the carpet, turn around quickly and look to see if anyone in plain clothes is looking right at you. If they have been watching you, they will have to come out to make their move on you. If you spot them (someone walking briskly toward's you, with no merchandise or only one article of merchandise), then simply leave your shit. It might be a regular guest, but odds are they had you. Use your instinct on this one. You haven't committed a crime until you have proven that you made no attempt to pay for the merchandise. If someone in red and khaki asks for your receipt, tell them you already paid for it, and keep walking. Only stop if a TPS or plain clothes person asks for your receipt. Don't debate with them, just keep going. Keep reading to see what to do if they approach you in the parking lot.

Quick Tips:

Do not write stolen checks at Target if the person you stole them from can identify you. Unfortunately there are people stupid enough to do this, don't be one of them. Remember the digital system.

Don't have a modus operandi. If you got away with something on a Monday at 9:00 am, don't come in every Monday and do the same thing at 9:00 am. I recommend coming in every two weeks to ensure they don't start noticing you.

If you keep taking the same thing over and over, it will come up on a report (the counts are updated when the product is no longer available). If it is a high theft item, the APTL may put up a covert camera to see who is cleaning out that item. Be unpredictable.

If you are caught:

I plan on writing an entire article about this in the future, but basically do not admit anything. When I was an APTL, and I interviewed internals (team members) it amazed me that just about everyone I interviewed admitted and signed a statement explaining what they did and why. The only people that get something out of an admission statement is Target. It makes their case stronger, not yours. Don't sign anything, don't admit anything. If you can't afford to get caught (externals only aka shoplifters), when they approach you to apprehend you (usually outside), you can run. It is against Target policy to chase shoplifters. Once you make it to the parking lot, they are supposed to let you go. Don't get in your car and drive off because they will get plates and possibly file with PD. Keep going until you can call a friend to pick you up. Have your friend pick up your car. If they do chase you, they have seriously violated policy and are usually terminated or put on final warning. If they chase you, they will want to not tell anyone. Make sure that the officer who responds knows that you were chased. This is where you drama majors can use your talents. Explain that the security personnel startled you and you began running. Tell them exactly where they caught you. Later, call the store manager and get the district office. Explain that you were apprehended for shoplifting (do not admit, just explain you were apprehended) and that you almost got hit by a car because someone chased you in the parking lot. You will have been caught, but you will have the satisfaction of knowing that the person who apprehended you lost their job.

If you want to be safe, have a friend wait outside of the exit you plan to leave (for SuperTargets with multiple exits) in their car with a cell phone. Sometimes AP will have someone wait outside before they make an apprehension. Have your friend look for someone who walks outside in plain clothes, and waits by the exit. They will usually have their radio out so the person on the floor or on cameras can tell them the subject is about to exit. Have your pal call you if they see this, and dump the merchandise.

Women have a better chance at getting away with shoplifting at Target because the female to male ratio is high at Target. If you have a female girlfriend or friend that is willing to lift at Target, they have a better chance of getting away. Read articles on magic bags for women to convert their purses so that the tags don't go off.

That's all for now kiddies! I have a BB on this subject if you have questions (http://www.totse.com/bbs/Forum7/HTML/004699.html), or want to brag about your latest exploits. Disclaimer: these are just tips that I have because of my experience. If you decide to shoplift at Target, that is your decision, I do not encourage people to shoplift at Target because their security is better than most retailers. I have provided these articles for informational purposes only. This article is for information and for people who are going to shoplift at Target regardless of what they read. I am in no way encouraging this behavior. If you get caught, that is part of the risk, nothing is full proof.