Shoplifting On Social Media: #ShopliftingHaul Shows Off Stolen Items, Tips On Tumblr And Twitter

There are people on social media making news because they are showing off their shoplifting hauls and getting attention. As seen in the following Tumblr post from "bbgirllifter ^[1]," whose tagline asks, "Why pay?" shoplifting is something to brag about on social media. Others are issuing warnings on social media, telling the shoplifters what a dangerous proposition their stealing habits can be.

http://bbgirllifter.tumblr.com/post/142487714805/big-haul-today-hit-up-ulta-toysrus-target ^[2]

The recent Tumblr post as pictured above showed how many things the writer stole from stores like Ulta Beauty, Toys 'R' Us, Target, Foot Locker, American Eagle, Forever 21 and PacSun. There is even a video showing people how to remove the security tags from Victoria's Secret bras ^[3] on the social sharing site.

http://gurl.tumblr.com/post/142417157544/everything-you-need-to-know-about-shoplifting-a ^[4]

As seen in the top photo above, at least two women who were caught shoplifting in Logan, Utah, on December 5, 2015, were arrested. Police say the women were stealing baby formula. And it wasn't a small amount of baby formula, but an estimated $5,200 worth of baby formula — along with other items.

As reported by the Daily Mail, the #shopliftinghaul ^[5] hashtag doesn't usually show off baby formula being stolen, but unnecessary luxury items like cosmetics, high-end underwear and fashionable handbags. Some of the Tumblr posts show the detrimental side of shoplifting, such as the fact that shoplifters can be arrested — and never allowed in the stores they've stolen from ever again.

The so-called "lift life" finds Tumblrs sharing photos of their shoplifting hauls, which at times include many different copies of the same items, like makeup and bras and panties. Many times, the shoplifters will assign the value of the merchandise they've stolen, like the one thief who wrote that she got a 100 percent discount off of her $1,000-plus shoplifting haul.

The dangerous part of the #shoplifting or #shopliftinghaul hashtags is the fact that folks aren't always as anonymous as they might feel they are online, and if they are caught, they could discover theirs is a crime with consequences.

http://bbgirllifter.tumblr.com/post/142499828140/shoplifting-tips-from-a-loss-prevention-officer ^[6]

Meanwhile, the same shoplifting accounts on Tumblr offer advice from a loss prevention officer, who told others how shoplifters usually get caught. Those tips usually include wearing their stolen items out of the store — or by stopping and looking around to see who is watching them when they steal.

Another big giveaway that a person is preparing to steal items includes actions like draping a coat or some other item over the objects the person plans to steal in their shopping cart. Or, taking an item and carrying it around the store whilst looking for an empty aisle to conceal it is a big giveaway that a thief is close by.

Lastly, the security officer said that a person who steals some items but gets in line to pay for other items might get away with stealing the concealed items, because that person might not be watched as closely by security anymore. On social media, shoplifters share their tips for stealing — but also their guilt due to stealing, and bad results.

"Let me introduce you to my favorite little gem: the loose trapeze dress. It is right around the top chest part, but right underneath your boobs it flows out and is super loose. Mine goes down to about my knee. Underneath this dress, I have a piece of elastic around my waist. When I'm in the dressing room, I fold up the clothes I want around the band, almost like you would fold a towel over a towel rack. The dress is so loose that you can't see the clothes underneath it!"

"This whole thing has me feeling sick. I don't know how to go about any of this and I'm so f****** scared I lost my job because of this so I have no current income and just…I don't know what to do."

[Logan Police Department via AP]