Wal-Mart Heap-o'-Scams

[Kakkaraun]

Stupid character cap . I'm therefore posting this in one chunk per section.

Wal-Mart Heap-o'-Scams
A Text File by Kakkaraun

As many of you know, Wal-Mart is a pile of inhuman fecal matter. A lot of people don't care, but some like to know that the business they're ripping off really, really, really deserves it. Wal-Mart comes to town, selling things at low, low prices, to cut out all of the small businesses. Once those businesses are out of the picture, they jack their prices up. Of course, they treat the environment like Ed Gein treated women, and they treat their employees even worse (For more info on that, there are plenty of sites devoted to it. Yhey include www.walmartyrs.com and www.walmartswaronworkers.com .).

Why else is Wal-Mart such a pleasing target? Well, they have horrible security. Of the hundreds of black domes on the ceiling, few are actually cameras--they're a visual deterrent. Since the stores are so huge, it's impossible for them to have a really functional loss-prevention/recovery team. And if an employee catches you, a good amount of them are too pissed off at their evil employers to give a rat's ass. They /do/ have security, but it's pretty weak.

Of course, if you have any insight into these scams, especially if you've attempted one of my theoreticals, post your info. Also, these are obviously not /everything/ you can do at the Mart of Walton, but, IMO, they're the cream of the crop. Feel free--nay, /expected/ --to add your own. I also may have forgotten some .

One last note, about the veracity of my comments. I have a lot of experience with ripping of Wal-Mart, and I know many people who have, or still do, work there. All of these techniques are tried and true, unless I state otherwise.

So, let's get started.

D. General Wal-Mart Notes (A footnote that I moved to the top due to the character cap)

First of all, most Wal-Marts are open 24 hours a day. This means that you can come in and ply your trade when almost no other customers are there, and fewer employees. However, the ratio of employees to customers drops a lot, so you might have more security on you than usual.

Also, the Wal-Mart supercenters contain grocery stores. Therefore, you can steal a meal. Yummy.

[Kakkaraun]

A. Proven Scams (Scams that I, personally, have attempted and succeeded with, and/or are so ingrained into the mind of a lifter/scammer that they really don't need to be mentioned.)

1. The Return Scam

This is a fan favorite, because it almost always works, and little to no effort is actually required. Simply find a Wal-Mart receipt (note that this works for most other stores, as well), go into the store, and pick up the items on the receipt. Go to Customer Service and return the items, using the receipt. If they ask for a reason, which they usually don't, come up with some BS. Just say you decided you didn't want it, or that you got it for a gift and then discovered the recipient already had it.

You can also return items without a receipt, but you need a valid picture ID. Also, you can only do this three times a year, and they'll usually give store credit instead of cash if the item's value is over ten bucks. They may or may not have an inter-store database of customer returns--it seems that some stores do, and some don't. That's something you'll have to figure out for yourself.

2. The Barcode-Switch Scam

As you probably know, Wal-Mart sells /tons/ of cheap items. Simply switch the Wal-Mart barcode on an expensive item for one on a cheap item. You'll want to keep the barcodes in the same category, though...don't put a barcode for a CD on a DVD. Speaking of DVDs, right now Wal-Mart is selling shitty DVDs for 5.88 in huge bins throughout the electronics section. Simply switch the code on some old Christopher Lambert flick (seriously, he's on about half of these DVDs in some stores) with the code on some nice, spiffy DVD. If you get caught, make like you have no idea what's going on.

[Kakkaraun]

B. Shoplifting Techniques (How to steal outright from Wal-Mart without getting caught.)

1. Literary Larceny

It sounds strange, but Wal-Mart has a pretty good selection of books--especially newer, popular ones. Also, the books section is usually fairly empty, as most people don't plan on buying books at Wal-Mart. Also, they never have /any/ security devices on the books, and if they did, they'd be extremely easy to find.

What you do is this: find a book you want, and walk around with it and a few others. Get into a position where the cameras and employees can't see you. I do this by standing with my back to the nearest camera and my front obscured by the rack in front of me. Make like you're examining some books, as you remove the Wal-Mart tag from the book (peel it off slowly and carefully). This way, they can't prove that you took it from Wal-Mart. After getting all the tags off, flip through the book looking for any security devices. I haven't known them to use any, but it's best to err on the side of caution. After all this, turn sideways so that the pocket you plan to insert the book into is facing the shelf, and lean against said shelf, looking at the other books you have with you. As you insert the book into your pocket, anyone looking will just think that you're leaning against a shelf while reading the back of "The Atkins Diet" or some other crap.

Using this technique, you can lift /shitloads/ of books in one visit. Last time I went, I picked up 5 or 6 books--and I do this nearly every time I go to Wal-Mart.

2. The Almighty Bathroom

Although the cameras are a minor (at best) threat, it's good to have the peace of mind that you are completely safe from them, and that you are at leisure to check for any possible security device. For this peace of mind and leisure, take your items and head to the bathroom. Once there, ignore the bloody hell out of the "Shoplifting isn't a thrill, a game, or a blah blah blah...it's a crime!" signs. Then step into the stall and proceed to check the item out, open it up, et cetera. You can stuff the trash into the back chamber of the toilet (as a side note, a lot of workers I've spoken with are amazed at the amount of trash they find in these things). If someone else comes in, make sure it looks like you're utilizing the facilities--that means pants around the ankles, et cetera.

3. Boxing

This is good if you want to steal a whole assload of items in one fell swoop. You'll need some friends, transportation, a knife, some clear packing tape, some cash, and a non-black marker (I've been told that a black mark on an item means something, but I'm not sure what).

First, go to the store when few people are there. You and your friends (excepting one of them, more on that later) then go around the store collecting all of the items you want to pick up, free of charge. Then, go find an item in a large box, with /just/ the right amount of free space (too much, and it'll rattle around a lot...too little, and you won't be able to fit everything, obviously . You want to move /fast/ at this point. Cut open the tape on the box with your knife, and stuff in all of the items. Then, close the box up, and tape back over the cut tape. Make a small mark with your marker on a part of the box, and then put it back on the shelf, but make sure to put it pretty far back--dont' want anybody making off with all your stuff.

Now, a good time later, at least three or four hours, have the friend you didn't take with you on the earlier journey return to the store and buy the marked item. If they figure out it's full of stuff, he should just play dumb--there's no way to connect him to the rest of you.

4. Concealment Spots

There are many good places to go to to conceal your loot. Wow, that's a weird-lookin' sentence.

-Obviously, the bathroom.
-Textiles. Few people there, few cameras.
-Books and Magazines. Easy to create a blind spot, few people there.
-Corners near high shelves. Blind spots are created by these shelves.
-The summer garden and plant section. No cameras. However, some stores have security devices between the store proper and the fenced-in gardening section.
-The "Radio Grill" in-store restaurant. Slide into a booth and pocket the item, being covered by the table.

5. Covering Your Ass

It's never great to get caught. Here are a few more methods to ensure it never happens.

-Always check thoroughly for security devices.
-Lots of bookstores shove those little security circuits into the pages of the books. I've taken to using those circuits for bookmarks. You can carry a book in this state with you (of course, the device will have been deactivated at the store of origin), and if the alarm goes off, say that this probably caused it.
-Whenever exiting the store, try to do it very close to another person. This will make the mini-investigation harder on them, and/or give you opportunity to escape.
-If you can, buy something before leaving. This is more important at smaller stores, but it still helps at Wal-Mart.

[Kakkaraun]

C. Theoretical Scams (Scams with dubious viability, or scams that are just brewing in my head.)

1. Shoplifting: A Slew of CDs

It dawned on me the other day that millions of America's (and every other country's) people regularly carry CD wallets. This fact came to me as I stood in Wal-Mart's music section, looking back and forth between the CD racks and the shelf full of musical accoutrements.

So, this is the idea. You take either your own CD wallet, or lift one from the store, take a whole bunch of CDs, insert the Almighty Bathroom lifting technique, and walk out of the store with a perfectly explainable CD wallet full of any kind of tunes you want. Of course, you'll leave somebody a big mess of jewel cases in the toilet chamber . If you want to keep all of the information contained in the case, not just the CD, you're not buying the thing--so just smash the hell out of it and take everything you want.

I plan to attempt this scam very soon.

2. Demagnitizer Scam One - Electronics

If you've ever been to Wal-Mart's Electronics section, you've probably noticed that the checkout counter is often left unattended. You've probably also noticed the large steel plate on all of the store's checkout counters--this is the device that disables those awful little security devices. When there's nobody around in Electronics, you can take whatever you want to lift, and slide it over that sucker, thus disabling the security device(s) contained within the item. Unfortunately, this device makes a loud "clunk" sound, and (according to WM employees) you'll sometimes have to run the item over the device more than once. Next time I'm alone in this section, I'm going to attempt this, and post my results.

3. Demagnitizer Scam Two - Portable Demagnitizer

According to a reliable source, WM employees have access to portable demagnitizer machines. These are apparently about the size of a large label gun, so they wouldn't be easy to smuggle out. However, the practical application of this device is not only quite obvious, but quite useful.

According to my contact, the devices are locked up in a cabinet somewhere in the dark bowels of any given store, with a digital keypad lock. You could easily crack this lock, using the graphite technique*. Therefore, the chief challenge before me is to discover the location of this cabinet.

Of course, you could probably also purchase or build your own portable demagnitizer, but that could be harder, and/or more expensive.

*Shave off some graphite from a pencil, until you have a fine dust. Blowing that dust on the keypad will cause it to stick to oil from recent fingerprints, giving you the numbers contained in the combination. From there, you can use the process of elimination to do the rest. Assuming a 4-digit lock, in which all of the digits are different, you'd have 4! (4x3x2x1), or 24, choices. Assuming it takes you (a very liberal) three seconds for each combination, that's a maximum of a minute and twelve seconds.

4. The Garden Department Lifting Technique

I've noticed that some smaller store's summertime garden departments don't have security devices at the exits. The exploitation potential of this is enormous. However, none of the stores in my area exist under this condition.

Also, if the security plates are at the exit from the garden section, instead of the gateway twain the store proper and the garden section, you could hand the item out through or under the fence to a friend.

[ZBoxDemon]

The boxing technique looks like the easiest one to pull off. As in stores you CAN open merchandise to have a look inside, if you were in a not so security whored area, that one would be childsplay.

The return scam sounds like the hardest one to do. Not actually based on the fact that security hates shoplifters, more on actually finding receipts and merchandise to return.

There is also the "Magic Bag" technique for lifting smaller items. A magic bag is an Aluminum Bag that you can put in your jacket that deflects the signal from the magnetic security scanners in store doors.

Overall, interesting scams, albeit I don't have the balls to do any of them .

[Kakkaraun]

ZBoxDemon said:

There is also the "Magic Bag" technique for lifting smaller items. A magic bag is an Aluminum Bag that you can put in your jacket that deflects the signal from the magnetic security scanners in store doors.

/me slaps his forehead.

I thought you were smarter than that, man .

The magic bag...

Does.

Not.

Work.

Again, in bold: The magic bag doesn't fucking work.

I hope you never tried that, man .

[Xaroc]

"some cash, and a non-black marker (I've been told that a black mark on an item means something, but I'm not sure what)."
------------------

I think what you mean to say is the magic bag dose not work.

I like the idea of bringing in your own CD wallet and taking your choice of music or taking any CD you want and just resell the ones you don’t want to keep. It’s just my two cents though.

I have been told not to use the black marker, the reason being that it might tip off the employees about what you are trying to do, also most stores (I.E. Target and some other "mart" use yellow or in some cases pink markers) but it that ever happens you could always deny it and leave. Also, to reassure that some fortunate or unfortunate person does not take your goodies, you can place our box in the back of the rack or stack and that makes it easier to look for when your friend comes in hours later.

Genius eh?

-Xaroc

[ZBoxDemon]

Bringing your own CD wallet might be kind of like incriminating yourself. Afterall, if you walked off to a bathroom witha bunch of CDs and a case, that would be suspicious.

[Kakkaraun]

Xaroc said:

Also, to reassure that some fortunate or unfortunate person does not take your goodies, you can place our box in the back of the rack or stack and that makes it easier to look for when your friend comes in hours later.

That's in the original file .

[Kakkaraun]

ZBoxDemon said:

Bringing your own CD wallet might be kind of like incriminating yourself. Afterall, if you walked off to a bathroom witha bunch of CDs and a case, that would be suspicious.

I don't think a CD wallet would be suspicious...it might be if you don't also have a CD player with you, though . And taking a bunch of CDs somewhere is no problem if you have cargo pockets .

[ZBoxDemon]

But sometimes you have to be an honest customer and not rob the stores. I prefer robbing the music companies by using Kazaa .

[Kakkaraun]

ZBoxDemon said:

But sometimes you have to be an honest customer and not rob the stores. I prefer robbing the music companies by using Kazaa .

I'm trying to make a complete music collection with accurate tags...that's a bugger to do with Kazaa. And this way, even though the evil Wal-Mart loses money, the artist gets his cut. Unfortunately, so do the middlemen.