To commit shoplifting, one must 'intend' to permanently deprive the merchant of the value of the merchandise. 1 Shoplifters most commonly conceal stolen merchandise on their person or in their clothing and inside shopping bags, purses, hats, or even umbrellas. Small items are often stripped of their packaging, price tags, and other identifiers to disguise the newness of the product and reduce bulk.
Shoplifters also hide items within another package that is then purchased.
Shoplifters may use an accomplice to distract the merchant. Shoplifted articles may also be handed off to an accomplice. Price tag switching and fraudulent refunding are variations of shoplifting that may be hard to detect. The refunder may take merchandise directly from the shelves to the refund desk, or the shoplifter may steal the item from one store and return it to another merchant. Self-assured professionals, while they may not run, will walk into a store, pick up an item and walk out, knowing that few people will react quickly enough to stop them.