I alwasy wondered if the following was possible:
1) Buy a book from a bookshop (with cash), and keep the receipt
2) Go back to the shop the next day, with only the receipt in your pocket
3) Pick up another copy from the shelf
4) Go to the till with the new book, together with your receipt, and say you changed your mind
5) Get your money refunded
6) Walk out, and go home to the original book

I never did it, but... doesn't that seem like the perfect shoplift? You never walk out carrying something you haven't paid for, so there's no risk at all. Unless someone watches you constantly on your second visit - but you could easily be alert to that.

For extra safety, you could even pick up another (different) book the second time round, and take them both to the till. Then just say you want to exchange them. If the cashier hasn't been watching you the entire time, then it's flawless.
(EuroSong I love horse meat: best of all the animals, Thu 10 Jan 2008, 23:21, 3 replies)

The Real Hustle
They exposed this as a pretty effective scam, slightly different though. It went like this;

Person A enters store, finds some nice expensive saucepans or something and pays, gets a reciept and a bag and leaves. Once outside, shows Person B the stuff, and then puts it in the car.

Person B enters the store, finds the same items, but instead of going to the till, hides them somewhere in the shop.

Person A then reenters with the reciept and bag, finds the two items that have been hidden, walks up to the till and asks for a refund, because he'd had a misunderstanding and the wife had bought one from another shop at the same time.

Then gets a refund on the items that never actually left the store and makes off with the items he originally bought, for free!
(nibbles, Thu 10 Jan 2008, 23:35, closed)

WOW
Wow.. i've shoplifted a lot of things, but i've NEVER thought of this.. mainly because when you walk in to refund something, you usually go straight to the refunds counter.. you don't walk around the store with the product.. doing the exchange thing would work though.. good tip-off!
(brotagaia, Fri 11 Jan 2008, 8:33, closed)

M&S policy
I remember hearing of a woman who made fortunes out of Marks & Sparks 'no hassle' refund policy by doing this. (Literally, into six figures)

She would pick up an item in store, and damage it by tearing or with one of those qik-unpick things seamstresses use. Sometimes she would authenticate it by stashing a bus ticket in a pocket or smearing with lipstick, then take it up to the desk and get a refund.

Genius!
(Greencloud Wanted to go fishing on, Fri 11 Jan 2008, 12:07, closed)