Sephora Employees Use A Code Word To Identify Potential Shoplifters

Kasia Mikolajczak
Sephora store
Unsplash | Deva Darshan

Have you ever wondered how stores handle suspected shoplifters? I mean, how do they even know who is acting suspicious, huh? Perhaps they have someone in the store who just walks around observing any and all activity.

However, once they spot something unusual, how do they handle the situation? Well, at least one store has a code word for it. Let's find out more about it. Shall we? Come on.

So here's something I learned about Sephora:

Makeup
Unsplash | Boxed Water Is Better

Apparently, the store has a special code-word the employees use when they spot a suspicious shopper. Do you want to know what it is? Okay, if you hear the staff talking about "Nora," they aren't speaking about a fellow employee.

That's the code word for a possible shoplifter.

Man saying "now I get it."
Giphy | The Paley Center for Media

You see, there is a reason they use that specific name, too. Nora is an acronym for "Need Officer Right Away." Aha! When they use that word, a security officer gets deployed to investigate the situation.

Oh my goodness!

person with shopping bags
Unsplash | Erik Mclean

So what happens when the employee spots someone shoplifting before the officer gets there? Well, they're actually not allowed to intervene themselves. I suppose it's because the store wouldn't want to put them at risk should the situation escalate.

At least that's what I think.

Man saying "that makes sense."
Giphy | CBC

And it does make sense. You never know how a person suspected of shoplifting might react. Am I right? They could just deny it, or it could get more serious. So that's one way to protect the employees from having to deal with something like this.

So what happens next?

Security agent
Unsplash | Flex Point Security

Well, some stores keep a file on people who repeatedly get caught shoplifting. They hire a loss prevention agent and start building cases on repeat offenders. Yikes. If that doesn't scare you off of shoplifting, I don't know what will. Is that lipstick really worth it? I don't think so.

Other places have put in anti-theft systems.

grocery store robot
Reddit | u/jkostrich

I'm not sure if you have ever seen robots patrolling aisles. As it turns out, they might not only report on spills in the store, but they could also be watching you shop. Um, that makes me feel a little bit uncomfortable but okay!

And get this.

Woman saying "what?"
Giphy | YoungerTV

Some stores can even pause your self-checkout if they suspect something off with your behavior. Oh my! Welcome to the modern world. Am I right? What are they going to do next, huh? I guess we will find out.

Apparently, other stores do similar things like the 'Nora' code name.

Twitter comments screenshot
Twitter | @ditavonsleeze

These store employees confirmed that much on Twitter. Well, at least we will all know what it means the next time we hear the word 'Nora' uttered in a store, ha, ha! Do you catch my drift?

So, did you know about this shoplifter code?

man gesticulating his mind is blown
Giphy | The Office

Or were you as surprised by it as I was? Now that it's been revealed on Twitter, do you think they will change it or keep it? I guess unless you're always reading Tweets the secret is still safe. But for me, shopping will never be the same, hee-hee.

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