Security Tag Issue

Comments: 13
Posted on: January 5th, 2009

If you bought a piece of clothing and found the security tag still attached when you arrived home, you might appreciate this video.

I ended up wearing my sweater with the security tag on it before Christmas as I didn’t want to drive the 35 miles to Bellingham to have Macy’s remove it. I couldn’t understand how it was missed and how I even got out the door of the store. What use are the security tags? Someone told me there are often 2 security tags on one item, so it’s easy to overlook one of them. As for why I wasn’t detained or at least questioned as I left the store escapes me. It certainly would have saved me a great deal of time, stress and effort.

It seems no stores here in BC use the same security device. Every employee in the local stores I took the sweater to while out shopping looked at me with pity and commiserated but could do nothing to help me. One smart young lady said to put the sweater in the freezer then try to remove the tag.

We watched the above video and the heavy duty mechanic said he’d give it a try. No guarantees though!

With the sweater carefully wrapped in a bag to keep it away from the ink holding piece, he held it tightly in a vise then hacksawed a hole in the plastic to get at the pin which is attached to the two ink vials. If the pin is pulled it breaks whatever is holding the vials and the ink leaks all over your garment – yuck.

Once he had the pin exposed he was able to hacksaw through the plastic, releasing the pin from the top piece. I don’t quite understand how it all worked, but I videoed the process and it was a complete success!

The vials did not break and my sweater is perfect and wearable. I don’t think the freezing made much difference but if the vials broke perhaps it would have. The ink vials contained yucky yellow and ghastly green and my lovely black sweater would have been a mess if they had broken.

All I can say is ‘Please don’t try this at home!’ unless there are no other options. My heart was pounding and the stress level was high – and all I was doing was videoing and holding the bag.

Here are my very amateurish videos!

13 Comments! What do you think? Leave a comment below...

skeeterbess (4 comments.) said on January 6th, 2009 at 2:19 am

I didn’t know there was ink inside those things. I thought they were just sensors to trip the security devices at the doors of the stores. Which is rediculous of course, because if that was so, we shouldn’t be able to carry things out of the store with the tags still on them.

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LadyGrace (20 comments.) said on January 6th, 2009 at 4:11 am

LOL took your time getting it off
I had always wondered how to do that haha. just jokes.
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corrin (39 comments.) said on January 6th, 2009 at 5:45 am

I probably would have worn it with the tag, too. Haha.

I always wondered if there was a rhyme or reason to which garments they attach those tags. Department stores obviously put them on the high end garments, but then you’ll see them on a $15 t-shirt. Seems more trouble than it’s worth, especially if you can walk out of the store with them still attached. Haha.

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vein (12 comments.) said on January 6th, 2009 at 8:47 am

I have had a similar problem. I put the ink half in a glad bag and pulled it apart with pliers. The device did not ‘go off’ when I did this.

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Owen (17 comments.) said on January 6th, 2009 at 9:44 am

So I see you “hacked” the security tag huh?

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daria369 (7 comments.) said on January 6th, 2009 at 10:55 am

I’d go straight back to the store and have them return my expenses. Using hammer and other tools on a new sweater so I can wear it? I don’t think so…
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Maureen (27 comments.) said on January 6th, 2009 at 12:37 pm

Apparently I would have had a smelly, inky mess on the sweater if it were me in your situation! I didn’t know about the ink vials- I thought the only purpose was to be a sensor for stealing. I probably would have broke it by mistake!
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Julie (56 comments.) said on January 6th, 2009 at 2:07 pm

HA! You’re such a security tag hacker! Did you know that Neiman Marcus will send an employee to YOUR HOUSE to remove those? Obviously not all stores do this, but the higher end ones do for sure, and I would think Macy’s would be one of them.
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Sadie (39 comments.) said on January 6th, 2009 at 3:14 pm

That’s amazing! Those are always such a pain in the butt!!

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Karen (37 comments.) said on January 6th, 2009 at 3:46 pm

You go girl!
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Barbara (20 comments.) said on January 6th, 2009 at 6:13 pm

At least it turned out well for all you time and trouble. I had that happen with
a pair of khaki pants. I drove the 8 miles to the mall. I knew about the ink an didn’t want to risk it.
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eweezy said on January 6th, 2009 at 11:39 pm

actually you don’t have to go through all the trouble of cutting the plastic open. the way the stores do it is to push two prongs into the indents simultaneously so that both of the sides holding the pin release it. i know because i used to work in retail and we had an electronic thing to take off the sensor and a hand-held thing to take it off also. all you have to do is simulate it by pushing something into the two indents simultaneously. the ink part isn’t really all that sensitive so you don’t have to feel like you’re walking on eggshells when you take apart the thing. the trick is to push on the things on the part holding it and not pull so much on the ink part.
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cady (32 comments.) said on January 7th, 2009 at 7:38 am

i had a tag left on a shirt once. i wish i had known then how to get it off! i think i just ended up wearing it and was able to hide the tag somehow.

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