Tumblr Shoplifting Blogs

Submission 35,577

Part of a series on Tumblr. [View Related Entries]

About

Tumblr Shoplifting Blogs are blogs maintained by a community of Tumblr users referred to as the "Bling Ring," "Shoplifting Fandom" and "Lifters," who post shoplifting tips, photographs of stolen merchandise and stories about retailer theft.

History

On August 16th, 2013, the shoplifting blog "Lifting Tips, Tricks, and Hauls" was created, highlighting photographs of shoplifted merchandise and stealing advice. On December 25th, the Shoplifters Anonymous^[12] Tumblr blog was launched, which features stories, tips and other information regarding shoplifting.

Tumblr's "Bling Ring"

On April 24th, 2014, Tumblr user We Unhallowed^[13] published a list of shoplifting blogs titled "Tumblr's Bling Ring," claiming to have stumbled upon a network of teenage shoplifters who post pictures of their stolen merchandise referred to as "hauls". The post was subsequently removed.

News Media Coverage

On April 26th, Jezebel^[7] published an article about the Tumblr shoplifting blogs titled "'Bling Ring' Tumblr Shoplifting Community Gets Rocked by Outsiders," which noted that the blog community received a substantial backlash following its discovery. Additionally, the article highlighted a list of "lifter's commandments" widely reblogged among the shoplifting fandom (shown below).

On May 4th, the BBC^[9] published a statement from Tumblr revealing they would cooperate with police if an investigation into the community were launched.

On May 11th, The Daily Mail^[8] published an article about the community titled "The Real Life Bling Ring." On September 30th, The Daily Dot^[1] reported on the blog network, noting that many in the shoplifting fandom were claiming to be roleplayers.

Reception

On April 27th, 2015, a thread about Tumblr shoplifting blogs was submitted to the /pt/ (general) board on the imageboard Lolcow,^[10] where many replied with their opinions regarding the ethics of the community. On July 5th, Tumblr user Tenaflyviper^[2] posted a list of suspected shoplifting blogs titled "Master List of Entitled Children Celebrating Being Total Losers."