UK 7" [Rough Trade RT195]
View front and back artwork from the menu on the left. Rigid sleeve. Pink labels with black text in the classic Rough Trade layout. Different editions of the record have been reported. Here are the two known versions of this format:

• push-out centre
  Initial pressing of the 7" has a push-out centre, as requested by Morrissey.
  RT 195 A-2U-1-1-7 / RT 195 B-1-1-1-X1
  RT 195 A-2U-1-1-13 / RT 195 B-1U-1-1-11
• solid centre
  Later pressings, or perhaps pressings for a foreign market such as Ireland, have a solid centre.
  RT 195 A-2U-1-1-18 / RT 195 B-1U-1-1-2 0

UK 12" [Rough Trade RTT195]
The 12" features slightly alternate artwork to the 7" format (view front and back from left menu). The labels are also pink with black text in the classic Rough Trade layout. The inner sleeve is glossy and in the same pink as the labels. It shows the catalogue number in white in the top right corner. Some copies came with a 12"x24" poster described above and a postcard showing the Elvis artwork.
RTT 195 A-4U-1-1- / RTT 195 B-1U-1-2-
RTT 195 A(digit scratched out)3 / RTT 195 B-1U-1-

UK 12" mispressed [Rough Trade RTT195]
The packaging of this item is perfectly identical to that of the 'proper' edition described above, but the a-side plays "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby" instead of "Shoplifters Of The World Unite". This is usually considered a mispressing although there is reason to believe that the 'mistake' may have been deliberate. See full story from the single's discography page . The number of 'mispressed' copies has been reported to be 900. Of these, 300 were supposedly sold before the single was recalled. The recalled copies have surely since made it back into the collecting world as Rough Trade in the 1990s regularly cleared their storage areas of whatever they could find.
RTT· 195 - A1 / RTT 195 B-1U-1-

UK carrier bag
As an incentive to buyers, and in true Morrissey sense of humour, early copies of the 12" were sold in a white plastic carrier bag showing the Elvis artwork on one side, and the word 'Shoplifter' on the other. View image from the menu on the left of this page.

UK sheet music [Warner Bros Music Ltd and IMP 20890]
The sheet music for this single includes tabs to the three songs featured on it. View here.

UK 7" promo [Rough Trade RT195]
A very limited number of stock copies of the 7" (the push-out centre variation) were sent to media with a yellow and blue plugger sticker on the front of the sleeve. These often come with a "Rough Trade Records LTD" press release giving release information.

UK 12" promo [Rough Trade RTT195]
This single was mainly promoted with 'white label' copies of the 12" format. The labels in this case were actually very light pink. These promos were sometimes slipped inside a white paper die-cut sleeve and sometimes in a stock picture sleeve. Some copies came with a folded 12" by 24" promo poster described below.
RTT 195 A-4U-1-1-1 / RTT 195 B-1U-1-2-

UK 30cm x 60cm promo poster (12" x 24")
View here.

UK 100cm x 150cm promo poster (40" x 60")
Subway size poster. View here (better flat photo needed).

UK ad 30cm x 40cm (12" x 16")
Black and white ad. View here.

UK 7" test pressing [Rough Trade RT195]
UK 7" white label test pressings of singles released by the Smiths from March 1985 to the end of 1987 are quite rare. They are from the initial pressing of the 7" format, and their labels are simply white paper ones with sometimes a bit of release information handwritten on them. The record is usually circulated inside a white or black die-cut bag. About a handful or two are expected to have made it into the hands of the band members, label employees and entourage, and from there perhaps into the collections of a few lucky fans.

UK proof of 12" sleeve
Printers' proof of the 12" sleeve. Shows front and back with colour bar, registration and proofing bars at the top.

UK proof of alternate 7" sleeve
A printers' proof of an early version of the 7" sleeve has made it into the collectors' world. It shows the unfolded sleeve front and back, including unfolded flaps that go from the front over the back, and colour bar. The artwork is perfectly identical to the final one, but Craig Gannon is mentioned in the credits between Andy and Mike as "second guitar". The sleeve was corrected after he was sacked.

UK proof of alternate 12" sleeve
This is identical to the alternate 7" proof mentioned above (including Craig Gannon credit), but it was made for the 12" format, so the unfolded artwork only shows the front and back, without the flaps which are not part of the 12" sleeve.

UK proof of "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby" 7" sleeve
UK proof of "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby" 12" sleeve
Printers' proofs for both formats of the aborted "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby" single feature earlier variations on the final "Shoplifters Of The World Unite" artwork. See the collectors appendix of the latter aborted single for details.

Australia 7" [Rough Trade/CBS 650364-7]
It is highly doubtful that this item really exists. "Shoplifters Of The World Unite" was only released as a b-side on the "Ask" 12" single in Australia. However, please write if you do know something about this.

The European editions were made in Germany for the European market (including France). They bear a French price code on the back of the sleeve and the musical rights societies STEMRA and BIEM are also credited on the labels. They are usually listed as German pressings on auction sites and music collecting websites.

Europe/Germany 7" [Line 108945]
This is usually referred to as the German black vinyl 7". It was manufactured in Germany for the German, Dutch and French markets (and perhaps also other smaller European markets). The sleeve is made of thin paper and opens at the top. The front artwork is similar, but very slightly different to the UK front artwork. The back differs from the UK back by a few details: the UK catalogue number was omitted from the top right corner, the German catalogue number was added in a black box above the barcode (along with German and French price codes), the label code was moved to the bottom right corner and printed in black, the Rough Trade logo was replaced with a Line Records logo and Line Records credits were added in black at the very bottom beneath an advertisement for the availability of a 12" counterpart. It also differs from the back of the 'strictly' German 7" on blue vinyl (described below) by the presence of a barcode and differently displayed credits, catalogue number and logo. The record bears classic Line labels with graph paper motif, just like the blue vinyl German edition, but the text layout was slightly changed, the catalogue number was adapted, the European rights societies STEMRA and BIEM are also credited along with GEMA, and the production is credited to Johnny Marr only.

Europe/Germany 12" [Line 608.945]
This is usually referred to as the German black vinyl 12". The front shows the usual 12" variation of the artwork, but unlike its German counterpart on coloured vinyl, the European 12" has the words "MAXI-SINGLE 12 INCH" added in the top right corner (view left). The back differs from the UK back by a few details: the barcode was moved up to the top right corner and has the European catalogue number as well as German and French price codes printed next to it, the label code was moved to the bottom right corner and printed in black, the Rough Trade logo was omitted and Line Records logo and credits were added in black at the very bottom. It also differs from the back of the 'strictly' German 12" on coloured vinyl (described below) by the presence of a barcode and differently displayed credits, catalogue number and logo. The record is slipped inside a white paper inner sleeve. It bears classic Line labels with graph paper motif, just like the German editions on coloured vinyl, but the text layout was slightly changed, the catalogue number was adapted, the European rights societies STEMRA and BIEM are also credited along with GEMA, and the production is credited to Johnny Marr only.

Europe/Germany 7" promos + press sheet [Line 108945]
Stock copies of the European 7" described above were distributed with a one-sided Ariola 'single facts' sheet which is coloured pale blue and white and is small enough to fit inside the 7" sleeve. This press sheet gives the track listing (including songwriting credits and running times) at the top, above production credits, a label code, a paragraph of text in German and a post scriptum. Some copies of the same black vinyl Euro 7" have been spotted with the yellow Rough Trade Deutschland press sheet and postcard that came with the German promo 7" described below.

See also "Germany 7" promo + press sheet" below.

Europe/Germany 7" test pressing [Line 108945]
The test pressing for the European 7" bears generic white printed labels stating "Unverkäufliche Musterplatte" at the top above the line "hergestelit von der Schallplatten-Fabrik Sonopress", a box on the left with "45 UpM" and "33 UpM", another box at the bottom with "Nr._________" and a legal note around the edge. The "Nr." line is filled by hand with the numbers "108945M" on one side and "108945B1" on the other. In some cases the record is slipped inside the usual European stock sleeve, in other cases it is found inside a black paper record bag.

Germany 7" [Line LIS1.00020B]
The 'strictly' German 7" was pressed on clear blue vinyl. Just like the European 7" (aka German black vinyl 7") described above, the sleeve is made of thin paper and opens at the top. The front artwork is similar, but very slightly different to the UK front artwork. It often has a huge white circular Pinnacle Imports sticker on its front advertising that the record is a limited edition pressed on coloured vinyl. The back of the sleeve differs from the back of the UK sleeve by a few details: the UK catalogue number was replaced with the Line Records one and printed in black, the label code was moved to the bottom right corner and also printed in black, the barcode as well as the Rough Trade address above it and the Rough Trade logo next to it were omitted, and Line logos and credits were added at the very bottom. It differs from the back of its European counterpart on black vinyl by the absence of a barcode and differently laid out credits, catalogue number and logo. The record bears classic Line labels with graph paper motif, just like the European 7", but the text layout was slightly changed, the catalogue number was adapted, the European rights societies STEMRA and BIEM are not credited, and the production is credited to "Morrisey" [sic], Johnny Marr and Stephen Street instead of just Johnny Marr.

Germany 12" [Line LIEP3.00009]
There are two different 'strictly' German editions on 12" format. Both were pressed on coloured vinyl: one variation a pink-white splatter and the other a green-white splatter (the black vinyl edition is the European 12" described above). Besides the colour of the wax, there are no other differences between those two editions. The front of the sleeve bears the usual 12" variation of the artwork and often has a white circular Pinnacle Imports sticker advertising that the record was pressed on coloured vinyl. The back of the sleeve was modelled on the back of the British 12", with a few alterations: the UK catalogue number was replaced with the Line Records one and printed in black, the label code was moved to the bottom right corner and also printed in black, the barcode as well as the Rough Trade logo above it were omitted, and Line logos and credits were added at the very bottom. It differs from the back of its European counterpart on black vinyl by the absence of a barcode and differently laid out credits, catalogue number and logo. The record in both cases is slipped inside a white die-cut poly-lined paper inner sleeve. It bears classic Line labels with graph paper motif, just like the European 12", but the text layout was slightly changed, the catalogue number was adapted, the European rights societies STEMRA and BIEM are not credited, and the production is credited to Morrissey, Johnny Marr and Stephen Street instead of just Johnny Marr.

Germany 7" promo + press sheet [Rough Trade RT195]
The release of this single was partly promoted with stock copies of the UK 7" paired with a Rough Trade Deutschland press sheet and a promo postcard. The press sheet is sized A4, two-sided and printed on yellow Rough Trade Deutschland paper with their logo and contact information at the top. On one side are given the UK catalogue numbers for the 7" and 12", track listing, personnel, and a dozen lines of biographical information and praise for the band in German. On the reverse are photocopied 1986 end-of-year polls from the music press in which the Smiths fared well. The postcard shows the Elvis image on one side (without any text) and a Rough Trade UK address on the back, beneath the line "Shoplifters Of The World Unite . The New Single By The Smiths". Also included is a second Rough Trade Deutschland press sheet, this one single-sided, printed on white paper and announcing upcoming tour dates for Rough Trade labelmates Felt and Biff Bang Pow (no Smiths content).

See also "Europe 7" promo + press sheet" above.

Germany 7" test pressing
See Europe 7" test pressing described above.

Germany 12" test pressing [Line 3.00009]
A test pressing of the German 12"s has made it into the hands of a few lucky collectors. The latter 12"s are on coloured vinyl but their test pressing is on black vinyl. It bears white labels with the words "UNGEPRÜFTES MUSTER" printed around the top edge and "UNVERKÄUFLICH" around the bottom edge. A white rectangular sticker on one label has "The Smiths" and some numbers (including the catalogue number 3.00009) printed on it. The test pressing comes in a white card sleeve showing on respective sides smaller reproductions of the front and back cover art of the European 12" described above (the latter edition was also made in Germany). The label sticker is also found in the top right corner of the side of the sleeve featuring the photocopy of the single's front artwork. The German 12" catalogue number 3.00009 was added in handwriting beneath the barcode on the side of the sleeve showing a photocopy of the back artwork. Although this is slipped in a reproduction of the sleeve for the European 12", this is definitely a test pressing for the German 12"s on coloured vinyl according to the matrix numbers (C-3.00 009-A BN / C-3.00 009-B BN) which match those of the two coloured German 12"s but not their European counterpart on black vinyl.

Holland 7" [Rough Trade RT195]
A 7" was pressed for the Dutch market, but it seems like usual label Megadisc wasn't involved with its release. The sleeve looks very much like the English one, but it is made of thin paper, it opens from the top and the bar code box on the back was left blank. The labels are vermillion and have an identical typeset to the UK labels. The words "Made In England" are still found near the bottom, but the credits around the labels also state "Made In Holland".

Spain 12" [Nuevos Medios 41-243 M]
The Spanish 12" of "Shoplifters Of The World Unite" was released as a single from the "The World Won't Listen" album. The labels are a slightly lighter shade of pink than the UK labels, and the text on them is laid out exactly the same way. The catalogue number and label code on the left were replaced with the Nuevos Medios logo and catalogue number, and the credits were replaced with Spanish ones. Information on the inner sleeve and on how the outer sleeve differs from the UK one is needed.

Sweden 7" [MNW RT195]
The Swedish 7" was made in England for the Scandinavian market. The sleeve is identical to the British one in thickness and appearance. However, unlike the British 7", the record has a solid centre and red labels. The text on them is just like on the British edition, plus "BIEM/nİb" on the right.
RT 195 A-2U-1- / RT 195 B-1U-1-

Sweden 12" [MNW RTT195]
From the outside, the Swedish 12" could be mistaken for a British pressing because the sleeve is identical. One has to take the record out of the sleeve to find differences with the UK 12". The most striking difference is the colour of the labels which are orange. Because the inner sleeve is pink as in the UK, the orange labels look odd when seen through the die-cut opening. The text on the labels is the same as in the UK, with slight changes in the credits around them and the addition of "BIEM/nİb" at the right.

USA 12" [Sire PRO-A-2712]
This item was pressed as a promo for the "Louder Than Bombs" album. See the album's collectors appendix for details.