Holiday Shopping Safety

As we approach Thanksgiving and Black Friday, we start to see Xmas and Holiday shopping start up in earnest. The increase of shoppers on the streets, in malls and parking lots, also increases the number of potential victims for muggers and other financial predators, especially when many of these victims are harried parents, trying to get their shopping done in the shortest possible time. In this article I want to talk about some of the ways in which you can reduce the risk of becoming a victim of crime when shopping at this time of year.

The following statement might at first sound somewhat alarmist; people are watching you. There are few parking lots, and shopping malls, where there aren’t any financial predators or criminal opportunists looking out for potential victims. This is not to say that you are always in a state of high risk and constant danger, as several things have to come together to facilitate an actual crime, but rather that you should be aware that there are those in these environment who are looking to take advantage of any mistake you make e.g. if you forget to lock your car door in the parking lot, there is a good chance that else somebody will observe that – it doesn’t take much to recognize someone who turns away from their car without putting their key in the lock, and doesn’t use the remote lock on their key fob either i.e. the horn doesn’t go and the lights don’t flash etc. It may be at the start of your shopping trip you are much more clued into your security and personal safety, but if you return to your car loaded down with bags in order to drop them off, before you continue your shopping spree, you may easily forget to lock your car.

Also be aware that if you do use your car as a storage facility like this, any criminal in the environment will know that there are valuable items in your car – it may be a hassle but driving to another parking spot in the same lot may be enough to fool any potential criminals that you have actually left, and are therefore no longer a potential target (few if any criminals will actually memorize a registration plate and go looking for a particular car) – if you do this make sure your bags are in the trunk and are not visible to anyone passing by your car.

It is often safer to park your car, near the exit and entrance ways to the parking lot. These areas usually enjoy the best natural surveillance, as there should be – especially at this time of year – constant traffic moving in and out of the lot, meaning that there will be a lot of eyes on your car, and less opportunities for a criminal who may be trying to target you or your vehicle from going unseen.

Understand as well that different spaces have different norms and levels around personal space. In a crowded mall, it is acceptable for a person to be within a few feet of you (or possibly less), in a parking lot, this distance expands, and generally no person has any reason to be within 10 feet of you. When we change environments, it can take some time for our awareness around personal space to adjust; what may be an acceptable personal distance in a mall, may not be an acceptable distance in a parking lot even though only a few seconds have passed. Be aware of individuals who are not keeping an acceptable distance between them and you; if necessary change your route/direction, and see how they adjust theirs. If there is some form of synchronization of movement, try and head back towards an area where there is a lot of people, and possibly security, than trying to rush to your car.

When you do head to your car, have your keys ready. It’s a good idea before you leave a mall or shopping outlet etc. to adjust your bags, and have your keys out, so that when you get to your car, you can transfer everything quickly, get in and put the central locking on – and immediately start the engine. Parking lots are not places to check and send text messages etc. The shorter the amount of time you have to spend in them the better. If you are going straight home, consider if it is quicker to put your shopping on the back seat, rather than using the trunk.

If you are spending a long time at a shopping mall, try and take regular breaks. It is very hard to ascertain if someone is watching/observing you if you are constantly engaged in an activity such as shopping. Sitting down somewhere and having a coffee, will allow you the time to relax, and observe those who may be engaged in some sort of surveillance of you. Take a moment to think back if anyone seemed to have an unnatural interest in what you were doing – if you can’t recall anyone that’s fine, but going through this process will help keep your awareness up, without getting you adrenalized and panicked. Something which will actually lower your effective awareness. Whilst shopping malls do see their fair share of muggings, you are more likely to be targeted in the parking lot as you leave – stopping for coffee or similar immediately before you leave, is a good chance for you to readjust your bags, get your car keys ready, and move to a more alert mode.

As any security operative will tell you; there is no substitute for planning, and thinking about a shopping trip from a personal safety perspective will go a long way to keeping you safe.