6 Holiday Shopping Security Hacks to Keep Your Valuables Safe During the Gift-Buying Season

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The shopping spirit has the power to overwhelm the best of us when the holiday season approaches. It can be easy to get absorbed in the joyful act of buying presents for loved ones, but the trick is to ensure that gift shopping doesn’t come at the expense of your valuable possessions.

Here are some sensible precautions and safety hacks that every shopper should have in their arsenal this holiday season.

1. Use Cards, Not Cash

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Naturally, presents cost money. But using a credit or debit card as opposed to cash for your purchases will ensure that nobody will be tempted by a huge wad of bills in your purse or wallet.

Pay by card, wherever possible, and deter opportunistic thieves from targeting you. However, as per Inside Edition, ensure that you cover identifying information when handing your card over to a cashier, to avoid the potential for identify theft by the person standing behind you.

2. Shop During the Daytime

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Daytime hours allow you to remain conspicuous while shopping for gifts. If you absolutely must hit the shops after hours, go with a friend, family member, or a group; there’s safety in numbers. While more petty crime is likely to occur under cover of darkness, a group of shoppers is much less vulnerable than a solo gift hunter.

It may also be a fallacy that crowds provide safety. “People are usually more vigilant in crowds,” Spencer Coursen, threat-management expert and founder of the Coursen Security Group, told Yahoo Lifestyle, adding, “and [people] let their guards down in less populated areas.”

3. Don’t Wear Fancy Jewelry

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It would be unwise for a shopper to advertise their money by wearing their wealth on their body in the form of expensive jewelry. It may be tempting to dress up in order to hit the high-end stores for those extra-special Christmas gifts, but doing so may make a person a far easier target for thieves.

If a potential thief spots jewels and makes a bee-line for the wearer’s pearl necklace or other expensive accessories—not to mention her purse or bags containing valuables—Christmas could very well be ruined in an instant.

4. Secure Your Purse to the Shopping Trolley

If you are shopping in a department store or supermarket, your bag or purse becomes vulnerable to theft by sitting loose in a shopping cart as soon as you step away for a second. To avoid disaster, ensure that the bag is closed shut, then attach it to the front of the cart using the child-safety strap.

The Windham, New Hampshire Police Department posted an additional nugget of advice on Facebook: “For those carts that don’t have the child strap, keep an inexpensive carabiner clip attached to your purse strap,” they wrote. “Simply clip the carabiner to the cart and your purse is more secure.”

5. Head Straight to the Car

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A crucial tip for avoiding advertising yourself as a vulnerable target in public is to head straight for your vehicle in the parking lot. Avoid lingering to text or talk on the phone; keep your phone in your pocket or bag, remain aware of your surroundings, and walk swiftly to your vehicle if laden with precious Christmas gifts.

Additionally, have your car keys ready in your hand and ensure you always park in the best-lit space available.

6. Lock Purchases in the Trunk

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If you wish to hide gifts from loved ones until Dec. 25, then take this desire to its logical conclusion and hide your thoughtful purchases from potential thieves, too.

By hiding gifts from plain sight, safely locked in the trunk, when you need to leave the vehicle for an errand, shoppers can reduce the risk of having their windows smashed and their shopping haul stolen by opportunistic criminals.

“Criminals are like lions stalking a gazelle; they go after weak targets,” Coursen explained to Yahoo Lifestyle.

These shopping safety hacks apply all year round but are especially pertinent during the holiday season. Stay sensible, keep your valuables safe, and enjoy Christmas to its fullest!