Ways to SHOP SAFELY this Shopping Season!

 
Since we are facing the most popular shopping season, I wanted to share some tips on Safe Shopping! While almost everyone is in the shopping mood, buying gifts for loved ones, there are those few that are looking for good opportunities to steal! Sad, but true. Keep these tips in mind while you are doing your shopping, to prevent a bad situation for yourself.
 
  
Tip #1. As you are shopping, never leave your purse in your cart. It can be a pain to keep your purse on your arm/shoulder the whole time you are shopping. You might be tempted to keep it in the upper portion on your cart while you shop and look around. While it is ok to place your purse in the cart as you are pushing it, be sure that if you are turning away from your cart at all, even just for a moment, pick up your purse before doing so. It is so easy for those opportunistic people to snatch your purse while your back is turned. Perhaps carrying a wristlet during your major shopping hauls might be beneficial. Also, cross-body purses are also a wonderful option! Your hands will be kept free and your purse will be right with you at all times!


 
Tip #2. This tip somewhat goes along with the first one, but it is important enough to mention separately. Once you are leaving a store or mall and are about to load your bags into your car, if you are using a shopping cart, do not leave your purse in the cart, rather, unlock your car and place your purse on the drivers seat. If you are going to load items into your trunk, you may want to relock your car until you have completed loading the trunk. You would be surprised how slick some people are, grabbing things from your car while you are just feet away!
 
Tip #3. If you are shopping at many locations and have many bags, if it all possible, put everything in the trunk, out of sight, while you continue your shopping. I recall hearing how thieves would quickly bust out a car window, making off with all the goods, because those bags were seen and were just too tempting to pass up.
 
Tip #4. If possible, shop during daylight hours and with another person. Safety in numbers! ;)

Tip #5. When shopping online, don't use a debit card, rather, use a credit card or paypal. Credit card companies are a lot easier to deal with fraudulent activity than if someone wiped out your personal bank account. Also, don't order online while your device (cell phone, laptop, tablet) is connected via WiFi. It is too easy for hackers to gain access to your personal information. Wait until you have a secure and private connection.

Tip #6. If you have several credit cards, don't carry them ALL with you all of the time. Maybe just one or two. Keep others in a safe place in your home. Also, some people like to write "SEE I.D." on the back of their credit cards, in hopes that the clerk at the registers will ask to see I.D. upon making purchases. Let's face it, many of them won't even look, but some do.

Tip #7. It is a good idea to keep a list of all your credit cards, account numbers and contact numbers in a safe place in your home as well. If your purse and/or wallet do get stolen, stay calm, but call all the numbers on that list A.S.A.P. to prevent as much damage as possible.
 


 
 
If you have any additional tips or thoughts, feel free to share them in the comment section!
 
Happy (Safe) Shopping!
 

Comments

  1. Love the shop "safe" purse ideas! Thanks for sharing!

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  2. These are such great tips; this probably sounds really bad, but I never even really thought about "safe" shopping, especially around the holidays. My friend just had her wallet stolen a few weeks ago, so this really hits home!

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  3. Great tips! This is the time when unfortunately we have to be more alert than usual. Especially ordering online. I've had my debit card hacked before, thankfully the fraud dept from my bank called to let me know and sent me a new one.
    -Cara Z

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  4. Lovely tips you put up there... Its festivities and shopping is high on demand now....

    Thnx for sharing..

    www.lexhansplace.com

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  5. These are great tips! Unfortunately, thieves know that the holidays are the perfect time to strike because we tend to be more distracted and busy. Good idea to keep account numbers and contact numbers somewhere in case you need them, thanks.

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  6. This is great!! I am so entering that giveaway for that wine bag! xo

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  7. I want to add, wear a helmet. LOL. The ONLY time I've gotten into a crazy Black Friday situation was when this woman actually THREW the giant box for a play kitchen clear across some of us in line by the display and I totally got hit in the head. Then she gets angry at me because I didn't catch it. She ended up getting kicked out of the store- over a $25 play kitchen. Good lord.

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  8. Good point about the purse! I've been tempted to leave it in the cart but that's never a good idea.

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  9. I have been even more cautious of what purse I use this shopping season. There are too many thieves out there just looking to take from distracted people like me as I tote 2 kids around. I make sure I only carry 1 credit card and a small amount of cash in a crossbody purse.

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  10. I do so much of my shopping online now, so I often forget about being extra vigilant when I'm shopping at brick and mortar stores.

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  11. Love the tip on having a list of your card number and the numbers to call in case they are lost or stolen. Should I ever have to deal with that, it would make it so much more less stressful! Thank you :)

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  12. These are all such great ideas. I often forget about some of these because I'm so focused on what I went in to get. A great reminder to be safe. Thank you.

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  13. I am not much of a shopper because big crowds freak me out, but these are great tips! Sharing for the many, many other people I know who are shoppers.

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  14. These are all really, really good tips. I was working on my blog today at Starbucks, hung my purse in my chair and then remembered how at the restaurant I worked at once in a while people would come up off the street, steal from purses on chairs and then head off. All of these reminders in your post, I needed. Great info!!!

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  15. Great post! Last year my friend had her wallet stolen turning away to pick up something from a shelf in Target.

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  16. Great post! Last year my friend had her wallet stolen turning away to pick up something from a shelf in Target.

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