It’s getting to be that time of the year – time to shop! With Black Friday just around the corner, take a few minutes to consider how to protect yourself and your valuables as you’re out shopping for all those sale-priced goodies.
These five tips can help you keep your car and purchases safe while shopping:
1. Lock your car doors
The easiest car to break into is an unlocked one. Locking your doors is simple, quick, and gives thieves more work – which means they might move on.
2. Park in a well-lit area
Light deters thieves. Park under the lights in a parking lot and stick to well-lit areas when walking back and forth to your vehicle.
3. Keep your purchases in your trunk
Rather than tossing your purchases in the backseat in full view for thieves, put your shopping bags in your trunk. Out of sight, out of mind.
4. Hide valuables
Hiding your purchases in your trunk helps, but thieves might still target your vehicle if you leave other expensive items in plain sight such as iPods, iPhones, or GPS units. Make sure you hide any expensive items before you leave your car.
5. Warm up your locked car
It’s really tempting to go start the car, then wait for it to warm up before you climb inside and go. If you want to do this, make sure to have a spare set of keys and lock the doors while the vehicle warms up. A running, unlocked vehicle is an easy target for car thieves.
It’s easy to forget these simple steps when you’re out shopping, but they can help keep you and your purchases safe. Of course, when you get your shopping bags back home, we recommend a security system to keep those intruders out. If you have a smart home security system, you can even check in on your system from your smartphone while you’re out shopping!