Ah, it’s finally the holiday season. The season for love, giving, and…stealing! Yup, these porch pirates are coming soon to a neighbourhood near you, and likely yours too.
Online shopping during the holiday season grows exponentially as holiday shoppers take advantage of the ease of purchasing gifts from their couch and having it delivered right to their doorstep, avoiding the crowded malls, jam packed parking lots, and going outside in the frigid temperatures.
Unfortunately, there are some really not-so-great people out there who also take advantage of this increase in online shopping and spend their days and nights driving through neighbourhoods and snatching up deliveries off of people’s doorsteps. If you’ve ever had a package stolen, you know all too well the extremely frustrating feeling of having to report it and go through customer service for a replacement, but you also know the feeling of unease knowing that your house and belongings have been compromised, and the what-ifs begin to run through your mind.
For the most part, porch pirates are just looking for a quick grab off the front door step. But, that doesn’t mean some aren’t checking the front door to see if they can hit the jackpot.
Here are some tips and tricks to make sure your packages and your house stay safe and in the right hands this holiday season:
- Invest in a good quality front door/doorbell camera that can catch the thieves in the act, here’s a link to one of our favourites.
- Invest in a delivery disguise box like this one.
- Arrange for large and higher cost items to be delivered to your nearest post office, your workplace or an Amazon pickup location.
- We know it’s a pain and an extra step if you miss the delivery, but if you’re able to – request a signature for your deliveries so that your packages aren’t left at your door unattended.
- Ensure that any doors and windows are locked at all times, even when you’re home!
- If you suspect you will be home for a delivery and don’t have a doorbell camera to notify you, put up a sign that asks the delivery driver to ring the doorbell so that you know when it’s been delivered and can grab it right away. During the holiday rush, a lot of drivers will skip the door knock and just leave it on the front porch without any notice!
- Consider gifting a Whirl Cleaning subscription or gift card, you can’t steal that off a front porch!
Do you have any tips to ward off the porch pirates this holiday season? Comment below and let us know!
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