Don’t Let Your Festive Deliveries Make Someone Else’s Christmas

In the excitement and bonhomie of the festive period it’s easy to forget that not everyone is full of goodwill at this time of year. Festive Deliveries left on doorsteps can, and do, get swiped and thieves know that the next few weeks can provide rich pickings for them. Fortunately thefts of packages from doorsteps are relatively rare but even so there are a number of sensible precautions you can take to make sure that your gifts end up under the Christmas tree of the person you intended them for:

• When choosing your delivery option always request a signature so that the courier or postman cannot simply leave it on the doorstep in full view of passers-by.
• If you are having the parcel delivered to your home and it is not being signed for leave clear instructions where it can be left if you are not there e.g. behind the back gate, in the recycling bin.
• Get your packages delivered to work.  This is the ideal solution as even if you are not available when the courier turns up your colleagues can hold on to it for you. It’s worth checking with the boss first though!
• Many local shops now act as collection and delivery points for parcels and this negates the need to stay in all day waiting for a package or risk it being left unattended.

By taking these simple steps you can avoid the upset and inconvenience of being the victim of theft and also ensure you are not advertising the fact that your house is empty. A parcel sitting on the doorstep is a sure sign that your house is unoccupied and sadly the thieves may be tempted to not only take the parcel but see what other goodies they can treat themselves to indoors. Most parcel thefts are carried out by opportunists but there have been reports of more professional gangs following courier vans around and helping themselves to packages left on doorsteps. Trying their luck inside could therefore be a natural progression.

So as the Christmas delivery season reaches fever pitch – UPS anticipates delivering an incredible 34 million parcels worldwide on December 22 – be careful; make sure your gifts end up in the hands of your loved ones and not the local Grinch!