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The Dangers of Holiday Shopping

By Abbie Varco

As the exhilarating race to buy the most trendy presents begin, the holiday cheer comes along with it. Many people look forward to holiday shopping and seeing all of the decorated stores. What they do not realize, though, is that holiday shopping can actually be quite dangerous. 

 

Malls become filled with criminals who are waiting to catch you off-guard. Pick-pocketers, bag thieves, and other criminals are destroying the Christmas spirit. Many websites, such as State Farm, publish articles with tips for staying safe while shopping, indicating dangers are on the rise. 

 

According to Jason Miles & Michelle Homer, authors of “Shopping Safety Tips,” “‘We had gone to some higher-end luxury stores and bought several thousand dollars of goods. The back window was completely smashed. All the bags were stolen,’a resident from Houston says.” 

 

Clearly, the rush to get the best before it goes out of stock, or the goal to save up the most money, makes people go insane during the holidays. 

 

People also often get distracted while shopping by: the decorations; the people; the excitement; and the millions of gift ideas to choose from. If a shopper is not paying attention, a thief could steal gifts from their bags, or even money from their purse. Some holiday thieves even go to the extreme of following a specific person out of the mall in order to steal the item that the person has. 

 

According to Miles & Homer, Houston police officers go on to warn people to “be attentive and know your surroundings.” 

 

It is important that we keep the holiday spirit alive, and to do so we must keep these helpful tips in mind: never leave bags or carts unattended, stay focused and do not get distracted, and use credit/gift cards instead of carrying around a ton of cash. 

 

Additionally, it is important to remember that tension also causes crimes. For instance, everyone is stressed during the holiday season, especially retail workers. When tension adds up, bad behaviors tend to occur. It has been reported that angry customers tear stores apart and steal things just because they did not have a desired item or someone else bought it before them. With tons of chaos like that, it is easy for criminals to steal items. 

 

As the holiday season continues, be sure to stay safe while stopping and also keep the holiday spirit alive!








 

Works Cited 

 

Miles, Jason & Michelle Homer. “1Shopping safety tips: While you're shopping for the holidays, crooks are shopping for victims.” KHOU-TV, 25 Nov. 2022, https://www.khou.com/article/news/crime/shopping-safety-tips/285-5242ad52-774d-4e46-a58a-ab191de3d755. Accessed 19 Dec. 2022.

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