Safety first when shopping

Marisa O’Neil

The holiday season brings joy and excitement for many people, but it

can also bring some added dangers, according to police.

While shoppers are out searching for that perfect gift, thieves

are looking for the right opportunity to rip them off. A parked car

packed with big shopping bags full of the day’s bounty makes a

perfect target, Newport Beach Police Sgt. Steve Shulman said.

And covering them up with a blanket may not foil someone

determined to get ahold of your holiday presents, he said.

“Just because you put things in your car and lock it doesn’t mean

they won’t get stolen,” Shulman said. “If somebody is watching you

walk to your car with packages, it doesn’t matter what you cover them

up with.”

Instead of loading themselves down with packages or taking the

risk of leaving them in the car, power-shoppers at Fashion Island in

Newport Beach and South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa can check their

purchases at the concierge desks. Shopping bags get locked away in

special rooms until the rightful owner comes to retrieve them, said

Debra Gunn-Downing, executive director of marketing for South Coast

Plaza.

“We’ve never lost a package,” Gunn-Downing said.

And for anyone skittish about walking through the parking lot with

that just-purchased Cartier watch, security officers will take

packages to a shopper’s car, she said. Fashion Island offers the same

service.

“Anyone who wants to be escorted to their car, we will absolutely

walk them to their car,” said Laura Davis, director of marketing for

Fashion Island.

Though the major local shopping areas have plenty of security

personnel, people should exercise caution during the holiday shopping

hustle and bustle, Shulman said. That means guarding your access code

when using public ATMs, disposing of those receipts at home and

making sure you get your credit card back before heading off to the

next store.

Drivers daydreaming of sugarplums or those who have imbibed too

much holiday cheer can also make the roads a little trickier than

normal, Shulman warned.

“There are so many people driving,” Shulman said. “People are busy

and in a hurry, so you have to be conscious of your surroundings and

cautious about driving because people are not as attentive.”