Avoid being overloaded

Sales appeared to perk up on Black Friday. The National Retail Federation said more than 172 million shoppers across the U.S. went shopping in stores and retail Web sites during the post-Thanksgiving weekend — up 17 percent from last year’s 147 million.

But total retail sales reached only $10.6 billion, a mere 3 percent increase from last year (versus 8 percent increase registered in 2007 over 2006).

The bigger story may be that more people are out looking for the “door-buster” shopping deals and other deep discounts. And where there are many people shopping, thieves are also busy at the local malls shopping for their targets.

Shoppers should be aware that 80 percent of all crimes related to shopping occur in the parking lot. Shoppers are more vulnerable to a thief’s machinations in the parking lot than when they are inside the mall. A split second is all a thief needs to make any shopper a victim.

One e-mail message going around reveals a possible ploy thieves can use. A shopper may be too focused on getting inside the car and unloading all the packages. Then the shopper starts the car engine and shifts into reverse to back out of the parking space. That is when he/she may notice a piece of paper or something blocking the view in the middle of the rear window.

The shopper shifts into park and gets out of the car to remove the obstruction from the rear window. The moment the shopper reaches the back of the car is also the moment the thieves pounce: they get into the car and speed off — with everything in it, quite possibly including the shopper’s purse, home address, keys, identification, credit cards and all other important information.

Safety Tips: Here are some suggestions to enjoy a safe shopping during the holidays.

* Avoid being overloaded or bogged down with too many things to carry. If you appear like an easy target, you will certainly attract a criminal’s attention. Stay alert and make sure you have clear visibility all the time.

* Park as close as possible to the store entrance, and under/near lights.

* Avoid parking beside or near cars longer or larger than your vehicle.

* Check the rear window and other parts of the car as you approach. Remove any possible obstruction before starting the car engine.

* Avoid parking close to a tree line or other possible hiding places.

* Once inside your car, the first thing to do is lock the doors.