Will Package Theft Ruin Your Holidays?

With millions of packages expected to be delivered each day, leading up to the holiday season, many consumers are concerned how safe these packages really are when delivered to their home. According to a study by smart home security company, Canary, one in two Americans are concerned about falling victim to porch pirates, which they said could ruin the holidays for the entire family.

To deter package theft, many consumers are taking action. As many as 38% have their holiday packages delivered to a safer location, such as their workplace or local post office, which is often less convenient for them.

Another 22% opt to work from home on the days that they will be expecting packaged deliveries to ensure a porch pirate doesn’t steal from them while another 27 will shop in stores to avoid package theft altogether, according to the study. A total of 32% of American consumers reportedly also said they will limit their online shopping to be even safer.

“Gift-giving has always been an integral tradition at the heart of year-end celebrations, yet as consumers continue to shop online and have packages delivered directly to their doorstep the longstanding tradition is at risk,” a Canary spokesperson said.

The thought of having a package stolen is so worrisome for some consumers that they said they would rather wait in line, have a flight delay, get coal for Christmas, spoil the holidays by revealing their gift, or even spend the holidays with their in-laws, according to the study.