Cherry Hill Police Provide Holiday Shopping Safety Tips

CHERRY HILL, NJ — Cherry Hill police are advising shoppers of the following safety tips ahead of the holiday season:

• Be aware of your surroundings. Pay attention to who or what is around you.
• Have your keys out and ready when approaching your vehicle.
• Never leave any packages in your vehicle in plain sight. Always put them in your trunk before you get to your next destination.
• Never leave any personal items in your vehicle in plain sight, such as loose change, credit cards, cell phones, purses and electronics, etc.
• Always park in areas that are well lit. Do not park in remote areas.
• Never leave doors unlocked or windows open or cracked.
• Bring a buddy shopping with you - remember safety in numbers.
• Be aware of how you carry your purse or wallet.
• Try to carry only the amount of cash you will need to make your purchases and limit the number of credit cards to only the ones necessary for your current shopping trip or for that day.
• Always leave yourself extra time. By giving yourself extra time, you'll be able to remind yourself of these basic shopping safety tips.
• If you see anything suspicious, call the police department’s non-emergency number at 856-665-1200 or call 9-1-1 in case of emergency.

They also provided some tips for parking in crowded parking lots at malls and shopping centers.

"Some parking lots may be large and have many floors like a parking deck, some may be smaller with limited parking and others may offer street level parking with many parking spaces or access to a parking garage," police said. "Sometimes it can be difficult to remember where you parked, but you can always text the location to yourself or take a photo of the row or aisle number."

If you do not have a phone, then here are some other suggestions:

• Park next to a small spot or a small compact car so that your car won’t be hidden behind a truck, SUV, or van.
• Park under a light if possible because not only is this safer, but your eyes are automatically drawn to the lights in a parking garage — so it could help you quickly spot your car.
• Tie something bright, like a ribbon, on your roof rack or antenna (if it’s fixed) so you can easily spot it from across the lot.
• Take a final look back at your car as you walk away. A recent study found that people who took a final look at something remembered the details better than those who didn’t.