Robbed at the Grocery Store!
Criminals look for easy opportunities – where someone might be vulnerable or have their guard down. That’s why you shouldn’t be on your phone when you are walking to your car at night and don’t go to the ATM at 2:00 am! But sometimes just the circumstances can make you vulnerable. Thieves take advantage of those situations – like when you are leaving the grocery store for example.
They Come at you from All Angles
A 72-year old woman in Indianapolis was walking to her car at at Kroger when a man came up to her. He snatched her purse and took off. She tried to chase him and he ran over her foot with his car. During the holidays, robbers were regularly targeting people in grocery store parking lots. In some cases, the security patrol was even nearby. The crowds were so big, the thug would rob someone and be gone while security was on the other side of the lot. No one even noticed until it was too late.
These opportunists may wait until you are loading your car and then approach you. When you are strapping your child in to the backseat or loading groceries, they use your distracted state to pounce. They grab your purse from the shopping cart or off your shoulder. Or they open one of your other car doors and grab what is on the seat. One woman even found her whole cart full of groceries hauled off by a thief in the parking lot. She turned away for a second and the woman grabbed the cart and all the groceries. She loaded them into her car and fled.
They also may strike when you’re not even around. Smash and grab happens fast and is becoming more and more common at shopping centers. They will break the window for a gym bag, child’s backpack or anything they think might have something of value inside.
How to Protect Yourself
So how do you avoid this? Instacart? Shipt? HEB Curbside? These are all great options, but the reality is, sometimes you just need some milk and fruit! You can’t avoid the store forever but these tips can help.
- Stay alert – when you look confident and aware of your surroundings, the bad guys will look for someone else. If we all walk around like we own the world, they will give up and move on!
- Watch your purse – don’t leave it in the cart while you stroll around the store. Even if you are holding on to the buggy, someone can grab the purse and run. And especially don’t leave it sitting in the cart while you are distracted checking the freshness of the fruit. A cross-body is great for while you are shopping but if they try to snatch it off you in the parking lot, you will likely take a tumble and could get hurt.
- Better yet – leve the purse at home – bring a small wristlet or put your keys, credit card, ID and health insurance card in your front pocket.
- Have someone bring out your groceries – most stores allows an employee to bring your bags to the car. This way, you won’t have your back to a potential criminal as you reach into your car to load. If you have your child, you can easily strap them in while the employee loads your groceries in the back.
- Speaking of kids …. Don’t bring them if you don’t have to – I know this isn’t always easy, but you will always be focused first on them which can distract you. Some people believe criminals don’t target women when they have kids because it makes for a bigger hassle. But for parking lot thieves, they rely on your attention being elsewhere to grab the goods.
- It goes without saying, but… no phones – someone pushing their groceries to the car while talking on the phone is a robber’s dream. Your attention is elsewhere and your hands are probably engaged between pushing and holding the phone. You have a target on you for sure.
Demand More
When you hear about crime at your local grocery store or shopping center, spread the word. Call the store manager and ask them what they are doing to protect their shoppers. Let them know you will choose your shopping destinations based on where you feel safe and secure. If you are victimized, report it to the police. Just because it was “only groceries” taken doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be reported. Both the store management and the local authorities need to know about all incidents so they can be aware of trends and take action.
