Don’t Let a Grinch Steal Your Holiday
Serramonte Center urges holiday shoppers to put safety first, provides crime prevention tips
Daly City, CA, November 23, 2004 – The Friday after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest days of the year for shoppers and for criminals. To help shoppers have an enjoyable and safe shopping experience, Serramonte has worked with the local police department and IPC International, the nation’s leading provider of public safety services for shopping centers, to come up with five tips to help shoppers avoid criminals and be safer this holiday season.
o Be careful how you handle your money. Never flash or count your money on the street or in public.
o Men should not carry their wallets in their back pockets but rather place wallets in their inside coat pocket or front pants pocket. Women should carry their purses with the strap across their chest. And, never leave your packages or purse unattended, not even for a brief moment.
o Be aware of who is around you when you use an ATM machine. Be careful not to reveal your pin number and don’t walk away from the machine counting your money.
o Remember where you parked and if you wish for an escort just ask mall security.
o Store packages in the trunk of your car, out of sight.
"Most crimes are crimes of opportunity," said Daly City’s Chief of Police Gary McLane. "The shopping tips Serramonte Center has provided will help shoppers divert those opportunities. However, the most important tip for everyone is to use common sense and remain vigilant at all times. Don’t let your guard down."
"We want this holiday season to be a time of joy and celebration," said Dick Bartlett, General Manager. "We hope these tips make our shoppers a little bit smarter and enable them to enjoy this festive time of year."
Serramonte Center Holiday Safety Tips – Add one
Owned by Capital AND Counties, U.S.A. Inc. Serramonte is an 865,000-square-foot shopping center anchored by Macy’s, Mervyn’s and Target, with more than 120 stores. The center serves a local population of one million customers. Visit www.serramontecenter.com for information about store and event listings.
About Jones Lang LaSalle
Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE: JLL) is the world’s leading real estate services and money management firm with a portfolio of approximately 800 million square feet of property under management worldwide, including more than 280 shopping centers on four continents. In the United States, Jones Lang LaSalle is the largest third-party manager of regional shopping centers with a 31-million-square-foot portfolio of more than 50 regional malls and transportation terminals across 22 states plus the District of Columbia. For more information, visit www.am.joneslanglasalle.com/retail .
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