Holiday Theft Is Real: How to Protect Your Valuables This Season

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The holiday season brings celebration, travel, and busy schedules—but it also brings a sharp rise in theft. From home burglaries to retail break-ins to quick “grab-and-go” theft at businesses, criminals take advantage of extended hours, distracted staff, and empty homes.
Whether you’re a homeowner, store manager, or business owner, one of the strongest defenses you have is a properly selected and properly installed safe.
Below are the practical steps to protect your valuables this season—using the same proven security tools trusted by thousands nationwide.

1. Secure Cash and High-Value Items in the Right Safe

Holidays mean increased cash flow, heavier foot traffic, and more inventory moving through homes and businesses. That also means more risk. One of the most effective ways to reduce loss is to avoid letting cash build up. Make more frequent deposits into your safe throughout the day to minimize the amount of money sitting in drawers or registers.

Choose a safe designed for the type of protection you need:

• Depository Safes – Essential for retail and restaurants handling higher holiday cash volume. Employees can make quick drops throughout the shift, preventing cash from piling up and reducing opportunities for theft.
• High Security Safes – Built for advanced burglary resistance, ideal for stores, jewelers, offices, and homes storing high-value items.
• Fire & Burglary Safes – Protect important documents, holiday cash reserves, and small valuables from both theft and fire.
• Utility Safes – Perfect for securing keys, electronics, or employee access items.
• Floor Safes – Concealed protection for long-term storage at home or in businesses.

Frequent deposits + the right safe = one of the strongest theft-prevention strategies during the holiday season.

2. Lock Down Access: Codes, Keys & Audit Trails

During the holiday rush, staff turnover and temporary hires increase. So does the importance of access control.

• Update all safe access codes before the busy season.
• Remove access for former staff immediately.
• Use Dormakaba electronic locks for:
  • Individual user codes
  • Audit trails showing exactly who opened the safe and when
  • Time-delay features to deter hold-up theft

These measures significantly reduce internal theft, which typically spikes during holidays.

3. Don’t Forget Physical Security Basics

Even the best safe performs poorly if everything around it is vulnerable.

Add these checks to your holiday prep:

• Ensure your safe is properly anchored to a concrete surface.
• Confirm your surveillance cameras fully cover the safe area.
• Test your alarm contacts—especially if your safe connects to an alarm panel.
• Install adequate lighting around back rooms, office areas, and storage spaces.
• Avoid leaving safes in unmonitored corners during extended hours.

A thief should never be able to simply pick up or pry open a safe due to weak installation.

4. Protect Your Home Before Traveling

Holidays mean vacations—leaving homes unoccupied and vulnerable.

Before you leave:

• Store jewelry, cash, passports, and documents inside a High Security Safe or Fire & Burglary Safe.
• Avoid hiding valuables in drawers or closets—these are the first places burglars look.
• Ensure the safe is bolted down and out of immediate sight.
• If using a keypad, replace batteries to avoid lockouts.

A secure home safe is especially important during holiday travel when burglary rates rise.

5. Schedule Maintenance Before the Holiday Rush

The last thing you want during peak season is:

• A keypad failure
• A stuck hinge
• A door that won’t close
• A safe that won’t anchor properly

Schedule a quick inspection ahead of time to check:

• Door swing (a safe door should never swing freely on its own)
• Batteries in electronic locks
• Bolts and hinges
• Proper leveling
• Seals and moisture protection
• Alarm connections

A 20-minute tune-up can prevent an expensive security failure during the busiest time of year.

6. Plan for After-Hours & Multi-Shift Operations

If your business runs late hours or multiple shifts during the season:

• Use Depository Safes so no one accesses stored cash.
• Restrict after-hours safe access to management only.
• Consider dual-control (two-person) access for high-value safes.
• Rotate codes weekly during peak traffic.

These systems reduce opportunities for both internal and external theft.

🎁 Final Thoughts: The Holidays Should Be About Joy—Not Loss

The holiday season is the worst time to experience theft—but it’s also the easiest time to prevent it with the right preparation.

A high-quality safe, proper installation, strong access controls, and routine maintenance offer powerful protection against both opportunistic and targeted theft.

🔐 Need a Safe Before the Holiday Rush?

Blue Dot Safes offers a full range of:

• Depository Safes
• High Security Safes
• Fire & Burglary Safes
• Utility Safes
• Floor Safes

📞 Call us at (866) 747-7233
📧 Email: [email protected]
🌐 Explore solutions at bluedotsafes.com

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