Careful when you buy big box items

[lvstephanie]

I've also heard about a rash of thefts of delivery boxes, esp. around the holidays. People will cruise around neighborhoods during the middle of the day (when most people are at work) and will *bleep* up any FedEx, UPS, etc. boxes off of the front porches. In order to get around this form of theft, people use their business address as the delivery address to ensure that they are the only one to get the item.

[oldbuddy]

I never put any boxes out for the trash especially at Christmas time.  Thieves are just waiting to see what people have gotten for Christmas.  They like to case houses and Bingo they watch till you are not home and there goes your nice Christmas.  We break down the boxes after a couple weeks,,,,   use it for fire starter in the fireplace or save it for the fire pit.  small boxes we break down and stuff inside other trash for trash pick up. But we never take that trash out till we see the Trash collectors coming  LOL   We have trash pickers in our neighbor hood so this time of year we have to watch what we put out in the trash cans.

Maybe we should put out a box that a 12 gauge shotgun came in every year!

[heypeg]

That is a really scary thought. Someone casing your garbage.

[natashaspy]

We always do that...or burn the boxes in a burn barrel.  It really is a sad place that you can't trust anyone anymore.

[pkrahmer]

I never would have thought of that. Thanks for the tip. I think it is awful that we have to do these type of things  in order to protect ourselves. I hate the feeling of not being able to trust people.

[bremer51]

Frankly, I never thought of such a thing.  But it makes sense, sadly.

[Penwoir]

I know, I heard the same thing. Since I heard this, I have made a deliberate attempt to cut up packaging until it is small enough it fits inside the recycling can. But I notice that many other people do not do the same thing. Just the other morning I drove by a house which had a large cardboard box awaiting collection by the recycling company. It had plastered Samsung all over the box. Of course the most likely time of the year for potential thieves to pick up on this has got to be after Black Friday. Goodness, I remember a few years ago I left a broken old crib out for the trash collectors but by the next morning, the crib was gone!

[ghunter]

You are so right!  I got one a couple of years ago and I did that, cut up the box and put it in the trash.

[nadinastarr]

Since I keep the boxes just in case of warranty issues, I keep them in our shed for a while. I have had to send back some items and it helped having all the packaging that goes with it there. I don't want to have to buy an odd shaped box, they get expensive! I just went looking for some for canvas' and they are ridiculously expensive!! I can't imagine what they would be for a TV!

[mrisha]

A good practice to follow.  I always cut the boxes into small pieces, because people will rummage thru your garbage.

[mrsmere]

We cut them up and place in recycle bin or keep them in a shed and use in the garden or liners for auto work.

[timvolley]

i think this is a good suggestions especially around Christmas time to be careful.