Koon's watch

Online shopping becomes more popular each holiday season.

But the delivery of those items – and what can happen to them after they arrive at your front door – can be troublesome.

We see cases throughout the year of people stealing packages from porches and front stoops after delivery. There are some easy steps for you to take that will reduce your chances of becoming the victim of a “porch pirate.”

• Schedule mail and package deliveries to arrive at your home when you know you will be there.

• Ask a family member or trusted neighbor to keep an eye out for packages at your front door.

• If you’re not often at home, have deliveries sent to your work address.

• Ask delivery companies to store items at their facilities, and pick them up from there. The nationally known firms – and some retailers – often make this an option for consumers.

Keeping your packages as safe and secure as possible is simply a matter of figuring out a system that works best for you.

If you do receive notification that a delivery you’ve been expecting has arrived and there’s no sign of it, please let us and the retailer know so we can take steps to locate your package and figure out what happened to it.