STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A new report says half of New York City residents had packages stolen in 2020 -- a year where online shopping greatly increased due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
“In terms of stolen packages in 2020, city residents fared slightly worse than the national average,” said Matt Zajechowski, a spokesperson for the Chicago, Ill.-based C+R Research, which is the organization that initiated the study. “A total of 51% of NYC residents claimed to have had a package stolen in 2020 when compared to the national average of 43%.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic that number jumped even higher -- with 62% of NYC residents reporting a package theft since the start of the crisis, he said. And for 16% of those reporting a theft, it was the first time the resident had a package stolen, said Zajechowski.
MORE PACKAGE DELIVERIES
According to the report, more than half -- 59% -- of Americans receive some type of package on a weekly basis, which is up 10% higher than the company’s 2019 Package Theft Statistics Report.
“Considering the continued growth of eCommerce spending, along with many Americans staying home and shopping online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not a surprise that more consumers are receiving more packages,” says the report.
TAKING PRECAUTIONS AGAINST THEFT
The report revealed that Big Apple residents said they are taking the following steps to prevent package theft in the future:
1. Staying home for deliveries.
2. Opting for in-store pick up.
3. Requesting signature for deliveries.
4. Shopping at stores.
5. Sending deliveries to friends or relatives.
NATIONWIDE STATISTICS
The study also concluded the following:
- 59% of Americans receive package deliveries once per week (up from 49% in 2019).
- 43% of Americans have had a package stolen in 2020 (up from 36% in 2019 and 31% in 2018).
- Almost two-thirds (64%) say they’ve been a victim of package theft more than once.
- 29% of respondents say they have had a package stolen during the pandemic, and many of those were victims of package theft for the first time.
- The average value of the stolen package was $136, but 81% say they’ve received a refund on the stolen items.
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