The post-Holiday shopping season is a great time of the year to take advantage of after holiday sales. If we disregard the fact that this is the busiest time of the year for gift giving, people tend to spend a lot of time looking for clothing, electronics, and other items of interest they wanted but could afford before the post-Holiday sales. This actually adds to the mayhem of people returning gifts and increases the volume of people out at the malls.

With the hurricane of consumerism hitting us every year, the shopping centers are flooded with armies of people between Thanksgiving and well after December 25th. Much like a herd of wild animals, this invites the danger of predators looking for an opportunity to pick off an unknowing shopper for their own gain.

Even with summertime being the peak time for robberies, the Holiday shopping season is when we see a peak in crimes of this nature. This doesn’t mean you have to lock yourself indoors and wait until the Holidays are over, you just have to take the proper precautions when venturing out.

Travel in a group – By increasing your numbers, you increase the number of eyes that could look out for danger. Walking in a group also may deter a potential robber from considering you as a target.

Travel light – When you make a shopping trip, bring only what you need. Don’t travel with a ton of credit and ATM cards. If possible, just carry cash and be sure to keep everything in separate locations on your person. If you carry everything, car keys, ID, credit and ATM cards, etc, in one place like a wallet or bag, you could lose everything in one fell swoop. With all this personal information falling into the wrong hands, you leave yourself at risk for potential car theft, burglary, and identity theft.

Travel with protection – In a case were an attacker may engage in violence to rob you, it’s always better to hand over your shopping bags than engage your attacker. However, if you find yourself in a situation where you are at risk for harm, it’s always a smart idea to have a self-defense weapon just in case. Keeping something as small enough to hang on your key chine at the ready when walking alone, such as a Kubotan, Heart Attack, or small canister of Pepper Spray, could even the odds in the event of being surprised by someone.

The most primitive form of self-defense is the action of forcefully striking an aggressor to subdue or repel him. If you are able to, you can use your body to defend yourself with a flurry of punches, kicks, and other strikes against the attacker. However, when you’re faced with an attacker, even if you’re physically matched, you’re usually at a disadvantage because these attacks are a surprise to the victim.

The fear of the unknown is one of the biggest of all human fears. So to keep yourself safe, there are measures you can take to prepare for the unexpected, and even the odds during a surprise attack.

Telescopic Steel Baton – This weapon will allow you to put distance between you and an attacker. It is especially useful because it can collapse and be held in a pocket or on a belt holster for easy access. It can then be drawn and extended in one fluid motion, allowing you to quickly strike an aggressor before they know what you’re holding.

The Heart Attack – It may look like a simple key chain, but this heart-shaped piece of hard plastic will leave an attacker in a world of hurt. Grip the Heart Attack between your fingers to deliver a punch that will focus all its power to the pointed end of the device. Ouch!!!

Pointed and Flat Kubotan – No more than a metal rod, this devastating weapon will leave an attacker bruised and broken. It can be use to strike an aggressor by swinging your keys or by striking in a poking or smashing fashion to cause pain to vulnerable bony and fleshy areas of the body.

You don’t have to pack a sophisticated taser or stun gun, or something potentially lethal like a knife or a gun, to protect yourself from a person determined to cause harm to you or your family. These weapons require some confidence and training to use, but will leave an attacker thinking twice about coming at you again.