Black Friday, online ordering and porch pirates

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA)-- Black Friday crowds packed the Outlet Shoppes in Canutillo on Friday, but some shoppers said they were skipping the lines and buying from their phones instead. Still, online convenience comes with one big worry: Will the package actually arrive?

“Anybody that comes in the way of that package and the delivery for our customer is what we sometimes consider a porch pirate,” said Richard Rocha, a spokesperson for Amazon.

Rocha said the first step in preventing package theft is simple track your order or share your order tracking with family and friends if you're away from home. But if the tracking shows a delivery and the package isn’t on your doorstep, he said, report it.

“We want to make sure police have that information,” Rocha said. He said after you report it, customer service representatives should be able to help you with a refund or reordering.

He added that customers can also leave delivery instructions to help drivers hide packages from would be thieves.

“During holiday time, a lot of people have decorations out,” he said. “You can put it behind a big nutcracker you have there, or behind a planter during the rest of the year. It’s whatever makes it most convenient for you in a place you’re comfortable with.”

Despite the rise in online shopping, several Black Friday shoppers said they still prefer buying in person.

“Sometimes online you don’t see the quality,” one shopper said. “It’s nice to get your hands on something and make sure it’s good before you buy it.”

Another said the fitting room makes all the difference: “You can check it out and see how it fits you.”

“I get to try stuff on and see how it fits me,” a third shopper said. “Online, maybe I don’t like how it looks or fits.”