06/08/2026
June 2026 Quail Call Article - by Fran Grizas
In 1979, British inventor, Michael Aldrich, created the first electronic shopping system known as "teleshopping" or "videotex." He connected a modified television to a transaction-processing computer via telephone lines. By 1984, he had perfected his system which enabled the first “consumer to business,” purchase by Jane Snowball.
Ms. Snowball, age 72, is widely recognized as the first online home shopper. By using her television and a TV remote control, she connected a call through her telephone line to the Videotex service, and placed her order for margarine, cornflakes, and eggs from her local Tesco grocery store in Gateshead, England. The groceries were delivered to her home, and she paid in cash.
Aldrich’s system was a forerunner to e-commerce, operating long before the advent of the internet or the worldwide web. And now, global e-commerce revenue is projected to reach $6.8 trillion in 2026.
The United States (33%) and China (31%) lead global online consumer purchases, significantly above the 17% global average.
Even with all those internet purchases, 64% of Americans still shop in brick-and-mortar stores on a weekly basis. And what is even more astonishing, in 2024 Americans spent $1.3 trillion online and an additional $5.9 trillion in actual stores.
Experts predict that global e-commerce sales will reach $2.5 trillion by 2026 of which $1.4 trillion will be spent by Americans doing “social” shopping, which is defined as “direct purchasing of products as seen on social media such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, etc.” without navigating to an external website.
Amazon.com is the most visited online retail website globally with order volume reaching 3.1 million in monthly traffic. And what are people buying on Amazon? In order by volume: Electronics, Beauty & Personal Care, Home & Kitchen, and Apparel.
Along with online shopping, another industry was born! Porch Pirates! “Aye, aye, matey!”
As we have discovered, not all pirates have an eye patch, a wooden leg, and a wise-cracking parrot on their shoulder! Today’s pirate drives a car rather than navigate a mighty-masted sailing vessel. And they are an opportunistic thief who steals delivered packages from residential doorsteps. They are typically under the age of 45, equally likely to be men or women, and often work in teams to trail delivery trucks. These thieves are fast, bold, and increasingly use technology to track deliveries.
According to Red Stag Fulfillment, an estimated 104 million packages were stolen in the United States in the past year. And even though this is a 13% decline over the previous year, porch piracy remains a $37 billion problem affecting roughly 1 in 4 American households annually.
To arrive at the $37 billion problem, one must consider $15 billion as the value of the initial merchandise shipped, and then another $22 billion in replacement costs, refunds, and fraud-related losses, bringing the total economic impact to $37 billion annually.
In 2025, SafeWise reported that Colorado leads the nation with 69% of residents reporting package theft victimization, a position it has held for three consecutive years. Utah (67%), California (65%), Texas (64%), and Washington (63%) round out the top five.
Security.org reported that the average value of a pirated package is $204 and 57% of all package thefts occur between October and December when twice the normal three-month average of online shopping occurs.
Package theft remains one of the most under-prosecuted property crimes in America. Only 31% of victims file police reports while just 11% of those reports lead to investigation, and only 3.2% result in arrest.
Stealing USPS mail is a federal felony. However, packages delivered by private carriers (UPS, FedEx, Amazon) fall under state laws, which typically classify theft as a misdemeanor for items under $500–$1,000, depending on the state. Law enforcement resources typically do not extend to property crimes under $1,000, and prosecutors prioritize more serious offenses. These numbers explain why prevention, not prosecution, remains the most effective defense against porch piracy.
Eighty-eight percent of online shoppers now use at least one theft prevention strategy. The most popular approaches include staying home to receive packages (60%), tracking deliveries (58%), signing up for delivery alerts (40%), and installing doorbell cameras (35%).
But the best method of all, is being a member of Lake San Marcos Security Patrol. We outsmart the porch pirates by canvassing the homes of our members to secure their packages as quickly as possible and bring them to our office for safekeeping until our member returns home. We respond to doorbell camera alerts and dash to the home to collect the package as soon as we get the call. On average, we secure 25 packages a week and do our best to thwart porch pirates in our community.
For package protection and other security services, become a member! Call or visit 1132 San Marino Dr., Suite 101, Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 3:3:00 PM, 760-744-0811.
