Even if I have mine in the cart, I always have the strap around my wrist....I have seen some women put the kid's seat belt through the strap of their purse and that will hold it but you'd have to make sure the purse would be closed, also...

I have seen women leave their purse in the cart and walk away and I wanted so badly to take that purse and lay it out of sight, just to show them what could happen...But, my luck, I'd have been arrested!

I see the purses in the carts all the time and it makes me want to just walk over and snatch the purse and say...see what can happen.

I'm with Ruthie. If I were dishonest enough I could be very rich indeed on all the opportunities I've passed by.

I just can't believe how stupid and trusting some people are.

I usually shop when it isn't busy...I often leave my closed purse in the cart. I don't walk too far away, and once I'm through Produce it's so piled with veggies good luck to them trying to get it out. If I'm shopping when it's busy (or if someone makes me suspicious), I put it on my shoulder.

I have occasionally reminded a shopper that she shouldn't leave her purse in the cart. Now I've decided it is so well known how risky that is, I don't bother to mention it.

Have I ever mentioned that I use a fanny pack?

Sue

like some of you, I've thought about moving someone's purse...mind games, you know. But we'd be the ones caught!!
Also thought about mentioning the risk to the owner, but these days ya never know who's going to blow up. I just walk on by.....another sad example of the times.

I strap mine in with the kid's seat strap and make sure it is closed at all times. I'm also amazed at the number of people who walk away from their carts with their purses sitting right there for any thief to take.

My sister is the world's worst about leaving her purse the cart and wandering off or getting distracted. I was at Walmart with her once and we were at the deli trying to decide what we wanted. A came up behind her, and tapped her on the shoulder and said "I'm not a thief, but if I was, I could have taken your purse 5mins ago..and you still wouldn't know it was gone"!

I don't own a purse that doesn't fit on my shoulder and that's where it stays when I'm shopping. On the very rare occasion that I need to look at something and the purse would be in the way, I place it in the child seat, close it and wrap the safety strap around the handles several times.

Just how is the child's seat strap going to prevent theft? It only takes a moment while your back is turned. Purse snatchers carry knives ladies. They have even been know to cut the strap and run. Not in a store so much but on busy streets.

"only when it's not busy"
Well less witnesses as far as the thief is concerned.

A purse in a cart is a an open invitation to opportunistic type of criminal. There is no safe way or time to leave a purse in a cart.

If you lock your purse in your car or trunk, do it at home, not while in the grocery store parking lot where you can be easily observed.

I am totally floored, by the amount of un-attended purses I find in the stores. What are those women thinking off?

Give an opportunity and someone will take advantage of it.

Moni

It is not only purses that I see left in shopping carts but babies and young children.

I buckle my zipped purse into the kid seat; then all the items I pick up go into the seat area first to cover the purse. Could someone still use a knife and slit the strap and take it? Sure, but if I were a purse snatcher I'd look for easier prey. Oh and I never walk away from my cart.

linda that drives me crazy! or the parent who was letting her 4-5 yo dd unattended in the toy dept. no one was around, and i could have walked off with her in a heartbeat...

I see it every time I go to town.
I have given up on people. I tell them your purse is going to be stolen, and they just give me the look..like I am so wrong to even think "their "purse could be stolen.
These idiots belong with the group that leaves their little ones in the TV department to watch cartoons or play with the video game demos while they are off in another department. Just makes you wonder about them doesn't it?

my purse is always around my waist (fanny pack they are called ) having been ripped off in Miami several times I learned a lesson. sometimes I talk to aa woman who has left her purse in a cart and gone down a few feet to look at something on a shelf I kindly say that if you were in Miami your purse would be gone in 30 seconds.

I never place my purse in the cart. Always on my shoulder.

Tammy

I admit I do leave my purse in the cart. And I know shopping at the same store for 20 years does not make me less of a target.
I never wander more than a foot from the cart, have it strapped in and zipped closed and would kick anybody's butt that came near it.
I would rather have my purse gone than a small child. That drives me more crazy than anything else.
Also the kids left in cars in the parking lot while mom shops.
Don't get me started.

Trin

Do not leave your purse in a shopping cart, opened or closed. My elderly mother was standing in front of the grocery store with her buggy full of groceries and her purse closed in the cart. I drove my car up to the front of the store where she was standing by the cart. I popped open the trunk for her. Before I could get out of the car and at the same moment she took the first bag of groceries to put in the trunk someone ran right up and took her purse out of the cart. She was no more than two feet from the cart. It only takes a second to grab and run. Criminals watch for women who are not attending their purses. Even if you turn your back for a moment to get a bag of apples they can snatch it up and be gone. Be alert ladies.

I believe there's a spree going on; I'm just not really understanding why. Can't most credit cards be cancelled quickly or info from the purchases be used to track people? It's not like it's gonna take you 2 days to realize your credit cards are lost or stolen. Plus, most people don't carry much cash around anymore. Add to that the fact that cameras are in many stores and at many doors. What are the thieves hoping to get -- diaper coupons, some hand sanitizer, a half a pack of tic tacs, and your wedding pic?

I don't really notice people leaving their purses much around here. Personally, I couldn't care less if someone wants to leave their purse unattended. I've had 2 friends who have had their purse snatched and they were both when they were holding them... go figure. It seems almost any time I've heard of a purse snaching, the victims were elderly and had nothing to do with purses being unattended. I mean it's a dumb habit to leave your purse alone...but the same thing can and does happen in bathrooms (people go around reaching over stalls and stealing purses from the hooks) - That used to be a big one. I still choose to hang mine on a hook. I've seen people leave there purses alone in churches, big parties, bars, restaurants, etc). Never really bothered me although they are taking a risk....

The leaving kids alone in the cart really bothers me though. I'm not as worried about someone snatching the kid as I am about the kids falling. I have seen so many kids come close to falling head first out of a cart. Now those parents are the ones that need a talking to.

Never, I carry a purse that fits on my shoulder so I have hands free if I want to look at an item closely. When I broke my arm I bought one with a long strap to go over my head so I would have one hand free. When I sit something down I usually leave it. When I shop I often see a purse in the cart with it unzipped and wallet just laying there for anyone to take.

The only time I was a victim was nearly 40 years ago. I set my purse on the floor of a theater. I picked it up when we left and only discovered my wallet was gone when we got to a restaurant. Then I remembered seing someone use the exit door in the theater. (Flash of daylight when he opened the emergency door.) Evidently he had crawled along the floor under the seats -- probably made a big haul! -- then exited into a gangway and walked away.

There's not much of interest to a thief in my purse these days. I use almost no cash; pay everything with a credit card. I don't even carry keys to the house, should someone decide to dash to my home address (on driver's license) while I'm shopping.

I see this type of stuff a lot. See cell phones, ipods, GPSs and stuff in plain sight in vehicles too. Engines idling with purses in unlocked vehicles while they run into the store for something, occasionally with kids in the car. There will be bags in malls and the like paid for, might even have receipts in them, who knows, just waiting to be snatched.

I quit feeling sorry for people getting scammed by emails. I've gotten to the point too where I don't feel sorry for someone who loses a purse or something from not even using common sense. I consider it a "stupidity tax".

They had a big push many years back by our police department where they'd go around and if there was an unattended garage door open, they'd go up and put a form in there saying "If I were a thief, I could have gotten _____ (bicycle, lawnmower, motorcycle, etc) to draw attention to the ease of access while just going to the back yard for something. It did help. And I do tend to close the door more often now. I thought about printing up some cards in a similar fashion and dropping in open purses but thought why risk being accused of taking something, so I decided against it. I just smile and chuckle and think someday, maybe they'll learn.... the hard way.

You know with this purse thing.... Now that I think of it, I wonder if maybe the purse itself isn't the thing at target with this ring of women or with many thieves. Nowadays the name brand purses are often worth a lot more than the contents.

Carla it's not always about cash or credit cards. Many women carry their freaking lives in their purses. Sure there's the petty thief who hopes too get ten or twenty bucks and discards the rest.

But in your purse is your identification, your home address,some fools even carry their social security cards in their purse. A receipt from your doctor, a child's school, a cell phone with all your important numbers in it's memory. Checkbooks, bank statements, bits of paper with passwords,date planners it goes on and on. Keys to the house, keys to the car, pictures of the kids....

Large bag full of a woman's life.
Burglary, home invasion, car theft, identity theft. makes it easy on the crooks.

Some years ago a friend said she had been robbed of her purse at WalMart. Apparently it was a 2 person team, one woman engaged her in conversation about her baby grandson and distracted her, while someone else took her purse and walked away.

Oh man, I got so lucky a couple months ago. I loaded up the car, parked the cart, got in and drove away. Somehow, I left my purse in the cart in the parking lot??? I was parked directly in front of the cart corral. I have no idea how I didn't see or notice it. About half way home I went for my bag and it wasn't in the seat next to me, I pulled a u-ie in the road and headed back. It was at customer service! I couldn't believe it. Really really lucky. First and hopefully the last time that's ever happened.

I went through a period of forgetting my purse in restaurants. Left it 3 or 4 times and got it back every time. Now I put it on outside of a booth seat so it's in my way when I slide out.

I've always only had purses with a single long shoulder strap, so I just loop it over my head, with purse under arm, messenger-style, whenever I go shopping. It's more comfortable that way when my arms need to be moving about. When I'm just walking around, not shopping, it's just on my shoulder.

I saw a woman's purse just this afternoon, in the produce dept. of course. Purse was wide open, wallet partially poking out. I had to move her cart due to a cart traffic jam. I had the same thought about taking it and giving to her as a warning, but I had also the same thought that it would be me getting caught. Besides I didn't know which woman it was. There were several others within 10 feet or so (hence traffic jam), but they all were pushing their own carts.

I think it's part of the economic meltdown - even if the thief can't charge much, they can do some damage immediately, especially at a gas station or liquor store, Plus there's usually a few bucks in a wallet. Anything for their next meth hit (a big problem around here).

I don't agree with you, wildchild. I think most thieves that steal purses are petty thieves. Not that it can't happen... but the people that do identity theft or even home burglary are usually far more advanced. The person stealing the purse is usually after the quick cash or nowadays, the name brand purse itself. The people that do identity theft generally aren't going to let you know they have your info... anyone who gets their purse stolen is generally going to know to stay on top of their credit report and put guards on stuff and such... same with home burglary. They hit your when your not expecting it, not when you are.

I'm just not all that worried about it, I guess. I had some stuff illegally charged to my credit card once... my card wasn't stolen someone just probably kept entering numbers until they found my card number that worked. The credit card company credited me back everything and issued me a new card. I could have done nothing to prevent it. Most crimes are flukes.. yeah, you could have always installed an alarm or bought that cross cut shredder instead of the regular one, or strapped your kid to you until they are 18... but it just gets to be to the point that you can't really live if you worry about it. I don't leave my purse open and walk away from my cart, but I've probably turned to pick up something with it sitting in my cart. Who knows... I'd rather have someone take my purse from my cart than hit me over the head to get it... you never know. And, my wallet, keys or a credit card receipt are probably more likely to fall out and get lost if I'm trying to hold my purse while I'm trying to load a case of water into the cart. I just still think the chance that someone gets their purse stolen because it was just sitting in their cart is still really, really low. All things considered, no matter how dumb it looks, I just don't think the odds are there for it to really matter.

Well here's a piece on the issue for the doubting Tomasina's among you.

Here is a link that might be useful: Purse Snatching

I'm super-paranoid about having mine stolen or picked--since that happened to me as a teenager. "Luckily", that's what I was--just a teenager, so the most I lost was a $10 bill and a few school pics of friends, but it taught me a lifelong lesson!
My son is 16, but I only started leaving him "unattended" in stores 2 or 3 years ago!!:)
I confess: overprotective!

I'm not a doubting thomas, wildchild. I just think identity theft has come a lot further in 2 years than you do. Today, generally, precautions can be put in place when someone's purse is stolen. Of course you have to keep an eye out for problems.

Identity theft nowadays is more likely to come from someone hacking into your computer or using their camera to take a picture with their phone of your credit card while you are scanning it at a grocery store. Identity thefts are also becoming very common amoung children--- thieves steal their identities/social security numbers, etc because they don't have a credit history and no ones know to check it. It also happens when dishonest employees take your credit card or check info and pass it along for money. Are you afraid to use your credit card and write checks? Because, you are taking a chance when you do that. In fact that may have been why/how my credit card number was stolen (an employee used or sold my number)... it wasn't taken from my purse, and they got away with a lot of charges because I didn't know they were doing it until I got my bill.

The real key with credit card and identity theft is getting away with it without people knowing about it -- not stealing their purse to let them know you are going to do it. They mine as well just send you a letter and copy the police telling you they are about to try to steal your identity.

I locked my purse in the trunk of my car when I went to work out in a health club. When I came out to my car, I grabbed my purse. It was there but the cash and credit cards were gone.

Carla just because there are high tech means available for identity theft doesn't mean low tech ways aren't being used.
Most identity theft still takes place through people's carelessness with their atm cards, social security numbers, receipts,bank statements and what they toss in the trash. A purse is simply the easiest one step way for a thief to get the info and multiple pieces of paperwork to make the job easier. Even if they intend to use the computer to do their misdeeds the paperwork makes it so much easier and less risky.

Online bill paying is more secure than paying by check. Why? Because most identity theft is lo-tech. The media just likes the high tech story better so that's what people hear about.

Sure there are phishing scams and whatever. Those are real threats but a well informed computer user has ways to protect themselves.

It's where low-tech crime comes in that people get stupid. They walk around with a false sense of security. Just as in a "bad" area people will become more careful while feeling "safe" in the "better" area. Crooks know this so they come into the "good" ares to commit their crimes. While Mr. Press is reporting the gang bangers shooting each other in their neighborhoods the rest of the crew is off robbing Mr./Mrs. High End in their favorite bistro.

Also if they get caught snatching a purse they do less time than for if caught internet crime. There are identity theft rings that use kids to snatch the purses and pick the pockets. Just like they use kids to run street drugs. Less risk doing big time.

My DS is a high tech internet security expert. I've posted warnings he's sent me and those got pooh-poohed by some also. Either you are going to be street-wise on and off the 'puter or you're not. If you're not then one day you may become a victim of crime. Maybe not if you're lucky but you sure increase your chances. So it's kind of silly to justify lax security measures (ie leaving your purse where others can get it) when it's something so easily preventable.