Purse Safety Tips While Shopping

Keeping your purse secure when shopping can be a challenge. This guide is about purse safety tips while shopping.

Solutions: Purse Safety Tips While Shopping

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Buckle Your Purse in Your Seat Belt

Memphis has a lot of crime, as most places these days do. To guard against purse snatching, when I buckle my seat belt, I also buckle at least one handle of my purse into it. This also comes in handy when I need something out of my purse while I'm driving. I know that my purse is always down to my right and so I can reach right in it without having to look over in the passenger seat or the floor board. Plus, if a car wreck were to happen, there is less chance that the valuable contents of my purse are going to be thrown everywhere and anywhere.

By Judy from Memphis, TN

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Use Safety Straps to Secure Purse While Shopping

Whenever I'm shopping, and shopping carts are available, I "strap" my purse into the child seat. Doing this allows me to shop and not have to worry about my purse being stolen.

By ptbyarspp from Lockney, TX

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Keep Your Purse Safe When Dining Out

Ladies, be careful with your purses and wallets. Learn from my mistake! I had my wallet stolen right out of my purse while dining at the Rain Forest Cafe on Wed night. This restaurant is inside the Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, IL.

The thief immediately went using my Visa card inside the mall and then tried to get gas and charge another big amount at Best Buy before Chase denied the card.

We are not responsible for the $2,000 + that was put on my card (thankfully). I filed a police report and have done other things in hopes of helping law enforcement to catch the thief. The officer said they've had many reports of this very thing happening at that particular restaurant.

My advice, ladies, is don't do what I did and that is to hang your purse from your chair. I didn't want to place on the dirty floor but wish I had. Would have saved me much aggravation!

This restaurant is just the kind of place where this kind of crime could easily happen. It is kind of dark, very busy, lots of people milling around and you are easily distracted, especially if you're a Mom of young kids like me!

Better yet, leave your purse at home and let hubby carry your ID. Perhaps just bring a little purse with only the bare essentials.

I knew exactly what was in my wallet and it wasn't a lot: not much cash, a Visa card, ATM card, Sam's Club card and driver's license. Within 1/2 hour or so of returning home, I had the cards all canceled. We had a message from Chase about our Visa on our answering machine asking us to call immediately regarding the large charges. I was able to get a new driver's license the next morning.

Carry only what you really need and nothing you'd be sad/upset if you had stolen. No one needs tons of credit cards. Do not carry your Social Security card!

Someone very carefully and sneakily unzipped my purse and lifted my wallet without any of us being the wiser.

This restaurant really should let the patrons know or try to have security in place. I doubt though they want to advertise that customers are being robbed there, not too good for business.

Sorry this is so long but wanted to get the message out to be very careful with where you put your valuables when you are out in public. Take care with your wallets, purses and packages.

I will not be returning to the Rain Forest Cafe any time soon. It gives me a real bad feeling even when I think about it. Their prices are very high for what you get anyway. You're paying for the atmosphere which our children really enjoy but I definitely could live without after this incidence!

By Debbie52 from IL

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Hooking Your Purse to the Cart

With all the purses snatched each year from grocery carts, here is a hint. You know the straps used to hold in children, use them to hold your purse in, so they have to take the buggy too instead of just your purse. Maybe you can catch the thief, call 911, and have them arrested.

By Mary from Bay Minette, AL

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Shopping Without a Purse

Be safe, don't carry a purse, use your pockets! I sent this tip in previously: "Organizing Tip: Stop carrying a purse."

Organize your multi-pocket jeans, and slacks.

Use a 3-3/4 in tall by 4-1/2 in wide snap closure purse with a zipper bottom opening for change and an extra car key. Carry one credit card, driver's license, grocery savings cards, a blank emergency check in a plastic holder and your bills folded in half. Carry it in your front pocket for security.

Use your other front pocket to keep your car/house keys. TIP: Always use the same pockets.

The small watch pocket on jeans is ideal for storing a few pills.

Carry a lip liner and retractable lipstick brush coated with lipstick, in your back pocket. No bulky lipstick tube.

Tissue holder: Use a spring top closure pouch 3-1/2 in by 3 in, many times free at health fairs, senior centers; promotion items. Fold 4 Kleenex type tissues into small squares and put in pouch. Put a headache pill in the bottom for emergencies.

You could also carry a note pad and pen so if you see something while shopping that strikes your eye, jot down notes so that at home you can create your own; that goes for cute phrases also! You can do a crude drawing if you are not an artist; this will refresh your memory. Also you can jot down stores and prices if you want to return later. Put it in your back pocket with lip pencil and lipstick brush.

TIP: This frees up your hands for carrying more packages plus it eliminates the possibility of having your purse snatched!

This has worked for me for 11 years, try it!

Ms. Syd B from Dunkirk, MD

By Ms. Syd Barr - Dunkirk, MD

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Use Carabiner to Secure Purse to Shopping Cart

I've heard news announcers tell us to use the seat belt in a shopping cart to keep our purses safe by putting it through the handle of the purse and snapping it closed. Sometimes the seat belt is broken or missing, so it isn't always possible.

I went to the hardware section of Walmart and bought a carabiner. A carabiner is one of those hooks climbers use that you see now on water bottles or tubes of sunscreen. I put the hook on the shoulder strap of my purse.

When I go to the store, I put my purse on the baby seat and just clip the hook to the cart. It only takes a second to clip it on and off. It is much safer than using the seat belt. My everyday purse is multicolored and the clip I got is blue, so it matches. Cashiers almost always remark about how much safer this is than the seat belt.

I also put one on the strap of my cell phone so I can just hook my phone to my belt loop or to my purse, or whatever. I got some smaller ones and put my house keys on one, my car keys on another, etc. I also put all of those little discount cards the stores give me on one.

I can quickly give the clerk my card without handing over all my keys, or I can give my gas key to the gas station attendant quickly (Yes, I live in Oregon where we aren't allowed to fill our own tank). Carabiners have so many uses, I love them.

By DiJones from Wilsonville, OR

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Deterring Purse Snatchers

We seem to have more than our fair share (?) of purse snatchers in our community. It seems to get worse near the holiday season. My purse always seems very heavy so I like to set it in the child seat of my shopping cart. I try to never take my hand off it. But just in case I do for a brief moment, I ALWAYS loop the child safety strap through my purse handle and lock it! That way if someone does try to snatch the purse they will have a big surprise when the shopping cart tips over or whatever! I still don't leave my purse unattended but it is just an extra precaution that will slow down or discourage the thief who is walking past you in the store!

By Grandma Margie

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Think Safety! Don't Be a Target When Christmas Shopping.

Don't carry a purse when you shop, wear jeans or pants with deep pockets and only carry your wallet and keys in your pockets.

You will find that you really don't need all that excess stuff you collect in your purse.

By Syd

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Questions

Here are questions related to Purse Safety Tips While Shopping.

Purse Safety Straps

Where can I find purse safety straps?

By Jim from Indio, CA

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Most Recent Answer

By Anonymous12/26/2009

I am not so sure if you can purchase just the straps but here's some online info about safety purses: http://www.corporatetravelsafety.com/security_purse.html

You could always call a few shoe repairs places (they also repair purses) and see what they have to say. Hope this helps.

Use Safety Straps To Secure Purse While Shopping

Have a Safe Shopping Trip. Lock in your purse while shopping.

Take the safety seat belt on the shopping cart and run it through the straps on your purse and hook it. If someone tries to grab your purse, the strap will STOP them. At least for enough time for you to scream OR get Help. Happy Shopping.

Source: This article is from me. I hope it will save someone purse.

By Mary Louise from BayMinette, AL

RE: Use Safety Straps To Secure Purse While Shopping

That is such a smart and clever idea! I will be using that idea from now on! (02/15/2008)

By Patricia

RE: Use Safety Straps To Secure Purse While Shopping

I will do that, thanks! (02/15/2008)

By kimhis

RE: Use Safety Straps To Secure Purse While Shopping

I bought 2 metal clips at WalMart for $.88 in the jewelry dept. and hitched them to the straps of my purse. When shopping, open the baby seat on cart, put purse where baby would sit and clip it to the backrest for baby. I used to just use the 'seat belt' around the handle of purse, but lately, there is only one strap on the cart. With these clips, I'm always sure of being able to protect my purse and they can't be cut by a thief! (02/15/2008)

By JoanDogs

RE: Use Safety Straps To Secure Purse While Shopping

You still have to be careful that a thief doesn't steal your wallet out of your purse. (02/15/2008)

By MCW

RE: Use Safety Straps To Secure Purse While Shopping

After my mother's legal checkbook was stolen out of the seat BENEATH my strapped-in purse, I began double wrapping the straps through my purse handles. I won't shop at a store that has bad straps on their baskets. It certainly discourages a thief, but what's more important is to not look away or turn your back on your purse for a single moment.

That checkbook was taken in the twinkling of an eye. Good ending: It was returned two weeks later, according to the manager, but with HALF of the cash that was in it for the day. I thanked the squirrely manager. As I took and looked for all the cash, commenting to him, "Please thank whoever took this for not taking ALL of the cash!" He nodded OK before he realized that it implicated an employee or someone he knew!

I'd never suspected that a store employee was stealing from patrons until that happened. You can't trust ANYONE now days! And, it's going to get worse, not better because of the way things are changing in our economy, laws, government.

Buckle up, sit tight, hold on, open your eyes and ears, and STAY ALERT ALL OF THE TIME. God bless and keep you. : ) (02/16/2008)

By Lynda

RE: Use Safety Straps To Secure Purse While Shopping

This is a good reminder. I used to work retail and often saw women leave their open purses in the baby seat of the grocery cart while they looked at merchandise.

You'd be better off putting your wallet and car keys in an inside pocket while you're shopping. And don't leave any important stuff in your purse, like credit cards, drivers license, Social security card, etc. When the thieves use your credit cards, they'll be using your id too.

I've seen purses returned intact many times by store clerks, and only once in 4 years did I hear of one case where a clerk tried to steal something from a customer. That clerk got caught and fired. (02/16/2008)

By Jantoo

RE: Use Safety Straps To Secure Purse While Shopping

I've been doing this for a while but still I never let my purse out of my site and I don't park my cart even where I can see it and walk away. My cart stays with me right by where I'm looking and usually even if my purse is strapped in, I still have my hand on it. I had my van broken into and my purse stolen when I stupidly locked it in at my daughter's gymnastics lesson. Also my wallet was stolen out of my purse at a restaurant when again I stupidly hung the purse on my chair rather than set on the dirty floor. I've had to learn a valuable lesson.

Strapping your purse in the baby seat of a cart won't do any good if you look away or leave your cart on one side of the aisle while you pick out your item on the other side.

I still like to carry a purse when I go out but I use a smallish one and only carry minimal essentials.

It is terrible that there are so many crooks out in the world but that's how it is and I don't see it changing. If anything it will get worse. There's always someone who wants what others have. (02/16/2008)

By Debbie52

RE: Use Safety Straps To Secure Purse While Shopping

I do this all the time but it gave me a false sense of security. Not too long ago I left the buggy unattended behind me just a few seconds and when I turned around, it was gone. Fortunately it was just a buggy mix up with another lady but it made me realize to keep my hand or eye on my buggy at all times. Also I never use the kind of purses where you can just reach in. They have to have lots of compartments and zippers. (02/16/2008)

By Lily May

RE: Use Safety Straps To Secure Purse While Shopping

If there is no safety strap available, I use a slip knot with the strap of my purse. Might not keep someone from taking it, but like you said, will give you time to respond in some form. (02/17/2008)

By Barb. W.