My friend Mary just called to tell me her purse was stolen. She said, “My whole life was in there! It had my driver’s license, all my individual store credit cards, my Social Security card, check book with checks, debit card, health insurance cards, and you name it, it was in that purse.
“OMG, how did it happen?” I asked. And there was a fascinating story for an answer. It went like this:
My friend Mary was shopping at the local supermarket and stopped to look through the greeting cards. A young woman came up beside her and pulled out a Get Well card. “Do you think this would be a good one for a sick friend?” she asked. “Sure, it’s very cheerful, so that would be a lovely card to send,” said Mary.
Mary found the card she wanted and was moving on when the girl called her back. “What about this one?” she asked, “Do you think my friend would like this better? She’s not really sick, but recovering from surgery.” So, momentarily leaving her purse in the shopping cart, Mary meandered back, looked at the card, and agreed it would work as well. She had an odd feeling about the young woman, but was happy to help, engaged in a little more polite conversation, and then headed on to the next aisle.
Suddenly Mary realized her handbag was missing. “I must have left it in the car,” she thought. So she went out to check but it was not there. Now it occurred to her that while the young woman had created a distraction over the cards, an unseen partner in crime had undoubtedly grabbed Mary’s purse and fled!
There is more to this story to be told in another post.
The young woman and an accomplice did manage to steal Mary’s purse.
Are you as shocked as I was? I kept thinking of all the problems I would face if my purse were stolen.
And I feel so badly for Mary, who is a trusting, loving soul.
What do you carry in your purse?
Is your life in there too?
Have the perpetrators been arrested?
To be continued……
It would be devastating. I guard my purse TO A FAULT. I never let go of it when I’m shopping. Most of the time, it’s on my shoulder, but if it’s in the cart, I have my hand on it all the time. I’m sorry your friend is having to deal with this.
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I always keep a hand on the handles of my purse. I have had a couple of friends who never left their cart and the thief was slick enough to grab the wallet as they turned to look at something. I am not a very trusting person, I guess, but I don’t leave it untouched at all. And you are right: Our lives are in there!
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They would hit the jackpot if they stole my purse. I am an electronics geek so besides all the normal stuff I also have these things in my purse: iPhone, digital camera, ebook reader, plus a $100 battery charger. Yikes, that would be terrible! My hubby always says that everything is in my purse – even the kitchen sink LOL!! I feel bad for Mary too :(.
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makes me think about what I carry and shouldn’t
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It always surprises me at the casual way women leave their purses on the shopping carts while they look over produce, read labels or chat with friends. It would be easy for anyone so inclined to grab a purse and leave the store.
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Whew, it’s terrible how the purse was stolen. It’s hard to understand why someone would do something like that. I hope Mary didn’t lose too much, and was able to replace the the social security card, etc. without too much difficulty.
Thank you for sharing the story, It’s a good reminder to be really careful.
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Oh this is terrible, I am very sorry indeed! Hope Mary can recover from this ordeal and swiftly cancel all her cards. As for me … well no, while all the usual staff is in the purse (phone, cosmetics, dairy, and such), I only carry money I need on the day. Certainly not documents of any kind. It is a long established habit of mine even though crime is rather low in NZ (comparably).
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Definitely carry my ENTIRE life in my purse. What is most upsetting about this is that it creates the “not going to help” attitude in people. It destroys trust in human nature.
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Many, many years ago my mother’s wallet was stolen. She had a stupid purse that was open on top and someone slipped it out. She lost her driver’s license and cards but she also lost the only good picture (small size) she had of my Dad who had died twenty years earlier. I scolded her for keeping something so “unreplaceable” in her wallet. I have always been conscious of that incident. There are no pictures in my purse (unless carrying to show off) and I have a list of all the cards I carry. I have been lucky but that incident 35 years ago made me uber vigilant. I don’t trust anyone.
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Good to have a post like this, Dor.
I don’t carry everything in mine, and I always use a shoulder bag slung over shoulder and across my body, with one hand over the bag and its main zip. I’ve done that for so many years that it’s become second nature. So far I’ve not had it stolen, but I did lose it one time at a rock gig – and astonishingly discovered it later on the floor with it’s contents intact. Very weird.
I know someone whose identity was stolen – not from having a bag grabbed, though – and it was a terrible experience for them. It’s as well to be as security conscious as possible and not leave ones bags unattended or too much of ones life in any one place.
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I started using a fanny pack years ago after my husband left my purse in a cart to go explore something. Thankfully it wasn’t stolen, but he couldn’t understand why I was so upset about it. If I don’t want to carry a purse, then it goes into a backpack. But I do not leave it.
The great thing about a fanny pack is that I can clip it to something to – around the back of the chair when I’m sitting at a restaurant for example.
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A hard way to learn for sure! I was getting complacent because our town is so small and relatively crime free. Stepping away from the shopping cart for a second was getting to be a habit. No more! Good girl for staying alert and aware.
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Isn’t it a shame that we can’t be trusting anymore? Good that you are on guard about your purse. My friend’s lesson is also a lesson to me.
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I can only imagine the size of your “kitchen sink.” You are sooo cute, but please keep your hands and your eyes on that purse! 🙂
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Me too! 🙂
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I know. I was just becoming guilty as charged – for leaving my purse to look at produce I mean, even though I live in a relatively crime free little town. No more!
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tThanks Sheryl. I will do another post when things are resolved for my friend. Almost everything has been resolved though.
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Wise woman! I am still learning.
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Between the purse incident, Lance Armstrong in the news, and the baseball Hall of Fame, “trust” is certainly hard to find.
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We just keep learning from our mothers don’t we? Once my Mom had a clutch bag under her arm and someone just grabbed it as she was waiting for an elevator. I don’t carry clutch purses unless they are almost empty. So, I’m still learning from my Mom too. 🙂
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Good thinking Val. Isn’t it a shame we have to remain so vigilant in today’s world?
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Great idea – the fanny pack! Thanks.
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Yes, but really we always did in certain respects.
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Oh don’t worry, I do :).
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I never, never, never put my purse in a shopping cart. It’s always zipped shut, on my shoulder and carried tightly against my body. But then, I always lock my car doors too even in my own driveway. :-O
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My everyday purse seems to get heavier all the time! And I would hate to lose it. I have even dreamed of losing my purse several times! I envy men because almost everything they wear has pockets. Sometimes when I wear a jacket with generous pockets i just take the essentials – credit card or money, lipstick and keys – and it is liberating! But I usually want all my other stuff so I can be prepared for anything!
Thanks for the reminder of how easily a purse can be stolen.
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Good girl! Caution is the secret weapon.
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I am the same way – carrying so much in that purse. But my friend’s experience prompted me to review the contents and remove things that are not essential. I am also more keenly aware now of how I carry it and hold onto it. What a shame to lose trust in people around us huh?
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I’m so sorry to hear this happened to your friend. My purse is way too heavy and in sorry need of a good cleaning on the inside.
The saddest thing is that Mary will be wary of helping or being kind in the future. They took more than her purse.
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You are so right Lori, about losing more than her purse. It’s the loss of trust in people that is so sad.
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