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My purse was stolen from my grocery cart

dmharris

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you know the baby seat which evolves into your purse holder when the babies aren't there? Well in the produce section of my grocery store, my purse was snatched, then they bought gas with my AmEx card before we cancelled it. Wake up call for me. But we think we caught "her" on camera and are taking the photo to the gas station to check their cameras. AmEx can tell you the minute the transaction was made, so it's easier to look at tapes.

But, please beware of the holiday thieves, drug/money hungry people out there, in broad daylight.

And, do any of you buy identity theft protection and does one service seem better than others?

Thanks in advance,
 

DebBrown

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Didn't anyone ever tell you NOT to do that??!! I have severe purse anxiety even though I haven't lost mine since 10th grade.

Now, the worst part... how did you buy your groceries??


Deb
 

Bill4728

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Now, the worst part... how did you buy your groceries??


Deb

As a man, I keep my keys in my pocket. My DW & DD both keep their keys in their purse.

So, Forget about how did you buy the groceries, how did you get home??
 

SueDonJ

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... And, do any of you buy identity theft protection and does one service seem better than others?

We haven't had to buy it because the two times we had to worry about it, it was due to BJ's and Disney stockholder information being compromised. Both times the companies notified us and provided a year's worth of credit monitoring through "Triple Alert (SM) -" and "Triple Advantage (SM) Credit Monitoring Services." But even the basic coverages provide daily monitoring of your three credit reports and I think that's the most important indicator of ID theft. These days with all the banks and financial/credit/lending institutions being so pro-active in this regard, I'm not sure you actually need to purchase more than the basics.

I wish I could you help you more. You must have been devastated when you realized what had happened. :( Here's hoping for a bit of good luck to happen your way now.
 

falmouth3

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I'm really sorry to hear about that news. I think you're lucky in one respect that all they bought was gas before you got the card cancelled. I hope you get this resolved quickly.

Sue
 

PigsDad

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I'm really sorry to hear about that news. I think you're lucky in one respect that all they bought was gas before you got the card cancelled.
Why? You as the card holder are not responsible for fraudulent charges, as long as you report the theft in a reasonable amount of time. I would be more concerned about identity theft, house / car keys, the thief knowing where you live, etc.

Kurt
 

RDB

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Diane, I just relayed this to Caroll. She said, "Oh no!

So sorry... What a shame, what people put others through.

Night before last, a young lady was begging for dollars (gas money supposedly) in Wal Mart parking lot. I told her to follow me to Sam’s pumps, but she declined the offer.

Some are pretty desperate.

We hope all works out ok.

Robert
 

dmharris

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You know, in the grand scheme of life's problems, this is nothing really. A little time, money and inconvenience. My husband still loves me, we're all healthy, and that's what's really important to me.

Luckily we live within a quarter mile of the grocery store, so I walked home and walked back in the rain (only one car available at the time) and used my husband's debit card to buy groceries. Even though I walked to the bank and cancelled mine, first off, his was still useable.

American Express does not hold me liable for anything. As soon as the charges appear on my bill, we call them, and they will put through a fraud report or claim. Not to worry.

This made me mad, but it was my carelessness or trusting others that left me wide open. I trust people too much I guess. We live in a small town and I just am that way. I prefer being trusting rather than suspicious of everyone. However, I'm being smarter now. I do miss my favorite lip gloss though.

Thanks for the concern and info.
 

rsnash

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When I shop at the grocery store and bring my purse inside, I buckle it in using the kid seat belt. At least this way if someone tries to snatch it, they'll have something to fumble with, making it more noticeable and causing them to take more time.

However, more often then not, I just put my cc in my pocket, the store coupon card is on my key chain and go in sans purse. Much more relaxing to not have to keep my eye on the cart.
 

dmharris

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Why? You as the card holder are not responsible for fraudulent charges, as long as you report the theft in a reasonable amount of time. I would be more concerned about identity theft, house / car keys, the thief knowing where you live, etc.

Kurt

Kurt, this is precisely what my concerns were. That's why I am asking about ID protection. They now have my driver's license. BUT it expires Sunday (as my birthday is tomorrow) so I had my new license already paid for and luckily I'm a procrastinator, so didn't get my photo done yet, so first thing yesterday I got my new license. They told me they don't cancel licenses and the numbers stay the same with each renewal. News to me.

We have good police and they're working on using the film from the grocery store and the photos I took of the suspect to identify her at the gas station. We'll see. I did not sleep well the first night knowing they knew I was an out of shape, middle aged woman and where I lived. I didn't know if it was male or female. But I feel pretty confident that it's a 20 something female. So I'm much better knowing this. And we've got three yappy dogs in the house.

Thanks Bob for your concern.
 

dmharris

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When I shop at the grocery store and bring my purse inside, I buckle it in using the kid seat belt. At least this way if someone tries to snatch it, they'll have something to fumble with, making it more noticeable and causing them to take more time.

However, more often then not, I just put my cc in my pocket, the store coupon card is on my key chain and go in sans purse. Much more relaxing to not have to keep my eye on the cart.

I sent out an e-mail to as many gal-pals in this area as I could and one wrote back that this buckling technique which I thought was pretty ingenious. I'm now traveling with the car keys and debit card into the stores with the frequent purchaser key card on the car keys. Easy.
 

Icc5

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Holiday thieves, guess again!

you know the baby seat which evolves into your purse holder when the babies aren't there? Well in the produce section of my grocery store, my purse was snatched, then they bought gas with my AmEx card before we cancelled it. Wake up call for me. But we think we caught "her" on camera and are taking the photo to the gas station to check their cameras. AmEx can tell you the minute the transaction was made, so it's easier to look at tapes.

But, please beware of the holiday thieves, drug/money hungry people out there, in broad daylight.

And, do any of you buy identity theft protection and does one service seem better than others?

Thanks in advance,

I have seen this happen over and over in my almost 40 years working in the grocery business. Usually, when I say something to the customer that leaves their purse in the cart (usually in Produce or Meat) they get mad.
We see it all the time. Sometimes they even steal the purses based on a set schedule. At one store they would steal the purse, run out the door, catch the bus, get off the bus and be gone.
I know we all hate to feel this way but be aware, it only takes a second. Many times women will have the purse open and have coupons or something on top and the thief just reaches in and grabs anything they can. One time a mercedes was stolen when the thief stole the keys and hit the car door opener to find out which car it was to.
Bart
 

dougp26364

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Several years ago I had a coupon caddy that looked like a woman's billfold. Since it was only coupons, I left it in the front part of the grocery cart. The part where the kids sit. I turned to look in the meat isle for maybe 3 minutes and when I turned around, it was gone. I did a quick scan but the thief had already vanished.

Now, when I go to the grocery store, I always notice women who leave their purse in the same place and do just as I had done. I long ago gave up trying to be helpful by pointing out how easily it could be stolen. None really wanted to hear my opinion and either gave me a dirty look or had a couple of choice words to say. :(
 

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I, for one, was grateful for having someone tell me about that. Some years ago, I was in a grocery store, with my purse lounging in the kid's seat, when a woman accosted me, in an almost angry way, and asked me if I knew how easy it would be for someone to grab my purse when my attention was somewhere else. I felt like I'd been sent to the principal's office, but I've never forgotten it, and I'm always careful to keep my arm through the strap, or take it with me when I wander off.
I love the idea of using the safety strap, but they don't always have them.
This is a good reminder for all of us, isn't it?
 

Fern Modena

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Long as we're (almost) on the topic, do you lock your car while you pump your gas? My purse is in the front seat, and the right hand door is usually locked, but I never thought about it until last year...

We had a rash of gas station robberies where the robbers opened an unlocked right hand door while the driver was pumping gas, snatched the purse and ran off. They got away with it almost a dozen times before they were apprehended. I was lucky, and now I always remember to hit "LOCK" before I begin to pump my gas.

Fern
 

Keitht

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Long as we're (almost) on the topic, do you lock your car while you pump your gas? My purse is in the front seat, and the right hand door is usually locked, but I never thought about it until last year...

I know we are moving slightly away from the original topic, but we are still dealing with opportunist theft. I always used to lock the car when I stopped for fuel, but the makers of my new car don't make that easy as locking the doors also locks the filler cap. Admittedly it only takes a couple of seconds to open the filler cap before locking the doors to get round the problem, but I've always had a seperate remote release for the filler on previous cars.
Back to the original topic - It always amazes and shocks me to see the number of people who do leave purses (handbags in the UK, the purse is the thing with your bills and coins in over here) unattended whilst they wander the aisles in supermarkets. As others have discovered it is the work of moments to lift an item from the trolley and wander away.
 

rsnash

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I sent out an e-mail to as many gal-pals in this area as I could and one wrote back that this buckling technique which I thought was pretty ingenious. I'm now traveling with the car keys and debit card into the stores with the frequent purchaser key card on the car keys. Easy.

Glad you like my tip! :banana:

About the car gas cap... my car is like someone else who posted above, if the doors are locked, the gas cover is locked too.

I've actually taken to using a canvas bag (like the kind you buy on vacation) as a run around town hand bag. If leave it in the car, it doesn't look like a purse, but a canvas shopping bag. I still leave it on the floor though. If I'm carrying a nice bag, I'll put it in the trunk (before you leave, not at your destination) if I don't want to carry it around at my destination (like a grocery store).
 

cerralee

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When I was freshly out of college I was shopping at a grocery store with my purse in the upper child carrier tray. There was a family of four or five also shopping nearby, a woman, a large burly man, and two children. One of the children bumped into me apparantly rough housing with his brother, basically spinning me around, I immediately noticed my purse which was there seconds earlier, gone. I yelled to store management and they would not approach the family in the store as I had not physically seen the purse leave the cart. It had to be the other brother.

The family immedialty left the store, went to their car and with security right behind questioned when they got to their car. Nothing at all happened. I was being reasonably cautious, noticed the action almost immediately, and feel 99% sure I knew who did it. All store security said was did you take her purse. They said no and that was it. I was only 20 at the time but really peeved at the store for their lack of response. From now on I keep one hand through the strap.

Lee
 

applegirl

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Diane,

I am so sorry this happened to you. It might just be a purse, but it's also very personal, especially when many of keep family pictures and of course our address on our drivers liscence.:eek:

I too have used the seat belt strap for years if I do need to put my purse in the kiddie seat. I wrap it around the straps several times so that it would be quite cumbersome for a thief to take and they would likely move on to an easier target. Plus my purse is not some $400 Coach purse or something else to be coveted.

However, I like the above poster who just usually doesn't take the purse inside at all. Since I pay cash for all my groceries, I should just take the cash in my pocket and forget the purse all together!

Thank you for posting and reminding us all. I hope they can find the thief.

Janna
 

swift

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Diane,

I am so sorry this happened to you. It might just be a purse, but it's also very personal, especially when many of keep family pictures and of course our address on our drivers liscence.:eek:

Janna


Yes, I would be flipping out if I lost my purse. It contains my life--my cell phone (which reminds me I need to make a back up of all of info in there), my Palm (my life!!), and my commercial drivers license which I can not drive with out so I would be unable to work until I could replace all of the documents that I am required to keep with me. :annoyed:
 

lvhmbh

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Jaybee - if you didn't live in CA I'd think that the woman was me!!! I have a purse that goes over my shoulder and across my body - in front of course. I have stopped many people who leave their purses in the cart. Sorry for your troubles. Linda
 

Liz Wolf-Spada

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I carry a very small purse, so I'm not tempted to put it in the cart. However, one heart warming story. One my son was a baby (26 years ago in Northern California) I went shopping and after getting the baby buckled in returned the cart in the parking lot, not realizing I was missing my purse until I got home. When I got home, I panicked and went back immediately. Some kind person had found it and turned it in.
More recently, in San Francisco, my son lost his IPod on a bus. He didn't always ride that bus, but a few months later a woman approaches him and says to him, "Did you lose your IPod? I found it on the bus. Come by and I'll get it for you." And she did.
There are still many honest and caring people out there, too.
Liz
 

Elli

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I know we are moving slightly away from the original topic, but we are still dealing with opportunist theft. I always used to lock the car when I stopped for fuel, but the makers of my new car don't make that easy as locking the doors also locks the filler cap. Admittedly it only takes a couple of seconds to open the filler cap before locking the doors to get round the problem, but I've always had a seperate remote release for the filler on previous cars.......
Keith, my car doesn't have a separate remote either, so it's a pain opening the filler cap, locking the doors, opening the doors again to lock filler cap, then finally driving off.
 

luvgoldns

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When I shop at the grocery store and bring my purse inside, I buckle it in using the kid seat belt. At least this way if someone tries to snatch it, they'll have something to fumble with, making it more noticeable and causing them to take more time.
QUOTE]

Me too! I think this is a great idea!

ilene
 
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