I've also seen advice recently to put your purse in the cart - on the bottom, under the child seat, then put your bags and merchandise on top - the thieves have to pick their way through to pick your purse!

Personally I'd rather not carry a purse either - just my cards and keys and cell, in my pockets. But I don't always have pockets. Nice to have options :)

I have a small fabric wallet I put in my pocket so I dont have to keep up with a purse in the store and my hands are free

Hope they find these ????? So bad this time of year, of course it seems to happen more and more.

Sorry this happened to your Mother. Seems this is a worldwide problem! I always wear my bag tightly against my body and carry my keys in my hand or pocket. I was surprised recently when I went shopping with my newly widowed Mother (she's only 70) she had started carrying really important documents and other hard to replace items in her handbag. I explained to her these things are much better stored at the bank or at least safely at home.....reluctantly when we got to her home she emptied her bag out.....Not sure why she started doing this, so I will have to keep an extra eye on her.

We have had alerts in our papers about this problem, and seems the perpetrators are being really bold about it, so watch out and be vigilant everyone. Even be wary of strangers starting up conversations, often they work with an accomplice....one strikes up a conversation to distract you, the other steals. Stay safe everyone.

Thank you for your comments. After reading your post, it's clear that I need to scale back on things I carry in my purse.

If you don't have pockets, and dislike carrying a bulky purse, make the little wristlette purses with the little strap that slips over your wrist. Put your wallet, keys, whatnot, in the little purse, slip it over your wrist and away you go.

Also, if you are planning to do a lot of walking around, and are carrying a purse with a shoulder strap, wear it inside your jacket (if you are wearing a jacket) hides the purse and makes it hard for anyone to slice the straps, or pick it as they walk by. So many women tend to walk around with those big bags for purses, that are always gaping out, just waiting to be picked, or they have the skinny over the shoulder strap ones that are easy to slice the strap and walk away with your purse.
If you do not have a jacket, wear the shoulder strap over the opposite shoulder so that it slings across your chest, no straps hanging freely.

A good spot to put them if you do not have a safe or locking fireproof box at home, is in a ziplock bag (sealed) in the chest freezer or fridge freezer. This helps protect the items, in the unfortunate event of a fire.

Sorry for multiple posts... the one thing I dislike greatly is that I have to carry around my greencard on my person where ever I go... just in case I get asked about my status. (stupid law).

I hate carrying it around with me, so I take extra precautions when I am out and about, which is not often, I dislike shopping and dislike crowds even more.

Just this afternoon, DH and I were in the grocery store and walked by a well-to-do lady who had her open purse lying in the cart 6 feet from where she was looking at cheese. I walked by and saw it and told my DH she was lucky I was not a crook or I could have walked off with it and she would not have known.
Sorry your moms purse was stolen, but I am glad she was not harmed in the process.