Hobby Lobby

Thanks for sharing. I hate it when I see women putting their purse in the cart and sometimes even walk away from it. But I hate it even more when people take advantage of others and steal from them. I am sorry this happened to your friends. I generally have a crossbody bag when I am shopping. But it is still a good reminder to beware of anyone that gets too close.

 That is awful.

This can happen anywhere.

I keep my zippered purse with me at all times. If my purse is in the seat area of the cart, the long strap is wrapped around my wrist.
I keep both my money wallet and my id & card holder, in the inside zippered pocket.
I don't like strangers in my personal space-standing too close to me....so anyone approaching or hovering would immediately put me on alert.
I never leave my purse unattended.
Because I have been stalked (many years ago) by my ex-husband.....I tend to always be "on alert" and I try to look out for the other ladies around me as well....especially in parking lots.

This is why I have a cross body bag. Thanks for the heads up!

It happens everyday all the time.. so sorry this happened to your friends. I usually wear a crossbody bag or at least have my hands on the handle of my purse. I can on occasion forget, but that is totally on me being stupid.

This is also a good reminder to watch out for other people in the store who might be targeted and maybe warn them. A lot of people let their guard down when they’re in a familiar happy place and unfortunately people who steal have a great sense of who to target and how to distract them. We can all look out for this happening to other people around us. Thanks for the heads up.

Given the (misleading) thread title, I was hoping this was an eyewitness report that HL (& wishfully the other big box craft stores) no longer exclusively carried its house brand knockoffs & name brand supplies are back on its shelves. Unfortunately, theft happens everywhere (in Phoenix, AZ, & around the world). Glad no one was (physically) injured, & may this anecdote be a sad reminder to every reader that we must be vigilant everywhere. 

Thanks for the heads up. I’m pretty careful, but it is a bit of a shock that it is happening even at the fabric store. I use a backpack, because the crossbody bag isn’t big enough for what I need to carry (medication, epi pen, etc.), but I can remove my backpack and clasp it tightly in front of me.

It drives me crazy when I see women leave their purses in their shopping cart and turn their back to the cart. I often say something, but some people seem to be annoyed if I do. People are often too trusting.

My DH was at a gym, and turned away from his locker to comb his hair for just a minute. A thief came between him and the locker, grabbed DH’s wallet, and was gone before DH even realized what happened. A thief is usually fast. It was a huge headache to cancel and replace our debit/credit cards.

A good reminder. This can happen anywhere. 
Also, people who target the elderly are disgusting.

I no longer carry a purse. I have a wallet on a cross body strap. It also have a phone case and earbud holder. This way it's always on my body when I'm out and about. Truthfully, I used to carry a bunch of crap in my purse that I never really needed anyway.

I am sorry that happened to them.

One time I walked by a shopping cart that had a purse sitting in the child seat, fully open, with the wallet on top. It would be so easy for a fast thief to grab the wallet and run, even with the customer right there.

I always keep my purse on my shoulder. One thing I read is to keep the purse open and if someone tries to grab it, turn it upside down so everything spills out. One of my purses is a bucket-like purse, with no top closure, so that one would be easy to do this trick if I had to. But I don't do it on my smaller purses because I am afraid something will fall out.

If your wallet and stuff falls out, chances are the thief is not going to stay around to try to pick up everything from the ground.