A Walmart shopper lost her purse to a thief Jan. 28 when she left it unattended in her shopping cart for a minute.

When she got back to her cart, it was gone.

The purse contained credit cards, cash and a number of personal belongings. The theft took place about 4:30 p.m.

Police urge women to never put their purse in a cart

"Even if you don't leave your cart, all you have to do is turn away to look for something on a shelf, and someone can walk by and take something," Detective Lt. John Janowski told Strongsville Patch in November, after a pickpocketing incident was reported at Marc's. 

Also vulnerable are women who don't zip their purses.

"I see women walking around all the time with their purses open," Janowski said. "You can look inside and see their wallet right there."

It's way too easy, he said, "to just reach in and grab it. And they don't realize it's gone till later."

His advice to women: Keep your purse flap closed or zipped and keep your purse next to your body at all times.