# Purses in a shopping cart: a poll **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 14, 2007, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purses-in-a-shopping-cart-a-poll/400129 "2007-04-14T18:05:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purses-in-a-shopping-cart-a-poll/400129/1 "2007-04-14T18:05:31Z")
The thread about picking a penny off a dirty bathroom floor links to a snopes article about the various bacteria found on the bottom of women’s purses. It mentions a likely cause being when you shop with a cart, you place your purse in the front seat where diaper-wearing children may have been. I would have thought this was common sense not to put anything there, be it a purse or your food. Children are …well, messy. What with gum, nose-picking, eye-rubbing and whatever else, they just don’t realize how dirty they are. I rarely sit my purse there, and usually it’s in a store where kids aren’t common. If I do, I lift the plastic thing up to block the leg holes, cause that’s what they sit on. Otherwise, my purse is at my shoulder, where I don’t have to worry about it. If I decide to walk away and peruse the end of an aisle, I know my purse is safe. I’ve never taken notice of what other women do, but I know my grandmother does it. She doesn’t care. She tells me, “When you’ve raised three kids, you don’t get bothered by that stuff anymore.” So what say you, ladies? Where do you put your purse when you go shopping with a cart? ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purses-in-a-shopping-cart-a-poll/400129/2 "2007-04-14T18:07:46Z")
Criminy, I didn’t know people thought that hard about germs. I put it in the seat and don’t think about it. ---
**Author:** ![Caridwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@Caridwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caridwen)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purses-in-a-shopping-cart-a-poll/400129/3 "2007-04-14T18:09:57Z")
Not to stay on the bacterial theme, but plastic diapers can contain a lot more bacteria than the cloth diapers she was used to. I don’t put my purse in the cart because I’m afraid I’ll leave it there and walk away and it’ll get stolen. I put stuff in the seat but usually put one of the newspaper flyers there first. ---
**Author:** ![cherry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cherry)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purses-in-a-shopping-cart-a-poll/400129/4 "2007-04-14T18:18:34Z")
That happened to me, someone pushed my cart away to another isle in Costco when I set it behind me to look at something. That was a scary one minute when I realized my cart was gone and my handbag wasn’t on my shoulder. But I occasionally still leave it in the cart in grocery stores only when I’m pushing it and it is not leaving me at all. But the cart is wiped down if handy wipes are available. In Costco I always wear it. With respect to germs I carry a foldable bag that my purse goes into protect it if it is going through the airport xray machine or on the floor. I don’t want my Balenciaga ruined. ---
**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purses-in-a-shopping-cart-a-poll/400129/5 "2007-04-14T18:36:27Z")
It has never in my entire life even occurred to me to be concerned about bacteria on my purse. I don’t put it in the cart because I don’t want it to get stolen. ---
**Author:** ![Caridwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@Caridwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caridwen)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purses-in-a-shopping-cart-a-poll/400129/6 "2007-04-14T18:40:50Z")
I don’t know if it’s the purse so much that you have to worry about. More the food you put on the seat, especially food that’s not cooked. But if it’s in plastic or fruit or veg. that you wash there’s not a problem. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purses-in-a-shopping-cart-a-poll/400129/7 "2007-04-14T18:56:49Z")
I wouldn’t set my purse on a public restroom floor but I do put it in the cart on the seat. I’ve never seen a child in a cart seat wearing just a diaper. If I’m going to worry about shopping carts, then nothing is safe. Who knows where diapered butts have been in other public places? ---
**Author:** ![Taters](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/taters/32/2845_2.png) [@Taters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taters)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purses-in-a-shopping-cart-a-poll/400129/8 "2007-04-14T19:06:06Z")
I just keep my purse on my shoulder, not because of the whole germ thing, but because I don’t want it taken. I’ve had just a few too many carts taken from me when I parked them and turned my back on them to look at something on a shelf. Fortunately, I’ve always kept my purse on my shoulder or I would have been screwed. Also, I end up using the seat area for soft stuff like bread, chips and the like so they don’t get squashed in the main area of the cart. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purses-in-a-shopping-cart-a-poll/400129/9 "2007-04-14T19:06:27Z")
I never use the seat. Not fior reasons of hygiene (tho’ they’re darn good ones) but it just seems in the way to me, so I don’t use it. My wallet is always kept out of sight, either in a larger bag like a backpack, or in a coat pocket. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purses-in-a-shopping-cart-a-poll/400129/10 "2007-04-14T19:07:42Z")
[QUOTE=Caridwen] Not to stay on the bacterial theme, but plastic diapers can contain a lot more bacteria than the cloth diapers she was used to. [/quote] I know this is IMHO and all, but do you have a cite for this assertion? While today’s diapers allow more urinations per diaper before changing, poopy diapers need to be changed just as quickly. My daughter is put in a fresh diaper before we leave the house, and dressed on top of it in at least one layer, usually two (snap crotch t-shirt and jeans) and then put in the cart. What bacteria are you worried about, and how did it get on her bottom? My hands on the handle of the cart are far dirtier than her jeans. Actually, my hands might have gotten some bacteria on the butt of her jeans lifting her out of her carseat, but I assure you they’re no more virulent than the bacteria your hands put on your purse by holding it. > [@](#): > > I don’t put my purse in the cart because I’m afraid I’ll leave it there and walk away and it’ll get stolen. I put stuff in the seat but usually put one of the newspaper flyers there first. Now this part I agree with, and it’s why I don’t usually leave my purse in the cart. If I do, it’s at least covered with my coat and only in the more affluent stores where theft is less likely. ---
**Author:** ![Cyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@Cyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyn)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purses-in-a-shopping-cart-a-poll/400129/11 "2007-04-14T19:08:48Z")
I put my purse in the seat of the shopping cart and studiously avoid ever licking the bottom of my purse. ---
**Author:** ![sugar\_and\_spice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@sugar\_and\_spice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugar_and_spice)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purses-in-a-shopping-cart-a-poll/400129/12 "2007-04-14T19:08:56Z")
Would never have occured to me. I don’t lick the bottom or my purse or anything, so even If I do get baby bottom germs on it I don’t see how anyone could get sick from that. And like **Caridwen** said, any food I would put there would get unpackaged, peeled, or washed before I ate it. I generally don’t leave my purse in the cart, but if I had to put it there for a second thats fine. It more important to have my purse within eyesight than germ-free. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purses-in-a-shopping-cart-a-poll/400129/13 "2007-04-14T19:29:22Z")
I don’t use shopping carts since I hardly ever buy more groceries than will fit in a basket, but it would never, in a million years, occur to me to worry about something like this. For the record, I don’t put my purse in my mouth, either. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purses-in-a-shopping-cart-a-poll/400129/14 "2007-04-14T19:56:15Z")
No purse. Pockets. Sorry. And I refuse to think about the germs in the seat. I just do. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purses-in-a-shopping-cart-a-poll/400129/15 "2007-04-14T20:03:29Z")
I had never thought about this before, but from now on I am not putting any food in the “seat” part. The thought of germs from diapered kid butt on my food is disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purses-in-a-shopping-cart-a-poll/400129/16 "2007-04-14T20:17:27Z")
Never would have occurred to me. I usually put my purse in the seat, if I don’t have a kid sitting in it. Baby germs? Meh. I am raising two kids and my immunity to cooties is pretty damned high. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purses-in-a-shopping-cart-a-poll/400129/17 "2007-04-14T20:33:20Z")
[QUOTE=Geobabe] It has never in my entire life even occurred to me to be concerned about bacteria on my purse. I don’t put it in the cart because I don’t want it to get stolen. [/QUOTE] Exactly. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purses-in-a-shopping-cart-a-poll/400129/18 "2007-04-14T20:51:00Z")
Any idea how long those “baby diaper butt germs” live on a cart seat, out in the open? I’m guessing not too long… With all the legitimate things I have to worry about in the course of my day, this doesn’t even make the list. ---
**Author:** ![LVgeogeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b19c9b/32.png) [@LVgeogeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVgeogeek)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purses-in-a-shopping-cart-a-poll/400129/19 "2007-04-14T22:21:43Z")
I rarely set my purse in the seat part of the shopping cart. If I do it is usually just for a second so I can dig something out of my purse. The only place where I have seen kids in _just_ a diaper in a shopping cart was at Walmart. The kid was usually wearing a diaper and t-shirt or just a diaper and nothing else. (is it really that hard to put some clothes on the kid and wipe off their face?- blech!) Back in the days when I shopped at Walmart (I haven’t stepped foot in one in over 4 years), I would get my cart then head off to the cleaning product aisle for my first stop. Grab a can of Lysol and spray the seat area down. and continue on with my shopping. ---
**Author:** ![pokey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ebca7d/32.png) [@pokey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pokey)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2007, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purses-in-a-shopping-cart-a-poll/400129/20 "2007-04-14T23:10:57Z")
[QUOTE=EJsGirl] Any idea how long those “baby diaper butt germs” live on a cart seat, out in the open? I’m guessing not too long… With all the legitimate things I have to worry about in the course of my day, this doesn’t even make the list. [/QUOTE] Hell, even among my illegitimate worries this one doesn’t make the list. I leave my purse on my shoulder. I’ve never felt burdened enough by it to put it on the cart. I do put groceries into the diaper poo holder because it’s handy and the food is wrapped anyway. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purses-in-a-shopping-cart-a-poll/400129.md?page=2)