Article: “Purse snatchings hit cafes” (Aug.2006)

excerpt:
“…Workers at some outdoor cafes say they recently have had some suspicious customers, such as people who ask to be seated and then disappear moments later. Not long after, a customer will complain of a missing purse.

Meanwhile, alarmed customers have been finding creative ways to tether their bags to their bodies, wrapping straps from the bag around their legs, a chair, or underneath a high heel. Some restaurants have been supplying hooks under the table for bags to be hung.

“…Some of the restaurants on Newbury and Boylston, they are seemingly friendly and feel like the suburbs; people forget this is a city,” she said. “Sadly, the very people you wish would have a good experience in Boston are the ones losing their purses and wallets.”

source: “Purse snatchings hit cafes” by Matt Viser (Boston Globe, Aug.15,2006)