Excuses to go back to your vehicle...

[PUCKER]

If I see a VALID 30.06 I don't reward their bad behavior. My money and I go elsewhere and reward those deserving of it.

[TexasCajun]

Most of the time, a longer made-up excuse will draw more attention than you're trying to divert. A quick "I'll meet you inside, I have to run back to the car for a sec" will often do just fine. You can keep the other longer form excuses at the ready in case someone asks you why you had to go back. Also, +1 on the car safe. You never know when you'll be in a situation where you unexpectedly cannot carry somewhere. Some of the $30-$40 safes have a stronger cable and thicker steel than the cheaper ones. The one I have would take the 4ft bolt cutters to get through the cable. Not many 'smash & grab' bandits are that well equipped.

[BigGuy]

I've used, I forgot my cellphone in the car once. Then when I caught up to my friends again, I'd say it was with me the whole time just down at the bottom of my purse... If you don't carry a purse then it just might not fly.

Which brings up another question: why does one need a cellphone in the picture show?

Children, Work, House telling me it is in fire or being broken into, car telling me it's being stolen, brother is in the hospital, ect ect ect..
Having a phone in a movie is not synonymous to using it in the theater viewing room while the movie is playing. Though I think..That is what you meant.. Yes.. and if so, yes I agree, that is just plain rude.
I see nothing wrong with a phone in my pocket with a preselected few incoming numbers set to alert me goes off silently vibrating, and I quietly depart the movie to the outside hallway to read the txt or take the call.

I'm both IT and prepress production manager for a mid-sized paper. Though it hasn't happened in years, there is the possibility of a major breakdown putting a publication in jeopardy a few hours before press start. There have been stretches when I was the only tech available. I leave it on silent. If I get an incoming call, I check the number and decide whether to ignore it or step into the hall and answer it.
One of our editors wrote an especially scathing article about people who couldn't turn off a cell phone. I found it ironic a few weeks later that she got so upset because she couldn't reach me at 9:30 pm one Friday when her workstation went down.