Real stories · The end of handbag archaeology

I used to do archaeology at the till — purse, keys, phone, all buried. Those days are over

A handbag where everything has its place — that's what this is, and I hadn't realised how much of my week went on the alternative. You know the dig: purse somewhere at the bottom, keys hiding under a glove, phone ringing from an undisclosed location while a queue forms politely but audibly behind you. My old bag was one big pocket and one big lie.

I didn't want a prettier bag. I wanted a better-run one.

It's the Noravielle from a British label called York Boutique — a smart, structured city tote in cognac premium PU leather, with sturdy shoulder straps, a front pocket, and the whole point: an organised interior with a place for everything, closed with a proper zip across the top.

The compartments are the mechanism. Purse pocket, phone pocket, glasses pocket — which is why my hand now goes straight to the right place without my eyes needing to get involved — and the zip means nothing leaps out in the car or the bus. The outside is sleek enough for a nice lunch; the inside is run better than most offices.

A pocket for every single thing and a zip over the lot — which is why the archaeology at the till has been formally retired.

I'll be honest — £39.95 made me pause. Then I priced any decent organised handbag on the high street, stopped pausing, and checked the safety net instead: a fortnight to send it back, free delivery. It's half the usual £80, and it has carried every single day since.

The moment of glory came at the Saturday market. Till, queue, 'that's £4.60 please' — and I produced my purse in one single motion. Sandra, beside me, actually applauded. Quietly. But she applauded.

If you're still excavating at tills, do have a look. The Noravielle is rated 4.7 out of 5 by more than 250 women, comes in cognac, brown, coffee or black — and at half price the cognac goes first.