IDK, I guess some really slick "operators" could take my knife out of my pocket BUT I do not venture intentionally into crowded areas (by nature and because of Covid) and NEVER let anyone touch or brush up against me which I (may naievely) believe is necessary for any pickpocket to operate.
I always have my head on a swivel, maintain my distance and take an defensive posture in a crowd that I'm caught in and will push (usually gently) anyone out of my way who gets too close in order to protect my space but have taken a more aggressive stance (more than once) against someone who is not looking where they are going and is going to run into me (or my GF) as a result.
Never been pick pocketed in my life (as a result) but I have lost a knife w/a loose clip out of my front pants pocket because I didn't bother to better secure it.
Making someone push you out of the way is a pickpocketing technique. In addition, there's no need for some of them to touch anything but your wallet.
If you think a city has no or few pickpockets, they do travel and like big events. Best place for a man's wallet in a pickpocketing area is tucked in the pant front pocket. In any city, beware of crowded mass transit.
OP how do you know it happened in the store and not earlier?