Do you get unusual attention when shopping?

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rofl. You are my kind of person (or alien)

The topic of this post just made me LOL. I also get unusual attention while walking down the street. I got off the bus today with numerous plastic shopping bags. I started to cross the street, and this strange guy started talking to me. I asked him what he had said, (because of course I wasn't paying attention) and he said did I need help! I thanked him and said I was fine. but, WTF? Why would I need or accept help from some strange guy?

Thanks!

I get unusual attention, but that tends to happen when a short little woman is walking around talking to herself. I get nervous in public, when I'm nervous I forget what I am shopping for, if I talk to myself I can stay focused. Makes perfect sense to me. I have actually had Walmart security alerted to follow me through the store. I made sure I walked far more aisles than necessary and picked up and looked at all sorts of items I wasn't interested in.

Nope, I don't noticeably stand out in shopping situations.

So I am also one of those strange women that react in what I think is a logical progression to just get the job done. Others, it seems, see our behaviour as irrational and bizarre. And they spook easy when someone doesn't see the spark of human contact we hide so cleverly just out of an exagerated sense of protecting their privacy.


Merle

Last edited by sinsboldly on 04 Jan 2008, 10:59 am, edited 1 time in total.

Not sure I understand what you mean, sinsboldly. Elaborate please?

Bearsac and I do get attention in shops, but it is not surprising if I pretend my teddy bear is talking to people and commenting on what they have in their trollies!

We get people wanting to have their photo taken with Bearsac sometimes in shops or just to photograph him.

I avoid human contact because I think "what would I want in this situation?" because I use the maxim "do unto others as you would have others do unto you" Not because it is religious or I will get crowns in heaven or what ever. It's because I agree with the sentiment. So, I avoid calling people by their names, because I don't like that, I avoid looking squarely at folks because I am not comfortable with close scrutiny like that. I don't ask probing questions because it seems rude to pry into other's private information.

However, I find other people LOVE the interaction, they 'think the best sound in the world is their own name (which makes me shudder no matter WHAT name I am currently using!) Other folks dress and make up that screams "LOOK AT ME" when I want to just fade into the background and into the wall paper.

So, what I am saying is other people expect for (the general) you to stick your whole self out there for public viewing. I don't expect that from other people nor do I seek it from them, which puts me on the 'weird' list, I guess.

Merle

No, this has never happened.

Tim

am really hate this.
it's even worse if are a long heavy coat wearer cause thieves wear these to stash things that are not theirs.
when am first started going to tesco to get food/drink[always have home staff with am,sometimes two,and they have council ID which can help if they started questioning anyway],the security guards followed am constantly,am would never steal and wondered why they didn't think that.
Having gone there every week for years now,the security guards are used to am,same with morrisons.

Original topic.
Am do get a lot of unusual,and not wanted focus,am very autistic in a visual sense to,and have often had strangers coming up asking family/staff if am autistic,or if am need help,and earlier this year, after having run off to longford park to escape problems at home,am ended up going into meltdown in the park whilst on the grass,and was speed rocking,staff had found am and were trying to stop am head banging by restraining from the front,a gang of girls had apparently been stood there watching for a while and were asking each other whether am was a prostitute,but a man also asked if the staff wanted any help.
Some shop staff also come up if am using makaton with staff,assume am deaf and start shouting if am need help [well it sounds like shouting].

Am also get unusual attention for wearing ear defenders [people assume they are crappy looking headphones] -it can range from people mentioning it to whoever they are with to coming up from behind am,and screaming into ear.


About shops,am dare any WPer to go into a mobile phone shop,and see if can come out,without being tired at the very least-
they have to be the worst shop for being stopped and interrogated [into getting a contract phone with them].
they tried it on am,when am went into one with sister while she was getting her new phone,she said am was in debt [which was true,from trafford council not taking out community care bill over time]but the lady kept saying it doesn't matter,it wouldn't if she didn't mind paying this debt off.

i hate when your shopping and the people who work there come up to you and ask you if you need any help. its like yah brah i dont know what im doing in here, now can you leave me alone?

Most staff ask because we are forced to. I hate it when people do it, but as a retail employee they also expect us to actively attempt to help customers. I'm still of the opinion that if they need or want help looking for something, they'll ask.


Personally I hate shopping if I don't know what I'm looking for. I just want to be able to get in, get what I came for, and leave.

I have had some of the experience posted here too.

Employees at retail stores often stare at me for some reason that I don't know of. I guess that's because of what is to them my strange behavior.

Employees also keep asking me if I need help finding something, this really annoys me; if I need help finding something I would ask (or just buy it off of the internet )

There was also a small store I went to a year ago and an incident there really aggravated me; I suppose the incident occured because of the types of clothes I was wearing; (a hoodie and a pair of jeans; and my behavior.)

I was looking at some various snack foods and when I go to a check-out line with my mother (I didn't buy anything) the lady running the cash register thought I stole something and made me empty the pockets of my hoodie. After I did that my mother payed for the goods she was getting and we left. Needless to say, we never went back again.

I never go shopping anyway. The only store I ever go to is the Apple store, and I fit right in there since I always wear one of my Apple shirts. People have come up to me like I'm an employee before and asked me questions about stuff, and as long as I know the answer I actually answer it XD

...I should get one of those shirts that says "I don't work here."

I hate goin 2 da supermarket cos its so crowded, cramp 4 room, 2 much lighting, foul mouthed ppl n dodgy customer service i don't mind clothes shops but i would normally go on a wk day as it is a lot quieter gives me time n space so dat i can think wot im gonna get n wen a salesperson says do u need any help i just tell dem im ok thank u its just a good way 2 b greeted n dats a lot better den a supermarket.