Do you get unusual attention when shopping?

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I hate shopping. When I must shop, I try to be very thorough in order to minimize the probability of having to go back again soon. I guess it is kind of weird to spend a lot of time inspecting things carefully, but I don't care.

What does annoy me is when the salesperson inevitably says, "Are you OK?? Are you sure?" They act like there's something wrong with me. Then I almost start to question my own sanity.

Does anything like this happen to you?

No, I get ignored except in the more aggressive stores. I will not buy something if the salesperson tries to sell me something that I never said I want. I will leave if I feel the salespeople are being too aggressive or acting suspicious of me.
Even if I'm looking for something specific and it's pretty easy to find, I will say that I'm "just looking". Otherwise, they will dominate your whole experience.

Probably not, but then, I only notice when people look at me rather than at each other; I really don't like it when people look at me (because it hurts me).

My mother says I have an unusual gait, i.e., the lack of swinging of the arms when I walk that is common amongst those with an ASD; this might draw stares due to my innate difference (my body language is far from "normal"). She also says I look..., "serious" and with a "leave me alone" expression; which is accurate to some extent, but I always look like that.

I've received the "'...why the sad look?'" thingy a few times.

oh yes! I get followed around, I have learned to not make ANY suspicious moves, never put my hands in my pockets, never check my purse for something, never hold something rather than getting a basket or a shopping cart. I learned the hard way when coming into an adult clothing store to ANSWER the hearty hello of the sales lady, and at least make some social chit chat banter stuff because that is how they size you up, anyway.
I noticed once I came in and was gruff to the hail-hello-how-are-you?! and watched as she nodded surreptitiously to the junior clerk. Every where I went that jr clerk was behind me, dusting this, tidying that, and watching me closely. I caught on.

But yes, all my life my propensity to be single minded in my quest while shopping, my utter disregard for 'shopping' but going directly to my size, looking quickly at the offerings and choosing this, that and the other and then fretting my bowels to fiddle strings by trying to figure out the best 'deal.' I exasperate shop clerks by passing on all but the least expensive goods, to the point of miserliness. NO clerk wants someone that doesn't put their Per Person Expenditure commissions into at least the positive column.

One of my husbands had been in the Airborne Rangers and he was trained when they went to chow hall to eat to a whistle. They would blow the whistles and they would chow down as fast as possible because they never knew when the whistle would blow again and they had to put down and leave immediately. Sometimes it was a 30 minute, some times 3 minutes and all in between.
I mention this because shopping is like this for me. Sometimes I have at least 3 minutes before I realize it was a catastrophic disaster for me to have ventured into the store at all. Sometimes I am in the zone and think I am functioning well, but 30 minutes into it I have to remember that my dithering around has to stop and I have to leave RIGHT NOW and leave the stuff in the basket and walk, or force myself to go to the check out right then because I am not sure if I could force myself to make the trip back and there was no creamer for morning coffee and would not be if I didn't finish my job.

So, walk in the center of the aisles, take off your over coat so they don't think just normal hand movements are 'suspicious'. Try to remember to smile first at anyone that speaks to you and be as clear and concise as possible when asking for something. Oh, yea! always at least try to be pleasant to the checker. Odds are if you shop there a lot, you will see them again and again and it helps for them to remember you as a pleasant customer that was always nice to them.

and then get out of there as fast as possible

Merle

Yes..I do. I wrote a post about the perpetual panic experience I had going shopping at this particular grocery store with my parents. No matter where I turned...I was constantly bombarded by overwhealming customer service....it practicly took me the rest of the day to recover....

So I wrote them a letter...and the funny thing is that it stopped...(big sigh of relief).....It might have been a cooincidence because it was an anonymous letter.....and how could they know who it was unless they had awareness of one obviously panic stricken akward customer who was me....but anyway...

I generally don't go to retail stores. I go to big anonymous places where the employees are just as busy avoiding me as I am avoiding them....and thrift stores....

I hate shopping. I'm very social phobic and live in Liverpool, so shops are ALWAYS packed. Add to that my AS and things can get pretty uncomfortable for me when I go shopping.

I have a very unusual way of shopping, when compared to other "normal" people. I walk around, never sure of what I'm looking for. To get a good idea of whether I want something, I pick it up and inspect it, especially things like shoes, where they often have different patterns or designs on one side.

The other week, I went into Schuh to find a pair of shoes and I got asked 5 times, by 3 different people, if I needed any help. Now, the shop was PACKED. You could barely move for people. There was only about 6 assitants working, and 2 were on the tills. They must have been paying pretty close attention to me.

It always upsets me when I'm followed, or constantly pestered in shops by sales assistants because I know they're suspicious of me and it just makes me feel even more uncomfortable than I already do. I get scared to move incase they read something into it so I usually end up leaving when I know they're watching me, without buying anything, which I suppose only goes to further their suspicions, but what can I do? If they'd just leave me alone and let me shop, I'd probably buy something.

I used to shop at this one pharmacy, but I got sick of being followed around by one particular clerk. I finally, after being horribly distracted by seeing his ugly moon face every time I looked up, walked out and went home. From there, I called the complaints number, and said that I was sick and tired of being treated like a criminal every time I entered their store. I further told them I was transferring all my prescriptions to another, privately owned pharmacy, and they could go f**k themselves.

You might find this funny, but most of the time the security guards are tailing me, that's what I find annoying, some guards even ask me for my receipt even though they just stud near the till & watched... I only wear a normal coat, not like I got a hood, cap, sun glasses, gloves & checking if anyone is around, or checking for cameras, or walking past something then coming back past it...

I wouldn't take offense, but it depends on the person and the situation I suppose, but most staff ask people because they may be to shy to ask, but to share something, it bugs me because I'm looking at stuff and bam! "can I help you with something"

I get this, i always get weird stares, or do u need help, is there something i can do to maybe guide you in the right direction haha, gotta love those comments.

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Being Normal Is Vastly Overrated