Woman Shares Tip For Confronting Creepy Guy Following Her
It sucks to say but I think all women have had to deal with this type of situation. I know I have! A woman shared a story on Reddit about how she got rid of a creepy guy following her in a grocery store and people are thanking her for the tip.
In a post to Reddit’s “Two X Chromosomes” section for women, a woman explains how she noticed a man following her around in a grocery store. While walking through the aisles, she spotted a man walking behind her. She didn’t think much of it at first, but the man continued to follow her through each aisle.
The man didn’t seem to be shopping and the woman starting getting “weird” vibes. She began walking faster but the guy sped up as well. The woman then realized her “weird vibes” were dead on. It was then that the woman decided to try a tip that she actually found on Reddit.
“I stopped abruptly and whipped around and stared this dude down,” the woman explains. And it worked! She says he quickly turned around and left and she felt safe to continue shopping in peace. She shares that she’s “not generally a paranoid person at all,” but that “the vibes from this guy were really off.” Even if he wasn’t intentionally following her, she points out it’s better to be safe than sorry. And hundreds of Reddit users are thanking her for sharing.
I have personally dealt with this situation before. While living in Columbia, SC I was on a very popular morning show on the local rock station. Since Columbia isn’t that big, many people knew who I was. It wasn’t odd for people to come up and talk to me.
One day after work I went to a Walmart close to the station to shop. As I was walking to my car, I felt someone behind me. I’m a fast walker by nature, but I sped up a bit. I could hear the footsteps behind me speed up as well. When I got to my car, I whipped around, keys in hand, and the man was a few inches from me. I bowed up, shoulders back, fist clinched and asked him if I could help him. The guy immediately started looking around and said, “Oh…my car is over there.” He then proceeded to walk away quickly.
I stood by my car and watched the guy walk over five rows in the parking lot. He then got into what I call a “serial killer” white van. You know what I mean: one of those vans with no windows. As I watched him drive off, I KNEW that I had avoided some type of bad situation. After the guy drove off, I went back into the store and let management know what happened. I figured they could pull up surveillance video to double check my description of the guy.
If you ever feel unsafe and you’re by yourself, this tactic usually works. People who are looking to harm you or attack you don’t want to deal with someone that will put up a fight or cause a scene. It doesn’t matter if you REALLY feel brave, even fake confidence can help in this type of situation. And if something like this happens in a store, always ask security to walk you to your car.
Other women on Reddit shared some tactics that have worked for them:
- “This works great,” shares another. “And if they persist, I start barking!”
- “They use your engrained need to avoid making a scene against you. Make the scene,” suggests another. “Get loud. Someone is going to say you’re nuts. Fine. Being a nut means you’re alive to be one.”
- “If you notice a person following you, get on your phone and talk loudly, describing the person and what’s going on. The creep will know you’re onto him and that you can identify him which will usually scare them off.”
I hate that as women, we have to deal with this type of situation often. It’s always good to have a few tactics to use, and even some type of weapon, in case you’re put into a frightening situation. I’d rather look like a wacko than be harmed. It’s always better to be safe than sorry!
