Don't touch me!!!!

[DistantStar]

Last night, a customer comes over to ask me a question. He reached out and touched my shoulder -- not in a skeevy sort of way, but it still seemed odd -- and I stepped back away from him since I hate strangers touching me. He actually stepped forward and kept his finger on my shoulder. Creeped me right out. It doesn't help that I am very, very short and when people get too close I feel very vulnerable.

Note to SC's: you do not need to touch me to get my attention, dammit. Also, I don't need TMI stories, like the guy who needed help in men's pajamas last week and told me he'd been married a month ago and only now needed pajamas. Um...okay. Ew. Thank God, at that point our menswear person showed up and helped him.

[AmericanZero8503]

For some reason the older ladies love me. They always come up and grab my arm and escort me over to show me something or ask for help. Then the single mom's will start flirting with me. It's so weird and uncomfortable.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

DistantStar, a guy touch you is skeevy. That he kept his hand on you when you backed away is predatory.:mad: When people do this to you, you should call them on it. It's creepy. You aren't there for them to put their hands on. (Can you tell this is a pet peeve of mine?)

We had this ASS at Kinko's we used to call The Groper. He was this tiny middle aged Indian twit. I bring up his ethnicity because it's been my experience that a lot of people from India tend to stand a bit closer than most Americans like. They mean no harm, it's just a cultural thing. So this guy had a habit of getting way into your personal space, and gestureing wildly with his hands while talking. While he was gesturing, his hands would "accidently" find their way onto your breasts. Repeatedly.

C'mon.

We got so we would never deal with him unless there was a counter between him and us.

One day, he caught me of guard out in self serve. No counter. I saw him out of the corner of my eye as he was approaching the back of me while I was removing a toner cartridge from a machine. He was reaching for me. I whipped around quickly, the toner cartridge still in my hands and belching ominous clouds of loose toner. I held it before me like a shield.

Groper: I need some help!
Me: (taking an aggressive step forward and shaking the cartridge slightly. More toner erupted forth. ) Can I HELP you? (I was giving him the stink eye. I had his number and he knew it.)
Groper: I need a ...a...glue stick.
Me: (without breaking eye contact and removing one from a pile on the desk.) Here. (more toner clouds.)
Groper shuffles off.

Pig!

[April]

Never worry about asking someone not to touch you. In ANYWAY. They don't need a reason, you don't want to be touched and that's the end of it. If they get mad, too damn bad. Touching someone after they have asked you not to is harrassment

[Imogene]

Yeah, I'm a hugger... I loudly proclaim to be touchy feely, but usually it's not until I've had the time to get to know a person. And always let them know they can tell me to go suck eggs.

[Seanette]

Yeah, I'm a hugger... I loudly proclaim to be touchy feely, but usually it's not until I've had the time to get to know a person. And always let them know they can tell me to go suck eggs.
You sound like me. I'm a toucher myself, but if someone says they'd rather not be touched, I'll immediately apologize and be very careful to respect that request.

[Imogene]

You sound like me. I'm a toucher myself, but if someone says they'd rather not be touched, I'll immediately apologize and be very careful to respect that request.


Are you sure that's a good thing? The world doesn't need two of me wandering around...
*hugs anyway* Spread the love.
</hippy mode>

[Broomjockey]

You sound like me. I'm a toucher myself, but if someone says they'd rather not be touched, I'll immediately apologize and be very careful to respect that request.

Heh, one time, there was a new girl at work, and she was kinda hyper. She was apparently going around hugging everyone. I come around the corner and all of a sudden *wham*, I've got someone hanging off me. I keep very still, arms by my side. It goes on for more than 5 seconds, and I say "I never thought I'd have to say this at work, but I really don't like being touched..." She looks up at me, lets go slowly, still with a big grin on her face. "Sorry! I'm just hyper right now!" And goes on about her business.

[Imogene]

Heh, one time, there was a new girl at work, and she was kinda hyper. She was apparently going around hugging everyone. I come around the corner and all of a sudden *wham*, I've got someone hanging off me. I keep very still, arms by my side. It goes on for more than 5 seconds, and I say "I never thought I'd have to say this at work, but I really don't like being touched..." She looks up at me, lets go slowly, still with a big grin on her face. "Sorry! I'm just hyper right now!" And goes on about her business.

That actually reminds me of a customer once who came into the store, hugged me, with some pelvis thrusting which, with our height difference, put it at around my knee level, and then he asks "Where's the porn?" Since the rest of this is OT, I'll hold back, and make a new topic if anyone wants to hear it.

[Tria]

That actually reminds me of a customer once who came into the store, hugged me, with some pelvis thrusting which, with our height difference, put it at around my knee level, and then he asks "Where's the porn?" Since the rest of this is OT, I'll hold back, and make a new topic if anyone wants to hear it.

I request said topic.... But I'm a dirty minded woman.

[Plaidman]

That actually reminds me of a customer once who came into the store, hugged me, with some pelvis thrusting which, with our height difference, put it at around my knee level, and then he asks "Where's the porn?" Since the rest of this is OT, I'll hold back, and make a new topic if anyone wants to hear it.


I must hear the rest. Tell us, NOW!

[chainedbarista]

i'm the same; unless you're my husband, son, member of my family that i'm close enough to or a good friend, it's strictly HANDS OFF! unless you want me to get nasty with you, and i don't give a rat's arse who you are-customer, god or other.

[Mighty Girl]

The fact that he came closer after you moved away shows he knows that you were offended by the touching, so don't hold back! He doesn't give a crap about your feelings, why shouldn't you unleash your inner bitch?

When people did similiar things to me, I'd either look them dead in the eyes and take my hand and dramatically remove theirs from me, or just tell them, "Excuse me, I don't like being touched". The dirty old men would sometimes say "Well you're never gonna get a boyfriend that way", and my canned response was- Well that's not an issue here, I'm way out of your league.:wave:

[Jet]

When I worked at the rental counter in my local grocery store, I had an interesting an experience. I knew I was working that day with this girl I had a crush on, so I dab on a little bit of cologne and take some extra time to get ready. Now at work everything was going fine nothing out of the ordinary. Then a woman probably in her 30s-40s comes up to rent a movie with her 3 younger children behind her. Conversation goes like this.

Me: Ok that will be 3.20 today. The movie is due back...yadayadayada
SC: What is that smell? It smells really good.
Me: Umm, I'm trying out some new aftershave.
"SC grabs me by my tie, pulls me half way across the counter, jams her face in my neck and inhales deeply"

I'm not sure if I was more creeped out by her action and the fact that I'm fairly young looking for my age and I was 17 back then. Or the fact she did it all with her 3 young children standing behind her with me holding their shrek movie.

[Canarr]

I request said topic....

I second that request.

[Tejas]

i have an autistic specrum disorder (aspberger's syndrome) and one of the big tings about that is body contact by people i don't know well makes me ga-ga. i had one customer who would never learn and i would run and hide as soon as i saw her come into my store...

[Dreamstalker]

I have Asperger's as well and am pretty much the same way. If I know the person or it's something small like shaking hands, etc, all's well. If I don't know you well and you try to be "cute" by sneaking up on me, look out.

[Becks]

I, too, am a hugger, but only with family, friends, and special coworkers. I assure you, I do NOT hug every employee in the store that I'm at when I'm shopping. I respect people's personal space.

When I'm at work, and a customer asks me something, I make sure to stand at least an arm's length away from them, just in case.

It MUST be the work uniform, I'm telling you!!!!!!

[Misanthropical]

It seems that people feel the need to hug me or touch me for some reason that is beyond my understanding. Unless I'm married to you or gave birth to you I do not want you touching me, it's not that hard of a concept.

[Barefootgirl]

I don't really have a problem with being touched, unless its the sort of touch that is quite obviously a grope-in-disguise. In those cases, I like to step squarely onto their instep, preferably with very spiky heels on. Its amazing how well that works in making creepy people back off.

[DistantStar]

The only person I'm really a hugger with is my boyfriend. I'm all over him. And I have no problem with friends touching/hugging/whatever me. It's just when I don't know you that it bothers me.

I probably should have said something, but he went away just as I was getting really creeped out. Next time, though, I will.

My biggest problem with people touching me at work is actually with little kids who sneak up and touch me to get my attention, not because they need help but because (apparently) I'm the shortest woman they've ever seen and they're curious about me. That is entirely possible (I'm 4'2", after all!) but geez, people. Kids being curious is fine. But don't let them come up and touch me. It scares me half to death, especially when I'm concentrating on something!

[Imogene]

I second that request.
I believe that's actually the third request for that particular story, so it'll go in under the title "Where's the Porn?"
...

Coming soon to theaters near you.

[Canarr]

I believe that's actually the third request for that particular story, so it'll go in under the title "Where's the Porn?"
...


I know, but you can't really "third" a request... :D

Thanks a bunch for the read, Juwl.