Don't EVER touch me like that again!!!

[Bright_Star]

So we were super busy at the diner today with people streaming in & out & with me cleaning dishes left & right. In comes my boss's brother to eat brunch & say hello. So without warning he touches my back from behind & says "HELLO!!" I dropped what I was doing, spun around & screamed at him "DON'T EVER TOUCH ME LIKE THAT AGAIN!!!"
He takes a few steps back & says "so what are you, in a bad mood??' I said, NO!! I could have been holding dishes & they could have fallen on the floor!!!"
Most people who know me know that I'm extremely ticklish & dislike being touched without warning. I didn't appreciate what he did.
& having a bunch of dishes shatter on the ground wouldn't have been too pleasant.

[EricKei]

That's generally considered to be Assault (or something similar) in many jurisdictions, too. Completely inappropriate either way, whether you were at the sinks or not, and it sounds like you made that abundantly clear to him. ^_^

[Gizmo]

I've had to warn people that if they are behind me to announce themselves before they touch me after a idiot decided it was funny to do to people and even to teach his young child to do it too.

There is a thread around here where due to illness I went into full attack mode and was inches from elbowing someone in the gut when I realized who it was and I wasn't being attacked..

Since then I've heard stories of people throwing a full cup of coffee over their shoulder at their "attacker" or even flipping them over their shoulders on to the ground in front of them.

[Dreamstalker]

Once I literally had my head inside a shelf unit full of glass and some asshole touched me to get my attention. Fortunately I was able to tell where he was and knew it was coming, otherwise things could have ended badly.

There's starting to be a trend at my store where if a customer doesn't actually indicate that they need help (or I see and acknowledge them but obviously have to finish whatever I'm doing first), another customer will touch or grab me to get my attention. The most recent guy that did that yesterday nearly got an armload of glass at his feet (I was carrying a few glass bottles, one of which was visibly leaking olive oil so I had to get it out back quickly).

1) You heard me say that I would be there in a second. Don't get indignant that I almost dropped a bottle on your foot; you practically pulled me backwards.

2) Unless we're on a first name basis or you're pulling me away from an SCO that's spewing flames, DON'T TOUCH ME. An "excuse me" will do. Next time I might decide to test out my Model Mugging skills.

[MoonCat]

Frankly, I don't even like to be touched by people I'm on a first-name basis with. Nope, not even my CW's that I've worked with for over 30 years. Keep yer mitts to yerself!! (Especially when you've had so many health problems that you're a walking medical conundrum. I don't want your issues, I have enough of my own).

[MadMike]

I've had to warn people that if they are behind me to announce themselves before they touch me after a idiot decided it was funny to do to people and even to teach his young child to do it too.

The assistant manager at my old supermarket job was one of those idiots. He thought it would be funny to sneak up behind me while I was crouched and stocking a low shelf, and grab my sides. I spun around and took a swing at him, narrowly missing giving him a sex change. He never tried that again after that.

I've had a few people at my current job who thought a good way to get my attention was to come up behind me and tap me on the shoulder. I've almost shot through the ceiling a few times because of that.

[Android Kaeli]

I don't take kindly to people who I don't know decide it's okay to put their paws on my arms or hands, especially if I don't know where their hands have been. Had one lady complain to my manager that I told her to keep her hands to herself when she tried to touch my arm, my manager did NOT take kindly to the complaint -- I don't know what she said to the customer but apparently the customer didn't like what she was told, either.

[Marmalady]

I get very annoyed as well at the number of people who seem to feel they're entitled to paw me - I wonder, do they do this to everyone they meet or is it only those working in retail that they feel they have a right to handle?

[mathnerd]

or even flipping them over their shoulders on to the ground in front of them.

I would be one of those people. I can be a bit jumpy sometimes. I had a boss that thought it was hysterical to sneak up behind people and touch their shoulders, backs, or whatever. I was still on training and didn't know that, and when he did it to me I reacted on instinct. My elbow went into his sternum and he was over my shoulder and on his back at my feet before he knew what hit him. Oddly, he never did that to anybody else again. At least not while I was there. Thankfully, the GM took my side when he tried to complain so I didn't get into any trouble.

[catcul]

My elbow went into his sternum and he was over my shoulder and on his back at my feet before he knew what hit him.

You would happen to have video of that, would you?

I used to do things like that when I was young and stupid. I don't do that anymore.

[mathnerd]

Unfortunately, that was in the days before the ever present smart phone. Also back when I was trim and toned. I couldn't pull that move off today, though I probably could still disable somebody who attacked me from behind, though not with as much flair.

One thing I figured out when I was a teenager: I might not have the natural upper body strength of your average male, but I have rather large hips and thighs, that when I work out regularly, look like they could lift a small bus. I learned to use my hips and legs to overcome a lack of natural upper body strength. It has served me well. (As recently as last night, when I had to rescue my big, strong teenage boys as they tried to move a heavy desk down the stairs, and were properly embarrassed when I was able to use my weight and lower body strength to my advantage to maneuver the thing down with very little help from them....point one for mom!)