Back up!!!

[Anakah]

I was in line at Target today, alone. Now, I am not really a people person and I have my own personal space and I'd appreciate if others would stay out of it!!! Anyway...

So I'm at the checkout and these two girls were up my butt gushing about some kid singer. Anyway, I tried to ignore them. They kept inching forward. I gave the woman in front of me plenty of room. She had one item and I had a cart full. She didn't set down her item and there was still people in front of her paying. I couldn't put my stuff on the belt because the woman in front of me hadn't put hers down and I was worried it would be in here way while she was up there.

I started getting annoyed when one of them bumped into me. I turned around and kind of looked at them and got:

ST: Sucky teen

ST: What's her problem?

In a snarky tone indicating that I somehow bumped into her friend while I hadn't moved a muscle. Sorry if I'm not making too much sense it's 5am and I haven't gone to bed yet lol

Then, I actually ended up on the right side of my cart because they got so close. I was starting to sweat and shake a bit. I don't like being closed in. At some point one of them may have well been inside of my cart. I let it go. Oh but I didn't later.

So finally, it's my turn I start putting my stuff up, etc. Now, this was the annoying part. I moved my cart so I could move bags into it as the cashier was bagging. I asked the cashier how her day was, etc.

Now, it's my turn to pay. Guess where the ST's were? So far up that I had no room to even pay for my stuff. I should have thanked them for paying for my items. lol That definately would have made them move.

I was livid at this point. They were leaning up on the thing where you slide your card--which I was intending to use.


I lost it at that point.

Me: You two need to back off now!!

They moved but only like two inches and right behind me. I covered the screen cuz I don't appreciate people seeing my pin. Then I wished the cashier a good day and left.

I must have looked psycho to the cashier but I don't care. BACK OFF MY ASS! I'm usually not a confrontational person but geez back off!

[siead_lietrathua]

dont worry too much about the cashier. i've had to ask people to wait because they start piling their stuff on the counter (no belts, just a counter top) while the person im serving is still unloading theirs! it's incredibly disrespectful to the person i am ringing through to try to rush them along with those passive-agressive inching-forward games.

[Akasa]

"YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR MAH STUFF!! THANK YOU!!"

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Usually, what I do when someone tries this with me, is to fidget. I make large, sudden movements, step back abruptly, and otherwise fill my personal space with collision hazards.

One thing that is effective if that does not deter them is to step forward, and then inch back a bit, Keep doing it off and on. When they get used to the pattern of your movements, step forward, then step backwards with a wide, hard step. Be prepared to collide with them with some force. You're basically body slamming them, and they'll be adding to the force of your strike by moving forward themselves (It's akin to a fencing move, only backwards and instead of a weapon, you're using your hips and shoulders.) It's very hard to retreat unexpectedly when you're moving forward. It will be messy and awkward and if that doesn't cause them to back right on off from that point, there's something seriously wrong with them. I've never had this tactic fail.

[Food Lady]

Ah, yes, the inch-forward game. Drives me nuts when I cashier, and I can't speak up for the customer in front of me, lest I get in trouble. So the incher gets the fastest service ever; I want her out of my line as soon as possible. I also hate when I'm done with someone and she hangs over the cardreader--writing in her checkbook, looking for stuff, whatever whatever it is they do--and she's still there while the next customer is trying to pay. Part of the problem is my mind-numbing speed, but I don't want to start slowing down. We're too busy for that, and I have to carry the cashier speed of the team a lot of times.

[LillFilly]

I think it would have been appropriate to have turned and said "I'm sorry, you keep jostling me and I need my personal space/just had surgery/bad hip/etc...Could you back up please?" Say it so nicely that if they give you lip, they look bad

One thing that is effective if that does not deter them is to step forward, and then inch back a bit, Keep doing it off and on. When they get used to the pattern of your movements, step forward, then step backwards with a wide, hard step..

Brilliant! I've fidgeted before, but never with this level of conniving! I'm using this next chance I get someone trying to share space in my t-shirt!

[RecoveringKinkoid]

See, you can hit someone with a fair degree of force, and since you have a very large amount of plausible deniability, plus witnesses that it was "clearly" an accident, nobody's gonna be able to claim you assaulted them.

Although it's only the most hardcore creeper that will keep doing it past the point of the "fidgeting" stage.

I should probably add that I in no way am suggesting you assault someone for invading your personal space. What I am suggesting is to make your personal space a very unpleasant place to intrude. You're probably not going to actually hurt someone doing this, nor should you be trying to do that. What the end goal is to create an excruciatingly awkward public scene.

I've literally seen someone try to claim "assault" by someone who did nothing more than put her finger on a book a SC was holding. This SC was a law student, though evidently not a very good one. So good idea to keep your i's dotted and your t's crossed when you actually have to physically touch a sucky person.

[Thatgirl71]

I am like that also, I hate people in my personal space, usually I will turn to them, give them my death glare and say "do you mind, you're crowding me" which usually works and they will back off.

[UncleImpy]

Or you could just warn them you visited Kisa and had burritos for lunch, so are you REALLY sure you want to be that close to my butt right now?

[Andara Bledin]

Elbows are good for protecting your physical space, too. They stick out nicely and it's natural for them to do so for a plethora of reasons. I've elbowed more than one creeper in the gut for not backing out of my space. I almost always get the oblivious types, as the ones who pay attention seem to figure out I'm not one to be messed with.

^-.-^

[BlaqueKatt]

I should probably add that I in no way am suggesting you assault someone for invading your personal space. What I am suggesting is to make your personal space a very unpleasant place to intrude.

I love you!

in a totally non-threatening, non-creepy, platonic, internet admiration manner of course....and I'd never invade anyone's personal space, sometimes I even try to escape my own!