Super Creep, Super Creep!

[the_std]

So I have a new job at an all-in-one kind of store. We have general merchandise (food, small appliances, candy, beauty products, that kind of thing), a pharmacy, a cosmetics department and a rather large electronics department, which is separated into three mini-departments: photo/electronics, computers and audio-visual. I work in photo/electronics, selling cameras, phones, mp3 players, small stereos, that sort of thing. I just started two weeks ago, and last night was my very first shift where I was totally alone for a period of time and my first shift closing. It was devilishly slow yesterday, due to nasty weather, so I was okay with being on my own.

I was just doing my thing, reading up on some new GPS units when this guy comes into my department. Right from the get-go, he was weirding me out. He was kind of dancing from one foot to the other, his eyes wouldn't stay still and he was stammering and interrupting himself because he was trying to talk too fast.

Creepy Dude: Yo, uhm, uhm, gotta show me the, shut up, the voice recorders!

Okay, I pull two out of the locked case and give them to him to examine while I outline the differences between them.

Creepy Dude: Okay, okay, okay, now show me this'un and this'un and this'un.

He points to our most expensive recorders, which I don't want to pull out at once because, at this point, I'm concerned that he'll just grab them all and run out the door. So I pull out the most expensive one and hand it to him.

Creepy Dude: Holy shit, man, this is awesome! How much is it? Doesn't matter, doesn't matter, this one this one this one!

He's waving it in the air like he won some sort of prize and jumping around. I hurriedly try to put the ones he doesn't want back in their case, but he's trying to get me to follow him over to the cell phone display.

Me: Sir, I'll be with you in one second, I just have to put these away. You take a look around and get an idea of what you want, I'll be right with you.

Creepy Dude: I JUST WANT THE CHEAPEST ONE! (said at the top of his voice) Show me, uhm, show me, uhm, the cheapest pre-paid you got. Cuz, cuz, y'know, shut up, I'm trying to start a new life, y'know, so, cuz, I'll need a cell phone!

I know next to nothing about our cell phones, as I haven't really been trained in them yet, so I start trying to BS my way through this. Finally, he picks one.

Creepy Dude: That one. Gimme that one. How much is it? Gimme that one. How do I activate it? No, wait, gimme that one. Same one? Gimme that one. I'm done! I'm done!

So he runs up to our register station in my department, puts all the stuff on the counter, and starts doing another dance, but stops and glares at me when I walk behind the counter to ring his stuff up. He is giving me a death glare, and I am scared out of my wits. I pick up the phone and page our secret code for security before I start to ring his stuff through. He has over $250 worth of stuff, which he pays for with debit. Just as I'm about to bag it all up, he picks up the cell phone. It's one of those kinds where you buy the phone, call a number on the back to activate it, and it's ready to go.

Creepy Dude: Hey hey hey hey, can I use your phone? I just wanna, y'know, just wanna activate the cell. I neeeeeeeed it. Can I use your phone?

Me: Sorry sir, for security reasons, we can't let customers use the phones.

Creepy Dude: But but but there's nooooo one around! Here, you dial the number, dial the number, I'll just hold on to the receiver! DO IT! (and here, he starts leaning over my counter and he's a tall guy, where as I'm a short girl, so I'm feeling really intimidated)

Me: Sorry sir, I really can't do that. I could get in trouble.

He suddenly calms down and stands stock-still, just staring at me. He holds this for ten seconds while I fiddle with the register, and then pushes the stuff he bought towards me and says, in a flat, quiet tone of voice...

Creepy Dude: Fine. Return this.

Me: ... Seriously? Really?

Creepy Dude: Yes. Give me my money back.

So I start the process for a refund when he barks a laugh, grabs all of his stuff and literally runs out of my department. I immediately get on the phone to find out where security is and why didn't they answer my call, but no response, the LP guy had already left for the day.

I don't generally frighten easily, but this guy really got under my skin, but I didn't want to refuse his transaction because I got the feeling he could have turned violent at any moment. If he ever comes back, I am refusing to help him.

[rerant]

What I'm wondering is why LP is gone for the day. Shouldn't they have someone there until the store is closed?

[tropicsgoddess]

What I'm wondering is why LP is gone for the day. Shouldn't they have someone there until the store is closed?

That's what I was wondering too. At the bullseye we had LP there at ALL times. Wow, that guy sounded like he's a few fries short of a happy meal.

[the_std]

We don't actually have full-time LP staff at my store. Our LP members rotate through-out a designated district. Yesterday, one of the two was in our store for a few hours, but he only came in to assign keys and check some footage. I only called for them because I thought he might still be around, as I'd seen him earlier.

[LillFilly]

I hope you hadn't finalized the refund, and since you have his info, if you did finalize it you can still prosecute right?

[Chromatix]

Sounds like he was on drugs...

[Gerrinson]

Sounds like he was on drugs...

That or he stopped taking the ones prescribed by his shrink.

[rerant]

That or he stopped taking the ones prescribed by his shrink.

Agreed. If he's telling "people" to shut up it's likely that he could be schizophrenic. I know my uncle who has it often feels "well" enough to stop taking his medication without informing his doctor and when he goes off it it's like a switch flips and he's a totally different person.
Likewise seeing a schizophrenic off their meds when you don't know they're schizophrenic can be quite scary and confusing. Though most people just assume the person is drunk or "crazy".

But that just my two cents on the subject, knowing nothing but what I read and have hypothesized.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

What I'm wondering is why LP is gone for the day. Shouldn't they have someone there until the store is closed?

You so funny!

The LP situation at the swamp is similar to the_std's situation. Our LP lady has to split her time between the swamp and another nearby store. So we get her for a few hours a few days a week.

There's a second LP person who handles apprehensions and safety checks more than the other LP lady does, but she isn't around too much either.

[the_std]

It wasn't the talking to himself that frightened me. It was the intimidation factor, plus that "something is just not right" feeling. I know that's hard to put across in a story, but that was really why this guy was so bad. I mean, I've been threatened with a knife at work before and didn't feel nearly as afraid then as I did with this dude.

[Rine]

He sounds like one of the creepy customers I had today!

Did you complete the refund process? I hope not...

[Andara Bledin]

It wasn't the talking to himself that frightened me. It was the intimidation factor, plus that "something is just not right" feeling. I know that's hard to put across in a story, but that was really why this guy was so bad. I mean, I've been threatened with a knife at work before and didn't feel nearly as afraid then as I did with this dude.

That's because with the knife, you knew what the other person was after.

With this guy, you had no idea what he's going to do next, and it's that unpredictability that's really disturbing.

^-.-^

[XCashier]

It wasn't the talking to himself that frightened me. It was the intimidation factor, plus that "something is just not right" feeling.

Always listen to that feeling. When your gut is saying "something's wrong", it's almost always right.

You did well in paging security; too bad the store wasn't on the ball. Do you have cameras in your department, and did you finish the return or were you able to keep his payment?

[MergedLoki]

That seems REALLY weird and well.. just plain unsafe to NOT have any security people when other employees (cashiers etc.) are around and working alone.

glad crazy man didn't try to go crazy on you.

[the_std]

I definitely did not complete the refund. He grabbed everything and his receipt just as I was setting the till up to do a refund, and I need the receipt to complete it, so we kept his money and he kept his stuff.

Security really isn't to blame for this... Our store is actually really safe, one of the lowest incident rates in the whole chain of nearly 100 stores, and the security officers they hire all have police or legit high-stakes security backgrounds and therefore have to be paid higher wages, so corp doesn't really see the point in sending them to our store all the time when there's generally nothing wrong. They're around a couple of days a week, and that's generally pretty sufficient.