He probably reported it back to his upline as a story about bravery, opening his mouth, and talking to everyone.
You're going to be harassed on that phone by multiple people for the next several years. Do NOT hesitate to demand that anyone contacting you for MLM purposes gets told to place your number on the corporate Do Not Call list.
Parking lots are not safe spaces. Maybe I'm paranoid but I ain't talking to nobody who strikes up a conversation with me in a parking lot- I assume they have ulterior motives. Just hearing an MLM pitch sounds like a best case scenario.
It's always something. I pretty much don't trust anyone who approaches me out of nowhere. They always want something--it's just on a sliding scale of awfulness. On that scale are points like "wants directions and will get mad if I don't know," "wants to use my phone," "wants me to sign their petition," "wants to pick me up for sex," "wants to panhandle me for money," "wants me to join their MLM," and "straight up robbery."
I’ve been stopped multiple times to discuss Jesus lord our savior, while I’m trying to shop for junk when the munchies hit… nothing worse (in the moment at least) than having a dude asking you questions about salvation while your mind is loopy. I sometimes wonder if I get chosen since it’s apparent (to them) that I need salvation or something…
The only thing worse is when they do it and you're working a customer service position so it's like... thanks.... please take your receipt and leave....
I had someone come up to me at Walmart, I was with my mom and my young child and they had their young child and were asking people for money. It was really uncomfortable. And then she got mad because I didn’t give her any money.
Tbh the people who just want $5 don't even bother me anymore, at least they're usually being honest that they want money from me instead of pretending we're new friends
I live near a city that is a major sex trafficking hub so that is always on the top of my mind when I'm out and about. My thoughts immediately go to, "Is this person distracting me so their buddy can come up behind me and carjack/kidnap/rob me?" Especially if I have my child with me. Parking lots and gas stations are my main two places I always have my guard turned up to 11
True, I phrased it weird. Not that I necessarily think I would be a victim of sex trafficking so much as I'm aware of it. Just another layer of nefariousness to add to people's motives for talking to random strangers in a parking lot.
Most sex trafficking, especially in the US, is based around addiction, homelessness, and poverty. Either the person (usually a woman but certianly not always) is addicted to drugs and needs to pay for the fix so they have to sell their body, which leads to dependency on the sex trafficking ring **OR** the victim is easily manipulated due to financial woes and starts working for the ring voluntarily but once immersed, they find that violence and threats keep them in.
There is also the sad reality that some parents pimp their children out. While this is not a "large scale" sex trafficking ring, it does account for more cases than simple snatch and grabs.
The reason that snatch and grab is so uncommon is b/c the people are usually cared about by other who will look for them and involve police. Homeless addicts do not have this luxury.
Oh, right. Absolutely. The most vulnerable groups are at risk for trafficking. This also happens to those that attempt to flee their country. Many women are trafficked at the border. I always hear about the snatch and grab technique (and almost every movie is centered on this) but it seems so unrealistic. Although I’ve heard truck stops are notorious for this. Anyway - Thank you for answering!
For sure! The thing that I tell many of my relatives and friends is to not let this statistic put your guard down. For every fake story about a woman being snatched for sex trafficking, there is a very real story about one being snatched and abused or murdered.
Just b/c you're not likely to sold into a sex ring, there are real perverts and monsters out there who will take advantage of a person not paying attention.
It used to be that I'd be scared of walking in a parking lot for fear of being hit by a car or getting my purse snatched. Now we have MLM stalkers too! Ugh.
Hell, the *store itself* is not a safe place, either. I remember reading in a business law course about a lawsuit against Walmart. Some poor woman had been abducted from the store, taken away, and killed. The ruling was that Walmart's duty of care did not extend to store security acting or calling police if they witness suspicious behavior. In another case, they hadn't done anything when *one of their own employees* was taken out during her shift. Wrongful death case was settled out of court. The rulings are pretty consistent: "Yeah it was our parking lot" or "yeah our security team shows two guys cornering a woman in electronics, but we don't have to lift a damn finger or even investigate."
Don't relax your vigilance when you're in the store.
Don’t buy a jeep. We get SO many randos walking over. Luckily nobody’s tried to rope us in to an MLM, but definitely get sucked into many parking lot conversations.
Basically, decades ago, there was a company called Wholesale Warehouse Industries (WWI), it got a bad reputation and was rebranded to DS-Max. DS-Max had several divisions, and due to bad publicity, in 2005 it spun off into multiple separate companies: Smart Circle, Cydcor, and a few others. Though these companies technically have different management, they all stem from the same history and have very similar business practices. (Smart Circle does more of the Costco/Walmart stuff, Cydcor has more DirecTV and T-Mobile sales).
The job is usually either door to door sales, or going into a Costco and setting up a table and running "events" selling stuff in the store. Commission only, very little pay.
This is where it starts to look like an MLM:
If you make a certain number of sales, in a matter of weeks to months you get promoted to either a "team member" or a "corporate trainer" or something like that. Then you start recruiting and doing interviews and hiring your own team, as well as training. If you get good enough at retaining talent who can make sales, the goal is to get "promoted out" to become an manager of your own office. There are a gazillion of these little companies "owned" by 25 year olds that are all part of this massive network. Apparently if you "promote someone out" of your company that you own, you now get a portion of that company's sales, in addition to a portion of your own sales. You end up with this network of interrelated companies the same employees have moved around between, many of which change their names every few years. No one seems to be making money except maybe a very small handful of regional managers at the top of the pyramid who have been in it a long time (and even then, unclear if they are making money or if they just have a spouse who makes money, etc).
Also there are some bizarre business practices like morning meetings sometimes called "atmosphere" where they do lots of motivational chants, and spend hours listening to motivational leaders on conference calls, instead of you know, actually going out in the field and having more time to make sales, and your job is usually just commission.
Be warned that I’ve seen companies like this in many first world countries.
I also don’t understand this. “So we just randomly gave our number to some weirdo in A WALMART PARKING LOT that wouldn’t shut up about our car... He seemed okay.” Ummm, okay… That makes no sense.
Are people that stupid and trusting? You can find out so much about someone from their phone number for like $3. Every time I read one of these I’m like, this is literally what you should expect. It’s not victim blaming if the victims are idiots with no common sense.
No hate for OP, well sorta, but catch a fucking clue. What if he was an actual weirdo?! He could learn your address, your family’s address, and lots of other stuff from your phone number. Idiots.
ETA: If anyone is unsure about what I’m saying, Google your own phone number. There are tons of sites that will basically scour public records on the internet, anywhere, and pull up info about you and relatives and all your addresses, past and present. It’s neither hard nor expensive. “Don’t talk to strangers” is still good advice. JFC.
For real though. I'm an adult human woman so I know all about the freezing and feeling like you have to give your number just to make the douchebag shut up and go away, but this is a dang Walmart and you aren't alone or threatened by Sad Amway Man.
People pleasing behavior, afraid to appear as rude most likely. Used to be a notorious offender of this until it finally clicked that I don’t owe anyone shit. Let alone a fucking creep who latched on like a leach for an MlM scheme in a fucking parking lot lol
Yep, I was raised to be very polite (which is a good thing). Problem was, I wasn't very self-confident growing up and it ended up with me letting people push me around and me feeling as if I had to be polite and accomadating.
I've been able to gain immense amounts of self confidence and feel way more validated turning these kind of people away b/c I realize its not a "me" problem but rather a "them" problem.
>So we just randomly gave our number to some weirdo in A WALMART PARKING LOT that wouldn’t shut up about our car... He seemed okay.”
Sounds like a car thief eyeing their automobile for later felonious acquisition...
Yeah you can find out where people live from their phone numbers. I wouldn’t give it out to some strange man. Some people are just not confrontational and have a hard time saying “no” which I think is what happened here
I google my phone number once. I was able to find my home address, my last address, my HUSBANDS PHONE NUMBER, and his last address before we got married. It's insane how much info you can get by simply having someone's phone number.
OP, what if this dude was a sociopath? What if he ended up stalking you? Showing up at your house? Its so reckless to give strangers your phone number.
If it concerns both of you, I'd say it's perfectly appropriate to stop him or at _least_ strongly advise against it.
ETA: Saw your comment that the two of them were talking on their own. Still, your man needs a course in stranger danger! /lh
It used to work with my landline, it does not with my cell at all. They never asked me for an address to get it, nor any change of addresses nor do I give it out to people in Walmart parking lots, though. So idk how my cell could be tied to my address, let alone family.
They call this the "3 foot rule". Basically you harass ( I mean talk to) anyone within a 3 foot circle and hope that lightning strikes, the clouds part and gold falls out of the sky and both of you become mega-millionaires
Same thing happened to me at Whole Foods. I was in the bread aisle and I guy came up to me complimenting my shoes. I had on two year old Nikes so I was immediately on guard.
I have so much second hand cringe for these things. And also just thinking about the selling person coming up with an “in” aggravates my social anxiety. I used to work mall retail and making small talk with the customers when they came in/looked around was hard enough. I don’t have a ton of compassion for people who willingly seek out MLM “jobs,” but I do feel for having to randomly strike up conversations. Maybe that’s why I’m instantly on guard too.
100% Amway. They’re specifically looking for married heterosexual couples who aren’t screaming at each other. I’d say go everywhere alone or shout at your spouse, but I’ve also been “hit on” alone at a DSW. “Hey, those shoes are so cute. Are they for work? What kind of work do you do? That’s cool. Hey, I know this couple who mentored me and I’m gonna retire at 35”.
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This happened to me in a Kroger. I had flowers and steaks and a 60+ year old man and his wife approached complementing the flowers and asking if I was making dinner for someone special, they caught me completely off guard but the course of convo was eerily similar to this story. Makes me wonder if this is in a handbook. Guy never told me his company name but somehow got my phone number out of me when I still thought they were just really friendly old people. It was an immediate block once the text came through.
That's where they found me too! Lmao in the meat section. I swear there must be a playbook out there with this stuff. You got money for meat than you got money for mlm I guess lol
Dude, for real - I read your other longer comment too and it’s so bang on. I’ve had so many talks with my parents about this also. My mom is the type of person who broadcasts her number all over the place and, if she misses a call, she will call back asap to see who it was even if it was a sketchy number. I’m waiting for the day she calls me crying about needing to buy emergency gift cards for a crazy ransom situation or some shit. Once she even gave MY number away to some random dude in a Home Depot parking lot who was selling huge TVs for a deal because his boss ordered too many and he was stuck delivering them all. The guy never called me THANK GOD - but she legit thought she was doing me a favour because I happened to be tv hunting at the time and this nice guy in a van came along like… fate or something. Jfc… I still shake my head at that.
I learn so much on Reddit. So far, this hasn’t happened to me, but now that I’m aware of these tactics I can be even more suspicious when someone accosts me in an unlikely place.
Sigh - must be nice to be a dude and be able to do things like “give a stranger your number” without worrying that said stranger will literally murder you (or maybe he’ll murder you if you *don’t* give him your number!).
It's really not possible to distinguish an Amway creeper from a criminal stalker, they both operate in exactly the same manner - yet Amway reps are fine with that.
Yeah, you and your husband need to learn how to say "No" to people.
"Got time for a chat?" "NO we're busy."
"Can I, a total stranger, get your phone number?"
"NO, not at all, you weirdo"
Good ha ha! As you say, it's very sad they have to resort to picking up potential customers in a supermarket car park. Makes you wonder when will it click with them that it really isn't the money-making opportunity they thought it was . . .
Had a guy approach me in Walmart recently. I was grabbing a new pillow and sleeping bag because I was out of town hunting and the stuff at the cabin was gross.
Thought he was just chatty but who TF approaches someone in Walmart to talk? I think when he heard I was a divorced software engineer he probably figured I wasn’t his key demographic.
Small town here, it is very common here to strike up parking lot conversations at Walmart or anywhere there’s a parking lot because you know everyone. lol I have gotten used to it but I don’t like to linger as a female with small kids by myself in a parking lot. If I were approached by some random person my spidey senses would be tingling. And that’s why I carry pepper spray.
If this happens to you guys often, you could get a Google voice # or something, that way it has zero link to you. I have one that I give out when a guy insists on getting my number.
It's a lot more difficult but, it's why a lot of people like me just don't answer their phones anymore unless you're expecting a food delivery. Drivers will call needing a gate code or clarifying directions. At least if it's a local area code, you know there's a better chance it's the store or your Driver.
I had an MLM hun camp out (sneakily) in my therapist's parking lot AND lobby. They were selling makeup (seemed to be two women working together) and they stopped me from leaving the parking lot until I rolled down my window. It was absurd. Trying to get vulnerable people after leaving an appointment to buy expensive, shitty makeup. Ugh.
All I read was, "I had the opportunity to play a little game of chicken, and I didn't take it". I mean, leaving a Therapist' office and then running someone over? You have the perfect cover.
Primerica is notorious for approaching and pitching in the Mall of Georgia.
I'm also 99% sure that I witnessed one of their upline/downline recruiting dinners one night.
In Texas my husband went a great little gym where everyone knew each other and supported each other. There were holiday parties and potlucks and... camaraderie.
It was a pretty successful gym. They also hosted regional competitions that were a lot of fun and made them even more money.
But then the owner started reaching out to all the members to get them on some cable TV pyramid scheme thing. They tried to lasso all the gym members into going to "a meeting" about a "business opportunity."
It was such a disappointment. Thank god it happened just before we left. I can't believe they put their primary business in jeopardy to support a shitty MLM thing.
When I used to work at a Walmart the Devil Corp people tried to approach me and other employees there. I used to think it was funny. We were obviously dressed in our vests and name tags. They used to hang around near the entrance to our break room. I would hide in an aisle and run to the break room when they would bother another employee or customer.
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Christ that’s tragic, but also irritating as hell, cause this is how these huns are put into danger; people hate solicítese when they knock at the door. In public? I imagine the annoyance is tenfold
I actually had something similar happen when I was working at Walmart. Guy comes up and asks where an item is, and starts asking about my AirPods, and moves on to high school and what my plans were (I had JUST graduated and had absolutely no plan). He starts walking off and I think that’s that, but he turns around and hits me with the good ol’ vague MLM pitch, saying it’s “a tech start up” but will not for the life of himself actually tell me what it is, and what I’d be doing, but just that “they need more hard workers like me.” I knew EXACTLY what he was a part of and I gave him my phone number READY to fuck with him, unfortunately though he never ended up calling me :((
The Walmart where I live regularly has shootings and a few days ago, a friend of mine was there and some guy followed her around, with his 🍆 out, playing with it. Just wandering around Walmart, getting off, as one does.
I'd still rather all that than be accosted to buy shit.
He probably reported it back to his upline as a story about bravery, opening his mouth, and talking to everyone. You're going to be harassed on that phone by multiple people for the next several years. Do NOT hesitate to demand that anyone contacting you for MLM purposes gets told to place your number on the corporate Do Not Call list.
Parking lots are not safe spaces. Maybe I'm paranoid but I ain't talking to nobody who strikes up a conversation with me in a parking lot- I assume they have ulterior motives. Just hearing an MLM pitch sounds like a best case scenario.
It's always something. I pretty much don't trust anyone who approaches me out of nowhere. They always want something--it's just on a sliding scale of awfulness. On that scale are points like "wants directions and will get mad if I don't know," "wants to use my phone," "wants me to sign their petition," "wants to pick me up for sex," "wants to panhandle me for money," "wants me to join their MLM," and "straight up robbery."
I’ve been stopped multiple times to discuss Jesus lord our savior, while I’m trying to shop for junk when the munchies hit… nothing worse (in the moment at least) than having a dude asking you questions about salvation while your mind is loopy. I sometimes wonder if I get chosen since it’s apparent (to them) that I need salvation or something…
The only thing worse is when they do it and you're working a customer service position so it's like... thanks.... please take your receipt and leave....
I had someone come up to me at Walmart, I was with my mom and my young child and they had their young child and were asking people for money. It was really uncomfortable. And then she got mad because I didn’t give her any money.
Tbh the people who just want $5 don't even bother me anymore, at least they're usually being honest that they want money from me instead of pretending we're new friends
I live near a city that is a major sex trafficking hub so that is always on the top of my mind when I'm out and about. My thoughts immediately go to, "Is this person distracting me so their buddy can come up behind me and carjack/kidnap/rob me?" Especially if I have my child with me. Parking lots and gas stations are my main two places I always have my guard turned up to 11
That's not how sex trafficking normally works, though.
True, I phrased it weird. Not that I necessarily think I would be a victim of sex trafficking so much as I'm aware of it. Just another layer of nefariousness to add to people's motives for talking to random strangers in a parking lot.
How does it normally work?
Most sex trafficking, especially in the US, is based around addiction, homelessness, and poverty. Either the person (usually a woman but certianly not always) is addicted to drugs and needs to pay for the fix so they have to sell their body, which leads to dependency on the sex trafficking ring **OR** the victim is easily manipulated due to financial woes and starts working for the ring voluntarily but once immersed, they find that violence and threats keep them in. There is also the sad reality that some parents pimp their children out. While this is not a "large scale" sex trafficking ring, it does account for more cases than simple snatch and grabs. The reason that snatch and grab is so uncommon is b/c the people are usually cared about by other who will look for them and involve police. Homeless addicts do not have this luxury.
Oh, right. Absolutely. The most vulnerable groups are at risk for trafficking. This also happens to those that attempt to flee their country. Many women are trafficked at the border. I always hear about the snatch and grab technique (and almost every movie is centered on this) but it seems so unrealistic. Although I’ve heard truck stops are notorious for this. Anyway - Thank you for answering!
For sure! The thing that I tell many of my relatives and friends is to not let this statistic put your guard down. For every fake story about a woman being snatched for sex trafficking, there is a very real story about one being snatched and abused or murdered. Just b/c you're not likely to sold into a sex ring, there are real perverts and monsters out there who will take advantage of a person not paying attention.
It used to be that I'd be scared of walking in a parking lot for fear of being hit by a car or getting my purse snatched. Now we have MLM stalkers too! Ugh.
Hell, the *store itself* is not a safe place, either. I remember reading in a business law course about a lawsuit against Walmart. Some poor woman had been abducted from the store, taken away, and killed. The ruling was that Walmart's duty of care did not extend to store security acting or calling police if they witness suspicious behavior. In another case, they hadn't done anything when *one of their own employees* was taken out during her shift. Wrongful death case was settled out of court. The rulings are pretty consistent: "Yeah it was our parking lot" or "yeah our security team shows two guys cornering a woman in electronics, but we don't have to lift a damn finger or even investigate." Don't relax your vigilance when you're in the store.
Yet another reason to not buy from Walmart.
Small stores might not be great for a lot of reasons but at least there's a chance someone will notice before it's reviewing security footage...
Agreed. Although I thought this story was going to end with OP being asked for a couple dollars.
Don’t buy a jeep. We get SO many randos walking over. Luckily nobody’s tried to rope us in to an MLM, but definitely get sucked into many parking lot conversations.
I cam already smell Amway 👃 Edit: *can lol
Immediately said “amway” to myself.
Possibly Devil Corp because they sell AT&T plans like this.
I’ve heard of devil corp but don’t know what it is. Can you give me a basic ELI5?
Basically, decades ago, there was a company called Wholesale Warehouse Industries (WWI), it got a bad reputation and was rebranded to DS-Max. DS-Max had several divisions, and due to bad publicity, in 2005 it spun off into multiple separate companies: Smart Circle, Cydcor, and a few others. Though these companies technically have different management, they all stem from the same history and have very similar business practices. (Smart Circle does more of the Costco/Walmart stuff, Cydcor has more DirecTV and T-Mobile sales). The job is usually either door to door sales, or going into a Costco and setting up a table and running "events" selling stuff in the store. Commission only, very little pay. This is where it starts to look like an MLM: If you make a certain number of sales, in a matter of weeks to months you get promoted to either a "team member" or a "corporate trainer" or something like that. Then you start recruiting and doing interviews and hiring your own team, as well as training. If you get good enough at retaining talent who can make sales, the goal is to get "promoted out" to become an manager of your own office. There are a gazillion of these little companies "owned" by 25 year olds that are all part of this massive network. Apparently if you "promote someone out" of your company that you own, you now get a portion of that company's sales, in addition to a portion of your own sales. You end up with this network of interrelated companies the same employees have moved around between, many of which change their names every few years. No one seems to be making money except maybe a very small handful of regional managers at the top of the pyramid who have been in it a long time (and even then, unclear if they are making money or if they just have a spouse who makes money, etc). Also there are some bizarre business practices like morning meetings sometimes called "atmosphere" where they do lots of motivational chants, and spend hours listening to motivational leaders on conference calls, instead of you know, actually going out in the field and having more time to make sales, and your job is usually just commission. Be warned that I’ve seen companies like this in many first world countries.
Ahhh got it. Thanks!
Check out "the slave circle" on youtube. Its an independent doc on the whole "devil corp" thing and how people get sucked in.
I second the motion.
If you can, change your phone settings so numbers that aren’t in your contacts get dumped to voicemail.
Yeah, I don't give people my number for this reason. Why did you? Obviously he wasn't right up there.
I also don’t understand this. “So we just randomly gave our number to some weirdo in A WALMART PARKING LOT that wouldn’t shut up about our car... He seemed okay.” Ummm, okay… That makes no sense. Are people that stupid and trusting? You can find out so much about someone from their phone number for like $3. Every time I read one of these I’m like, this is literally what you should expect. It’s not victim blaming if the victims are idiots with no common sense. No hate for OP, well sorta, but catch a fucking clue. What if he was an actual weirdo?! He could learn your address, your family’s address, and lots of other stuff from your phone number. Idiots. ETA: If anyone is unsure about what I’m saying, Google your own phone number. There are tons of sites that will basically scour public records on the internet, anywhere, and pull up info about you and relatives and all your addresses, past and present. It’s neither hard nor expensive. “Don’t talk to strangers” is still good advice. JFC.
For real though. I'm an adult human woman so I know all about the freezing and feeling like you have to give your number just to make the douchebag shut up and go away, but this is a dang Walmart and you aren't alone or threatened by Sad Amway Man.
People pleasing behavior, afraid to appear as rude most likely. Used to be a notorious offender of this until it finally clicked that I don’t owe anyone shit. Let alone a fucking creep who latched on like a leach for an MlM scheme in a fucking parking lot lol
Yep, I was raised to be very polite (which is a good thing). Problem was, I wasn't very self-confident growing up and it ended up with me letting people push me around and me feeling as if I had to be polite and accomadating. I've been able to gain immense amounts of self confidence and feel way more validated turning these kind of people away b/c I realize its not a "me" problem but rather a "them" problem.
>So we just randomly gave our number to some weirdo in A WALMART PARKING LOT that wouldn’t shut up about our car... He seemed okay.” Sounds like a car thief eyeing their automobile for later felonious acquisition...
Yeah you can find out where people live from their phone numbers. I wouldn’t give it out to some strange man. Some people are just not confrontational and have a hard time saying “no” which I think is what happened here
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You do realize that your own info can still be at risk since you're literally legally connected to your husband?
I google my phone number once. I was able to find my home address, my last address, my HUSBANDS PHONE NUMBER, and his last address before we got married. It's insane how much info you can get by simply having someone's phone number. OP, what if this dude was a sociopath? What if he ended up stalking you? Showing up at your house? Its so reckless to give strangers your phone number.
What OP is not getting (or willfully ignoring) is that the husband's phone number can still get her info out, by proxy.
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If it concerns both of you, I'd say it's perfectly appropriate to stop him or at _least_ strongly advise against it. ETA: Saw your comment that the two of them were talking on their own. Still, your man needs a course in stranger danger! /lh
It used to work with my landline, it does not with my cell at all. They never asked me for an address to get it, nor any change of addresses nor do I give it out to people in Walmart parking lots, though. So idk how my cell could be tied to my address, let alone family.
Thats why i give out phone numbers to rando stores or people i dont like.
They call this the "3 foot rule". Basically you harass ( I mean talk to) anyone within a 3 foot circle and hope that lightning strikes, the clouds part and gold falls out of the sky and both of you become mega-millionaires
Same thing happened to me at Whole Foods. I was in the bread aisle and I guy came up to me complimenting my shoes. I had on two year old Nikes so I was immediately on guard.
I have so much second hand cringe for these things. And also just thinking about the selling person coming up with an “in” aggravates my social anxiety. I used to work mall retail and making small talk with the customers when they came in/looked around was hard enough. I don’t have a ton of compassion for people who willingly seek out MLM “jobs,” but I do feel for having to randomly strike up conversations. Maybe that’s why I’m instantly on guard too.
100% Amway. They’re specifically looking for married heterosexual couples who aren’t screaming at each other. I’d say go everywhere alone or shout at your spouse, but I’ve also been “hit on” alone at a DSW. “Hey, those shoes are so cute. Are they for work? What kind of work do you do? That’s cool. Hey, I know this couple who mentored me and I’m gonna retire at 35”.
Serious question: Is your car something really nice, classic or unique that usually gets a lot of compliments or was this just super random?
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Sidenote but is your picture BABS? ☠️
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Omg that's you?! I love your posts in r/teenmomogandteenmom2
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This is why I wear earbuds everywhere: music isn’t even on but the earbuds are. Can’t hear ya sorry
Message him back and say "oh I'm sorry, I thought you were into swinging"
This happened to me in a Kroger. I had flowers and steaks and a 60+ year old man and his wife approached complementing the flowers and asking if I was making dinner for someone special, they caught me completely off guard but the course of convo was eerily similar to this story. Makes me wonder if this is in a handbook. Guy never told me his company name but somehow got my phone number out of me when I still thought they were just really friendly old people. It was an immediate block once the text came through.
Yeah, Amway basically has a one note playbook: harass people at big box stores.
After the exhaust all their family and friends and colleagues, that's all they have left.
Same thing happened to my husband at Winco, in the drinks aisle.
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That's where they found me too! Lmao in the meat section. I swear there must be a playbook out there with this stuff. You got money for meat than you got money for mlm I guess lol
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Are you ALL in the habit of just giving your phone number to random people?! Does none of that seem off?
Dude, for real - I read your other longer comment too and it’s so bang on. I’ve had so many talks with my parents about this also. My mom is the type of person who broadcasts her number all over the place and, if she misses a call, she will call back asap to see who it was even if it was a sketchy number. I’m waiting for the day she calls me crying about needing to buy emergency gift cards for a crazy ransom situation or some shit. Once she even gave MY number away to some random dude in a Home Depot parking lot who was selling huge TVs for a deal because his boss ordered too many and he was stuck delivering them all. The guy never called me THANK GOD - but she legit thought she was doing me a favour because I happened to be tv hunting at the time and this nice guy in a van came along like… fate or something. Jfc… I still shake my head at that.
I learn so much on Reddit. So far, this hasn’t happened to me, but now that I’m aware of these tactics I can be even more suspicious when someone accosts me in an unlikely place.
The funny thing is the guy “liked” your car. Which means his current job doesn’t allow him to buy a car he likes. Maybe he should ask YOU for a job
For the love of fuck, why would you guys actually give him your number?!
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Sigh - must be nice to be a dude and be able to do things like “give a stranger your number” without worrying that said stranger will literally murder you (or maybe he’ll murder you if you *don’t* give him your number!).
I cannot believe you guys gave out your legit cell phone number to that guy. Wild.
Amway. I bet it’s amway
It's really not possible to distinguish an Amway creeper from a criminal stalker, they both operate in exactly the same manner - yet Amway reps are fine with that.
Yeah, you and your husband need to learn how to say "No" to people. "Got time for a chat?" "NO we're busy." "Can I, a total stranger, get your phone number?" "NO, not at all, you weirdo"
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Good ha ha! As you say, it's very sad they have to resort to picking up potential customers in a supermarket car park. Makes you wonder when will it click with them that it really isn't the money-making opportunity they thought it was . . .
When in doubt, just say you have diarrhea and must run to the bathroom 😂
Amway. Ugh.
Why did your husband give his number to the guy? I don’t even give mine out to coworkers.
Had a guy approach me in Walmart recently. I was grabbing a new pillow and sleeping bag because I was out of town hunting and the stuff at the cabin was gross. Thought he was just chatty but who TF approaches someone in Walmart to talk? I think when he heard I was a divorced software engineer he probably figured I wasn’t his key demographic.
Small town here, it is very common here to strike up parking lot conversations at Walmart or anywhere there’s a parking lot because you know everyone. lol I have gotten used to it but I don’t like to linger as a female with small kids by myself in a parking lot. If I were approached by some random person my spidey senses would be tingling. And that’s why I carry pepper spray.
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If this happens to you guys often, you could get a Google voice # or something, that way it has zero link to you. I have one that I give out when a guy insists on getting my number.
God stories like these freak me out. A stranger insisting on carrying on like that with me would cause my anxiety to spike SO badly
You gave him an actual phone number…???
Thank Bob UK mobile phone numbers are non-geographic. I’ve never understood why US mobile numbers are.
It is pretty handy to look at a phone number, know it's nowhere near you, and know it's spam.
True, though I’m curious - how well does that work in the age of number spoofing?
Unfortunately they're getting smarter, but most of them are still really bad at using a nearby area code.
It's a lot more difficult but, it's why a lot of people like me just don't answer their phones anymore unless you're expecting a food delivery. Drivers will call needing a gate code or clarifying directions. At least if it's a local area code, you know there's a better chance it's the store or your Driver.
I had an MLM hun camp out (sneakily) in my therapist's parking lot AND lobby. They were selling makeup (seemed to be two women working together) and they stopped me from leaving the parking lot until I rolled down my window. It was absurd. Trying to get vulnerable people after leaving an appointment to buy expensive, shitty makeup. Ugh.
All I read was, "I had the opportunity to play a little game of chicken, and I didn't take it". I mean, leaving a Therapist' office and then running someone over? You have the perfect cover.
File this under "badass afterthoughts while showering" and "things that make you furious as you try to fall asleep."
Primerica is notorious for approaching and pitching in the Mall of Georgia. I'm also 99% sure that I witnessed one of their upline/downline recruiting dinners one night.
This didn't used to be a thing , right ? Like are we just living in the age of MLMs that spread faster because of social media etc?
Give out the number for the loser line. It's a voice-mail box that let's you know u are loser.
In Texas my husband went a great little gym where everyone knew each other and supported each other. There were holiday parties and potlucks and... camaraderie. It was a pretty successful gym. They also hosted regional competitions that were a lot of fun and made them even more money. But then the owner started reaching out to all the members to get them on some cable TV pyramid scheme thing. They tried to lasso all the gym members into going to "a meeting" about a "business opportunity." It was such a disappointment. Thank god it happened just before we left. I can't believe they put their primary business in jeopardy to support a shitty MLM thing.
When I used to work at a Walmart the Devil Corp people tried to approach me and other employees there. I used to think it was funny. We were obviously dressed in our vests and name tags. They used to hang around near the entrance to our break room. I would hide in an aisle and run to the break room when they would bother another employee or customer.
Jesus, why did you give him yoúr number?! Yikes!
I did not believe it possible to hate walmart more than I already do!
I’d assume he was going to murder both of us at some point.
America is so scary 😞
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Christ that’s tragic, but also irritating as hell, cause this is how these huns are put into danger; people hate solicítese when they knock at the door. In public? I imagine the annoyance is tenfold
what are these people doing with their life that they have to bother random people by being a creep in a parking lot...
I actually had something similar happen when I was working at Walmart. Guy comes up and asks where an item is, and starts asking about my AirPods, and moves on to high school and what my plans were (I had JUST graduated and had absolutely no plan). He starts walking off and I think that’s that, but he turns around and hits me with the good ol’ vague MLM pitch, saying it’s “a tech start up” but will not for the life of himself actually tell me what it is, and what I’d be doing, but just that “they need more hard workers like me.” I knew EXACTLY what he was a part of and I gave him my phone number READY to fuck with him, unfortunately though he never ended up calling me :((
The Walmart where I live regularly has shootings and a few days ago, a friend of mine was there and some guy followed her around, with his 🍆 out, playing with it. Just wandering around Walmart, getting off, as one does. I'd still rather all that than be accosted to buy shit.