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KD5NRH wrote:

randomoutburst wrote:They were watching everyone as they entered the store and made me immediately uncomfortable. I told the greeter when I walked in and he said he'd get security to tell them to move on.

Around here, they call those "employees." Why they don't put an employee smoking area around back by the loading docks, I don't know, but it's creepy having a half-dozen or more shady-looking types hanging out and chain smoking just outside the doors at 2AM for no apparent reason, then later spot several of them stocking shelves.

The guys I saw definitely weren't employees and weren't even smoking - just hanging out around the door. Though I do hate seeing employees lounging around the entrance, ESPECIALLY if they're smoking. I don't want to walk all through their smoke just to get in the door!

I despise going to Walmart and don't go unless I need something at odd hours that I can't get elsewhere like Walgreens or CVS.
I prefer going to Sam's Club and Target but sometimes my schedule leaves me needing things after their store hours. :(

cowboymd wrote: Hey, I know that guy!.........just kidding. That would be the part of Sherman to expect that to happen. There and around the downtown Braums, which is where I had my encounter with a guy a few years ago. Very persistant and insistant. No touching though and I think I gave him about two bucks for a burger , then called back to the Braums to let them know he was out there bugging their customers.

No kidding. We stopped eating in that area for that reason. Still hit the Wild West Pawn every once in a while, though!
There are some shady people up here...I went to Wal-mart at 3am (I know, I should EXPECT the weirdos at this hour) and saw a group of five guys I would describe as thugs hanging out around the entrance. They were watching everyone as they entered the store and made me immediately uncomfortable. I told the greeter when I walked in and he said he'd get security to tell them to move on. The thug kids were gone when I exited (if they had still been there I would have requested an escort) and I got to my car without incident. My S&W 60 was in the passenger seat and I was keeping an eye out just in case I needed it.
Can't wait until I can carry...I feel safer up here than I did in the metroplex area (especially when leaving work at night) but there are still creepers out there.

Since moving my hubby and I encountered a man "asking" (read: guilting) for money...story's a bit long but if you want to read it, please continue:

We were sitting kitty-corner from a pawn shop at a Church's eating lunch. We had just come from the bank where we had withdrawn exactly enough cash to buy a Dan Wesson revolver for hubby at the above-mentioned pawn shop. I was facing the window and saw what looked to be a homeless guy talking to another guy waiting at the crosswalk. I saw them briefly talk, shake hands, and go separate ways. I told my hubby and wondered vaguely what kind of "deal" that might have been. He then started walking towards Church's so I alerted hubby, who was carrying, to be watchful of the guy. The guy walked in the door and made a beeline to us.

We were both on the defensive. I can't carry yet but hubby already had his hand on his hip ready to draw, as we were both mildly threatened by the man's quick approach. The guy asked if we were Christian and I groaned inside, thinking "Great. Not one of those." We told him that yes, thank you, we were Christian. He then asked if he could sit and pray with us. I was about to say no, but my hubby sighed and said, "...Sure. Yeah." He was probably thinking that if we did the guy would leave and we could finish lunch.

The guy sat down and began to explain that he was trying to get to Louisiana or something like that, and needed $20...and could we please pray to God that we could help him...etc, etc. Both my hubby and I were turned off by this. If someone asks for money and doesn't seem to be a threat we will typically give them a few bucks, but this was ridiculous and insulting in our opinion. Plus, we really only had the cash on us for his gun purchase so we didn't have any to spare.
We told the guy we didn't have cash on us and he had the balls to ask if we could go to the bank and withdraw some for him! We both firmly said, "No." He then got up and left abruptly and we both watched him until he disappeared around the side of the building. We continued eating but kept an eye out. Sure enough, he came swiftly around the corner again, heading for the door. I forgot to mention he was wearing a hoodie.

He comes in the door, straight towards us again, with his hands in his hoodie pocket. Hubby pulled his shirt up above the butt of his gun and got a grip on it (unnoticed by anyone, including me...he told me later) as the guy approached because we couldn't see his hands and he was moving fast. He pulled out a $20, waved it in the air, and said, "Wow, look what I found over there by that car! The Lord works in mysterious ways!" (He motioned towards our car. I don't think he knew it was ours, but it certainly wasn't our cash as the only cash we had was in my hubby's pocket in a sealed bank envelope.) We both nodded and the guy asks for what's left of our lunch. We agreed and got out of there fast.

People asking for anything in anything less than a direct manner (i.e., "Could you spare $5?" or "I'm hungry, could you buy me a burger?") give me the jeebies because I feel like they're hiding something. Could just be me...but better safe than sorry. I would never refuse someone help as long as it doesn't endanger me. I don't pull over for ANYONE if I'm the only one in the car, and if I had been alone in that Church's, I would have told him to get away or I'd call the cops. CREEPY.