Stranger danger

I just have to tell you this crazy thing that happened to me Saturday...

If you don't know, I work in a jewelry store. And as much as I would like to tell you I have a glamorous job, I don't. I do get to see a lot of romantic people, and here some great stories... generally my job is very uplifting! However, sometimes, I experience things that aren't so amazing.

While I was at work Saturday, I had kind of a life-changing moment. This guy walks into the store, and as I looked at him, I had a feeling that working with him was being difficult. Whenever I get this feeling, I try to shake it because first impressions are not always right. This particular gentleman came in looking for a piece of jewelry for himself, and he wanted something that would of had to been ordered (if I did find it).

As I was looking in a catalog for this piece, he began asking me questions. This is a quick summary of the conversation... 

Him: "Are you married?"

Me: "No, I am not but I have a serious boyfriend"

Him: "Why not?"

Me: "Because we are not to that point yet"

Him: "I bet he wants to marry you"

Me: "Well, we just bought a house"

Him: "Oh, so the next step is for you to have kids"

Me: "I'm not ready for kids"

Him: "Why don't you adopt? Or maybe you can have twins"

Uhh.. hello?! I just said I wasn't ready and you want me to have twins?!

He asks me a million more questions, and then we get to this one:

Him: "You're lucky. I wish I had a girlfriend. Do you have any single friends"

   

...Then, my boss finally comes out onto the floor, and this guy's attention switches to him.

He asks about the photographs on the wall, which are my boss's deceased father and grandfather (both previous owners of the store). This guy was asking where they lived, how they died and even asked "Where are they buried?"

Just telling you this conversation, it may seem harmless. However, the feeling I had during this entire ordeal was one of those that had me crawling in my skin. It wasn't that I thought this guy was necessarily a predator.. more that he didn't know the difference between wrong and right. I honestly felt as though there was a possibility he would be waiting out back of the store when I got off work.

It was at that moment that I decided I needed to invest in my safety. At that point, I specifically decided I should get some pepper spray. Not because I felt that I'd have to watch out for this guy 24/7, but because you could be attacked by anyone and anytime. 

I did some research and here are some suggestions I found online to keep myself safe:

• Listen to your fears. After all, we are animals and I know my dog knows when something bad is about to happen. You get those feelings for a reason, and you should definitely take them seriously. You can never be too safe. 
• Keep your personal information confidential. I think that with the rise of social media, it is too easy to let everyone know everything about you. Actually, I think my home address is even posted on my personal Facebook page. And when you're a trusting person, you may spill everything to a total stranger. Filter information until you can trust the people you're conversing with.
• Be aware of your surroundings. This one is probably the most common. It's important to not get too comfortable, because that is when you let your guard down. Always make sure to lock your doors, for example. 
• Be confident. By being confident you are portraying yourself as a difficult victim. 
• Get in shape. Being physically fit means that you are more likely to be able to protect yourself.     

These are some of the best suggestions I was able to find. Do you have any suggestions on how to keep yourself safe?  

Sources:
"7 Simple Ways to Protect Yourself from Rape" Marie Claire
"How to Protect Yourself from a Stalker" WebMD 
"How to Protect Yourself from Crime" WebMD