The Lurker

Had a rather creepy moment at work today.

One that kinda sets the heart pounding and the adrenaline rushing through the body.

As I happened to look up and see this guy walk into the store.

The immediate red flag was that the dude was wearing a coat with the hood pulled up over his head. 

Kinda in that shady sort of way.
The sort of way portrayed in the safety video we watched recently at work that involved what to do if someone comes into the store to try and rob it. 

Yes. He was sketchy in the "I'm gonna try and rob you" sort of way.
Like his whole aura was off. 
Honestly...he had the sort of look of a drug addict....

In any case.
I watched him walk into the store...and hesitate by the register.

But my cashier on duty was busy helping a couple in line with scanning their purchases.

However, I could picture it all too clearly the dude waiting in line until it was his turn and then pulling out a gun and like demanding money.

So I kept an eye on his hands.

And his hands were out of his pockets.

Which was like only a minor good sign because if they weren't in his pockets that meant he wasn't gripping a weapon of any kind.

And I was about to write it off as paranoia....

Until he moved around the register.

Like until that point I was thinking he would just head deeper into the store and actually be a paying customer.

But we have multiple registers lined up in a row. 

So if a customer is being helped at register two, they're automatically standing behind the cashier at register one.
Because that's how most stores are set up really.

In any case.
The customer moved around the register.
To hover right behind my cashier in the lane of Register 2.
But there was no cashier currently standing at register 2.

And like the dude was just silently standing there, looking--pretending probably- at a display we had hanging right there behind the register.

But like he was making no move to make himself known to my cashier.
He was just hovering.
Hanging out.
Waiting.

Probably waiting for my cashier to finish helping the people check out at the register.

I could see it all too clearly. The possibility that as soon as my cashier was done with the customers that he'd pull out a weapon, tell her to open the register, give him the money, etc.

I couldn't let that happen.

So I dropped what I was doing and walked right up over to him with a smile.
"Hi, can I help you?" I asked him.

-And until that point my cashier had no idea that this man was standing behind her-

The dude, who definitely had the druggy look to him, that 'something isn't quite right with you' aura.

Was like "Yah, I was wondering if you guys were hiring?" 

....Not quite sure I believe that.
Like why lurk around behind a cashier without making yourself known to just ask a question like that?
You could have approached them from the front, waited until the cashier had a free moment and then asked it.

So I told the dude that we do have applications online and we are hiring, but you have to go online at such and such address to apply. 

Thankfully the guy left the store after that point so I was able to return to what I was doing.
But yah. Definitely a potentially stressful situation.
I'm glad I was able to intervene.

It could have been nothing.
The dude could have legitimately been looking to see if we were hiring and just didn't have the social skills to do it in a less creepy manner.

I'll probably never know. 

But at least nothing happened anyways. 

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi