April 17, 2025 • 29 mins
What started as normal shopping trips quickly turned into something unsettling... In these true scary stories, I share creepy encounters that left me shaken and questioning everything. Whether it was stalkers, strangers with bad intentions, or something even darker. These are real-life encounters. No fiction. No exaggeration. Just raw, personal horror from everyday places. 🛒 Have you ever felt watched while shopping? 🎧 Put your headphones on and listen closely. You can also listen in podcast form "Scary Stories from Bad Vibes" Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6WCjzGChSiOtskaZjonvqz Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/scary-stories-from-bad-vibes/id1614005565 iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/53-bad-vibes-nightmares-94022380/ Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/show/3497187 Podcast Addict: https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/3868720 Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/bad-vibes-nightmares-4264713 JiloSaavn: https://www.jiosaavn.com/shows/Scary-Stories-from-Bad-Vibes/1/A7Unzn6te1Y_ Become a CHANNEL MEMBER for early access for as little as 99 cents a month: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7N-0n6MRuhtRVfCpj_oArQ/join Perhaps buy some MERCH: https://teespring.com/stores/bad-vibes-storytelling Follow me on Social Media: TWITTER: https://twitter.com/BadVibesYOUTUBE INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/badvibesstorytelling/ Send your TRUE story in: badvibes760@gmail.com Music by: "Long Note 4" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Times Stamps: Story 1: (00:00) Story 2: (05:03) Story 3: (11:00) Story 4: (16:00) Story 5: (19:45) Story 6: (22:45) Story 7: (25:24) Story 8: (27:52) Stories by: 1. https://tinyurl.com/4dkdyx9a 2. https://tinyurl.com/3scu8ruz 3. Anonymous 4. https://tinyurl.com/bde5n7wr 5. https://tinyurl.com/mr2bwj89 6. https://tinyurl.com/upezp92u 7. https://tinyurl.com/dfpktcsh 8. https://tinyurl.com/ykbzt884
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
I was about fourteen at the time. I had skipped
school and decided to go to the mall. Not the
smartest decision, especially since this particular male had a reputation.
It was known for having creepy teenagers and grown men
who stalked or harassed girls. I had had a few
minor runnings before, but it was eight a m. Broad daylight.
(00:30):
I figured I'd be fine. I was wrong, and I
haven't gone back to the mall alone since. I got
off the bus and headed to the entrance with a
small playground in front of it. I thought being near
kids and families would be safer, so I sat on
the swing and pulled off my phone to pass some
time before heading home. There was an older woman and
(00:53):
her granddaughter playing nearby, and their presence made me feel
a bit more secure. Maybe five minutes passed before I
heard loud voices and laughter teenage boys. I looked up
and saw them running around causing chaos. My stomach dropped.
I recognized them immediately. Pretty much every one in town
(01:15):
knew who they were. Trouble makers, older than me, and
definitely not the kind of people you wanted to be
alone around. They started moving in my direction and suddenly
moving closer. I stood up quickly and went inside the mall,
hoping to lose them in the crowd. I ducked into
a store to buy something small and distract myself. I
(01:38):
didn't see or hear them during the walk to the
store or on the way back. I sat down on
one of the couches in the mall and tried to
calm down. For a moment, I thought I lost them,
but I still didn't let myself relax, not folly. A
few minutes later, I looked up from my phone and
saw them again. This time, I didn't hesitate. I got
(02:01):
up and headed straight for the bathroom. The hallway to
the restroom was long and mostly empty, but I walked
faster When I noticed them trailing behind me, I rushed
into the girl's bathroom and locked myself in the stall.
I stayed there for what felt like forever, probably thirty
to forty minutes, just scrolling on my phone, waiting for
(02:22):
them to give up and leave. When I finally stepped
out and washed my hands, that moment of a relief vanished.
There they were six boys peeking into the girl's bathroom.
There was no door, just to open entrance, and some
of them were already halfway inside. I heard one of
them say, yeah, I think it's her, and they started laughing.
(02:45):
I froze. My brain was racing. Should I just walk
past them and hope for the best. Should I call someone,
should ask for help? I looked around and saw a
few women in the bathroom. One of them, maybe around forty,
was drying her hands. I hesitated, Would she think I
was overreacting? Crazy? But I couldn't risk it. I brought
(03:08):
up the courage and asked, trembling, excuse me, Can I
walk out with you? There's a group of boys who
have been following me all morning and they're waiting outside.
There was a pause. I immediately regretted speaking, but then
she nodded. Of course. We walked out together, and her
(03:28):
husband was waiting just outside the bathroom. Seeing him filled
me with a massive sense of relief. I knew those boys.
I wouldn't think twice about following me now. She quickly
filled her husband in. He looked confused at first, maybe
not fully convinced, but when she asked if he would
walk us to the main exit, he agreed. As we walked,
(03:52):
I explained the situation more clearly. They listened, and I
could tell that they were beginning to understand the seriousness
of it. When we reached the end of the hallway
that turned into a store, I continued towards the exit,
walking as fast as I could. I passed the security
guard on the way out, and while I felt a
bit safer, I didn't breathe easy until I was outside,
(04:16):
finally getting some fresh air. Only then did I realize
how panicked I had been. I ran to the nearest
bus stop that felt far enough from the mall and
waited there. I didn't care if anyone found out that
I skipped school that day. I just wanted to get home.
Since then, I've done everything I can to avoid the mall.
(04:37):
I still think about how things could have gone differently
if I hadn't been paying attention, or if that woman
and her husband hadn't been there. I don't want to
imagine what would have happened if I had walked out
of the bathroom alone. To that couple, Thank you. You
probably have no idea how much you helped me that day.
(05:05):
This happened about three years ago, so I was sixteen
at the time. I remember it being a warm September Day,
I had a day off from work and decided to
hang out with my best friend we will call her Abby.
I just got into my license that spring, so I
was super hyped about driving around town on my own.
(05:26):
I pulled up to Abby's place and we were trying
to figure out what to do. We decided to skip
making plans with friends and instead cooked dinner for her
mom and stepdad. So we hopped in my car and
headed to Walmart to grab the ingredients, and of course,
we couldn't resist grabbing some cake mix on the way out.
(05:48):
While we were shopping, we kept crossing paths with this guy,
probably in his mid fifties, but didn't think too much
of it since the store was pretty crowded. We checked
out and walked to my car, and that's when we
noticed the same guy loading groceries into his trunk. I
remember joking to Abby saying something like, oh, is that
(06:09):
your new boyfriend? Why don't you go get his number?
We laughed, maybe a little too loudly because it caught
his attention. He turned to us and complimented our hair,
then asked if we were sisters. We told him we were,
which wasn't true. Thanked him and wished him a good day. Honestly,
(06:30):
in our town, guys randomly complimenting girls isn't unusual, so
we just brushed it off. We got into my car,
I locked the doors as always, and we laughed about
how creepy his eyes looked. But here's where things started
to get weird. Apparently he saw us walk to my car,
because instead of heading towards the exit, he drove slowly
(06:52):
behind us, opposite of where the exit was. I saw
him staring at my car through the rear view mirror
and looked at Abby like, holy shit, it's the same
creep We burst out laughing again, probably as a way
to cope, and once he drove off, we did two.
The rest of the night was chill. We made dinner,
(07:14):
hung out, and eventually crashed. A few days passed and
I had completely forgotten about it until one day at
work I was running food to tables, helping out the
servers when I dropped a playoff to a guy who
looked way too surprised to see me. At first, I
didn't recognize him until I saw his eyes the same
(07:37):
unsettling stare. Yep, it was Walmart guy. I quickly placed
the food down, asked if he needed anything, and booked
it to the bathroom. De texts Abbey, Dude, that creepy
guy from Walmart is literally at my restaurant right now
and I just served him. Hours went by and he
(07:58):
stayed at the bar drink alone. I mentioned it to
some co workers and they were like, Eh, he's probably
just a lonely old guy. Eventually, my manager sent me
home since it was slow. As I walked to my car,
I heard the restaurant door swing open, and there he was,
following behind me. He called out, trying to start a conversation.
(08:23):
I turned around and he hit me with, so does
a pretty lady like you have a boyfriend? I told
him I did, and then my boyfriend worked at the restaurant,
A total lie. He got closer close enough that I
could smell the alcohol on his breath and said, would
you mind if you and I became friends. I was
totally creeped out. I panicked and blurted out I'm sixteen,
(08:48):
thinking that would get him to back off. Spoiler alert,
it didn't. If anything, it seemed to make it more interested.
I quickly said goodbye, walked to my car and drove off,
hearing him mumble something under his breath as I left,
I was shaken. I called Abby, then told my mom
when I got home. She warned me to stay alert
(09:11):
because clearly this guy had to think for underage girls
and didn't care who saw it. Fast forward a week,
I'm at work again and guess who's back. Yep creepers
at the bar, slamming beers like it's his job. I
told my manager I wasn't comfortable serving his area and
filled her in on the whole story. She got it
(09:33):
and moved me to the registers instead. At one point,
he stumped off to the bathroom and slammed the door
so hard the whole restaurant went silent. He looked back
at everyone and locked eyes with me again. I'd had enough.
I just walked back into the kitchen and hid. Ten
minutes later, the police showed up asking to review footage
(09:56):
from the previous Saturday. My manager took them to the
office and we were all kind of confused about forty
minutes past, and the cops walk over to the bar
and rest him right then and there. I couldn't believe
what I was seeing. I ran over to my manager,
like what just happened. Turns out he was under investigation
(10:18):
for spiking a young woman's drink at our restaurant. The
cameras caught him in the act after she filed a
police report the next day. I haven't seen him since
except in my nightmares. Hopefully still rotting in jail somewhere,
finally getting help or at least a harsh wake up call. Anyways,
(10:40):
ladies always keep your eyes off for each other. Creeps
don't always wear red flags. Sometimes they come in the
form of a lonely old guy with a drink in
his hand and way too much interest in teenage girls.
(11:01):
I don't usually shoply, but this happened about six months ago,
when I had one of those weird restless nights where
nothing feels right. I couldn't sleep, I scrolled through every
app on my phone at least twice, so by that point,
suddenly going to Walmart at one thirty am to buy
a frozen pizza feels like the best plan I've had
all day. So I got in my car and drove
(11:23):
to the twenty four hour Walmart a few miles away.
The parking lot was mostly empty, except for a couple
of cars clustered near the entrance and an old RV
parked further out under a busted light. I remember it
because it looked like it hadn't moved in days. Inside
the store was dead quiet. There are maybe four people
(11:45):
in the entire place, including two employees who looked like
they wanted nothing more than to be literally anywhere else.
I wasn't evening there for five minutes when I saw him,
A tall guy, maybe in his forties, dressed too clean
for that time of night, pressed slacks, button up shirt,
black shiny shoes. He did have a cart or basket
(12:08):
or anything. He just walked slowly down the cereal aisle
with his hands folded behind his back, as if he
was inspecting something. What got me was how quiet he was.
No footsteps shuffle just appeared. When I turned around the aisle.
I gave him an awkward nod that you give people
when you're passing by, and he just smiled, tight lipped,
(12:31):
didn't say anything. I moved on quick. There was something
about his eyes that felt wrong, not dangerous exactly, but off,
as if he was watching something behind me. I got
my frozen stuff some snacks, and started heading out towards
the checkout. When I noticed something strange. Every aisle I
(12:52):
went into he would show up too, not right away,
but like thirty seconds later. He would just be there.
Times at the end of the aisle, sometimes halfway down,
staring at the shelves but not really looking at anything.
Still no cart, still nothing in his hands. I started
getting paranoid. Maybe he was just another late night shopper
(13:14):
with weird habits. Maybe I was just overthinking it. But
then came the toy section I cut through to get
to the front faster. It was completely empty. Lights were
sort of dimmed until I walked through, triggering them. I
was walking past the accent figures when I heard something
(13:34):
drop behind me. I turned around. No one was there,
but there was a small rubber ball, a bouncy ball,
rolling slowly towards me from the end of the aisle.
I picked it up, looked around, Still no one. I
started walking again, and that's when I heard a voice
from behind me, low and calm. He dropped something under
(14:00):
on fast. He was standing ten feet away from me,
the man from earlier. His hands were still behind his back.
He was smiling, but this time it looked almost proud,
like he was happy. I turned around. I didn't say anything,
just held up the ball and said this isn't mine.
(14:20):
He tilted his head and then, without a word, turned
and walked away. I waited a solid minute before moving again,
just standing there, heart racing, listening for his footsteps. Nothing.
I went straight to the self checkout and paid as
fast as I could. When I left the store, the
parking lot was even more empty than before, just my
(14:43):
car and the RV. Its curtains were still drawn, no
lights inside. I got in my car, locked the doors immediately,
and started the engine. Before I could put it in gear,
I looked in the rearview mirror. The man was standing
in the in the middle of the parking lot, no bag,
no car, just standing there, facing in the direction of
(15:06):
my car. I reversed and drove off without even looking back.
Now here's the part that really messes with me. A
couple weeks later, I was scrolling on Reddit late at
night some thread about creepyper life encounters. Someone mentioned a
guy at Walmart at two am, tall, clean clothes, no cart,
(15:28):
always smiling. They described the exact same smile. Someone else
chimed in and had almost the same exact story from
a different state. The one similarity that was always the
same was the words you drop something. I don't know.
It can't be the same guy, but it's just creepy
(15:49):
and I don't think I'll be going to Walmart late
at night anymore. This happened about two years ago, and
I still think about it. It was a Wednesday afternoon
in May. I was at a large outdoor mall in Columbus, Ohio,
(16:10):
planning to do a little shopping before heading to work
near by. At two p m. I parked on the
first floor of the parking garage, just a row across
from the main entrance to the indoor section of the
mall near the back. As soon as I parked, I
made eye contact with this guy walking down the next
row over. I was twenty six at the time, and
(16:32):
he looked at me about my age, maybe a little younger.
He suddenly turned and started walking towards me. I immediately
looked down and began gathering my things, hoping you just
passed by. But then knock, knock, he tapped on my window.
I can't remember if my window was already half way
(16:53):
down or if I rolled it down more, but it
was partially open. He asked me if I knew where
the nearest rest was. I told him that there was
one just inside the mall entrance, literally right across from us.
He said he didn't know where that was and asked
if I would show him. I pointed and said, just
(17:13):
walk down this row and go through those doors. The
signs right there. He didn't budge. He just stood there
staring at me through the window like he was waiting
for something. The silence stretched, and I realized he was
expecting me to physically get out and lead him there.
When it became clear I wasn't going to move, he
(17:34):
suddenly asked, can I hop in your back seat? Real quick?
My confusion turned to fool and panic. I froze. I
don't even remember what I said, if anything. Things started
doubling down. He asked again to get in the back seat,
and then said, do you want to hook up in
the back I was in total shock, and for some reason,
(17:57):
probably out of nervous politeness, I just blurted out no,
thank you, I have a boyfriend. I'm sorry. He smiled
and said that's okay. I have a girlfriend. I love her.
The conversation kept going like that, me awkwardly apologizing, saying
I needed to leave to get to work, while he
(18:17):
kept texting on his phone between sentences, barely acknowledging my words.
I was terrified to make a sudden move, afraid that
locking my door might trigger him to do something worse.
I didn't know if he was alone, I didn't know
if someone else was watching. My brain was screaming, don't
escalate it. Eventually, I worked up enough courage to start
(18:40):
a car. I put it in reverse and peeled out
of there as fast as I could. I drove a
few blocks away to my job, rushed inside, and immediately
called MOL security. I have no idea what his intentions were.
Maybe he generally wanted to hook up, which what who
approaches someone in a parked car like that? Maybe it
(19:04):
was bait for something worse, robbery, trafficking, or who knows what.
He looked like a totally normal guy until the conversation
took a sharp, creepy turn. What's even more unsettling is
that I was driving a rental car at the time.
My own car had been stolen just three weeks earlier.
I'm so thankful we didn't see what I usually drive,
(19:26):
in case he caught the plate maker model to find
me later. This whole encounter still gives me chills. What
do you think his deal was? Has anything like this
ever happened to you? I sold the socks off my
(19:48):
feet for ten dollars. Yep, someone literally bought the socks
off my feet at the grocery store. For quick context,
I'm a thirty year old woman living in Midwest. I
say this happened a week ago at my local grocery store.
I was doing a quick run for a few things
and noticed the man near me in the dairy section
(20:09):
giving me that look, you know, that one just a
little too much eye contact. I gave him a polite
smile and kept moving. After checking out, I'm bagging my groceries,
I headed to my car. I started loading things in
my trunk when I suddenly noticed the same man pulling
up behind my vehicle. He gets out and says, hey,
(20:33):
I have a question for you. Thinking nothing much of it,
I said, sure, what's up? Can I buy your socks?
I blinked? Sorry? What? He repeats? Can I buy your socks?
I'll give you ten dollars for the socks on your feet.
At this point, I'm just standing there, like, did I
(20:55):
hear that? Right, So I asked why. He shrugs and says,
you know, it's kind of my thing, like a foot
finished thing. He nods, yeah, something like that. Now, as
this incredibly bizarre conversation is happening, he has his car
(21:15):
positioned in a way that blocks my end and starts
reaching into his inner jacket pocket. Now listen, I'm a woman,
I'm always aware of my surroundings. In the second he
started to reach into his coat, my brain went full
of deaf con one. I'm thinking he's about to pull
something out, and I'm about to be unalive over a
(21:36):
pair of target ankle socks. So I say, hold on,
let me just put my cart back. I used my
walk to try to calm down and gather my thoughts,
but when I got back to my car, he had
gotten out of his vehicle and was now standing right
next to the driver's side. Panic mode activated. At this point,
(21:57):
I was full on fight, flight or free, and I froze.
I sat down in my driver's seat with a door
still open, and with shaky hands, I peeled off my
socks and handed it to him. He smiled, took the
socks and said, thank you. You're beautiful. Your feet are
so pretty. Then he handed me a crumpled up ten
(22:19):
dollars bill. I walked back to his car, and just
like that, he drove away. Let me tell you, this
is by far the creepiest, weirdest, and most unsettling thing
that's ever happened to me. And yeah, I haven't worn
socks in public since. So what do you think? What
would you have done in this situation? This happened recently,
(22:49):
and I'm still a little shaken up. I'm a nineteen
year old woman and I was shopping alone at my
local Walmart late in the afternoon. I only needed a
few things, so I grabbed a car and headed straight
to the home and pharmacy section. I stopped in the
aisle with the protein bars to look for something specific,
(23:10):
parking my car to the side. The store wasn't crowded,
and at that moment, the aisle was completely empty. That's
when a man suddenly approached me from the side and
said something. I had never seen him before. I didn't
see where he came from. He didn't have a car
or any items with him, and he was way taller
(23:31):
than me, which immediately put me on edge. Since I
was alone, I stayed alert and kept my distance. I
didn't catch what he said the first time, so I asked, huh.
He repeated himself and asked if I was from a
certain township, one that's forty five minutes away from where
we were. My gut immediately told me something wasn't right.
(23:56):
I quickly said no and started to walk away, trying
to end the conversation, but then he said, you're very pretty.
At this point, I gave him an awkward smile and
kept moving, clearly uncomfortable and not interested in engaging. But
he kept going and asked, are you single. That's when
(24:17):
I snapped out of any politeness and said firmly not interested,
before walking away as fast as I could. I felt
completely unsettled. Something about the way he approached me, seemingly
out of nowhere, knowing I was alone, asking him if
I was from a random town then immediately complimenting me
(24:38):
set off all of my alarms. He didn't look threatening,
but the situation itself fell off After that. Headed to
the checkout, constantly skinning the area to make sure he
wasn't nearby. I saw him walking down the opposite direction,
which was a huge relief. I got to my car
(24:58):
quickly made sure no one was around and left right away.
Maybe he was harmless, maybe he wasn't, but his behavior,
his body language, and the fact that I was alone
all combined into a huge red flag. I'm really glad
I trusted my instincts. My mom and grandparents lived in
(25:25):
the same small town for years. My grandma was a
physician now retired, and my mom was a child's psychologist.
Since there aren't many stores in the area, they frequented
one in particular, where all of the staff knew them well.
One winter day, my mom went to the store as usual.
(25:48):
While she was picking something off the shelf, a little girl,
maybe eight or ten, came up and stood right next
to her. My mom looked at the girl, expecting her
to say something, but she just stood there silently. My
mom didn't think much of it, picked up her item
and moved to another shelf. A few seconds later, the
(26:09):
same girl followed her and again stood close, pretending to
look at an item, but not speaking. It was odd.
My mom changed aisles again and eventually lost sight of
the girl for a bit. Then she noticed the girl
speaking to one of the saleswomen and pointed in her direction.
(26:29):
My mom still didn't think much of it and went
to the register to pay before she left the store.
The next day, when she came back, one of the
saleswomen approached her and quietly said, Hey, just so you know,
the girl from yesterday wanted us to call the police
because she said you were acting like a pedophile tords her.
(26:49):
Needless to say, my mom was shocked. Luckily, the staff
didn't act on the accusations right away. They knew my
mom and family well and decided to check the security
footage first. On the footage, they saw clearly that the
girl had followed my mom around the store and had
approached her first, not the other way around. When a
(27:13):
staff member confronted the girl, but what she said, she
left quickly. Two men were waiting for her outside. A
few weeks later, my mama saw the same girl again,
this time on our street. She was walking quickly flanked
by two men, one on each side. It was the
(27:34):
middle of the day and our street is usually empty,
so my mom didn't feel safe, but think it was
wise to approach them. She never saw the girl again
after that. When I was four years old, my family
(27:55):
newly arrived from Mexico visited Walmart in South Texas. My parents,
still learning English, asked me to stay with my father
while my mother shopped. As I walked towards him, a
woman in her thirties approached me. She spoke to me
in English, which I didn't fully understand at the time,
and suggested we find my parents together. Confused in trusting,
(28:19):
I followed her to her car and we drove away. Meanwhile,
my father searched the store frantically, starting in the hot
wheels aisle, but he couldn't find me. Panic set in
and he alerted others, and soon an amberlert was issued.
After two days, the woman was apprehended when authorities traced
(28:39):
her vehicle's license plate. It was later revealed that she
was mentally ill. This incident occurred in twenty fourteen, and
although I was young, I still vividly remember her face.
It taught me that not all kidnappers fit the stereotypical image.
Some appear ordinary, blending into every day live
I was about fourteen at the time. I had skipped
school and decided to go to the mall. Not the
smartest decision, especially since this particular male had a reputation.
It was known for having creepy teenagers and grown men
who stalked or harassed girls. I had had a few
minor runnings before, but it was eight a m. Broad daylight.
(00:30):
I figured I'd be fine. I was wrong, and I
haven't gone back to the mall alone since. I got
off the bus and headed to the entrance with a
small playground in front of it. I thought being near
kids and families would be safer, so I sat on
the swing and pulled off my phone to pass some
time before heading home. There was an older woman and
(00:53):
her granddaughter playing nearby, and their presence made me feel
a bit more secure. Maybe five minutes passed before I
heard loud voices and laughter teenage boys. I looked up
and saw them running around causing chaos. My stomach dropped.
I recognized them immediately. Pretty much every one in town
(01:15):
knew who they were. Trouble makers, older than me, and
definitely not the kind of people you wanted to be
alone around. They started moving in my direction and suddenly
moving closer. I stood up quickly and went inside the mall,
hoping to lose them in the crowd. I ducked into
a store to buy something small and distract myself. I
(01:38):
didn't see or hear them during the walk to the
store or on the way back. I sat down on
one of the couches in the mall and tried to
calm down. For a moment, I thought I lost them,
but I still didn't let myself relax, not folly. A
few minutes later, I looked up from my phone and
saw them again. This time, I didn't hesitate. I got
(02:01):
up and headed straight for the bathroom. The hallway to
the restroom was long and mostly empty, but I walked
faster When I noticed them trailing behind me, I rushed
into the girl's bathroom and locked myself in the stall.
I stayed there for what felt like forever, probably thirty
to forty minutes, just scrolling on my phone, waiting for
(02:22):
them to give up and leave. When I finally stepped
out and washed my hands, that moment of a relief vanished.
There they were six boys peeking into the girl's bathroom.
There was no door, just to open entrance, and some
of them were already halfway inside. I heard one of
them say, yeah, I think it's her, and they started laughing.
(02:45):
I froze. My brain was racing. Should I just walk
past them and hope for the best. Should I call someone,
should ask for help? I looked around and saw a
few women in the bathroom. One of them, maybe around forty,
was drying her hands. I hesitated, Would she think I
was overreacting? Crazy? But I couldn't risk it. I brought
(03:08):
up the courage and asked, trembling, excuse me, Can I
walk out with you? There's a group of boys who
have been following me all morning and they're waiting outside.
There was a pause. I immediately regretted speaking, but then
she nodded. Of course. We walked out together, and her
(03:28):
husband was waiting just outside the bathroom. Seeing him filled
me with a massive sense of relief. I knew those boys.
I wouldn't think twice about following me now. She quickly
filled her husband in. He looked confused at first, maybe
not fully convinced, but when she asked if he would
walk us to the main exit, he agreed. As we walked,
(03:52):
I explained the situation more clearly. They listened, and I
could tell that they were beginning to understand the seriousness
of it. When we reached the end of the hallway
that turned into a store, I continued towards the exit,
walking as fast as I could. I passed the security
guard on the way out, and while I felt a
bit safer, I didn't breathe easy until I was outside,
(04:16):
finally getting some fresh air. Only then did I realize
how panicked I had been. I ran to the nearest
bus stop that felt far enough from the mall and
waited there. I didn't care if anyone found out that
I skipped school that day. I just wanted to get home.
Since then, I've done everything I can to avoid the mall.
(04:37):
I still think about how things could have gone differently
if I hadn't been paying attention, or if that woman
and her husband hadn't been there. I don't want to
imagine what would have happened if I had walked out
of the bathroom alone. To that couple, Thank you. You
probably have no idea how much you helped me that day.
(05:05):
This happened about three years ago, so I was sixteen
at the time. I remember it being a warm September Day,
I had a day off from work and decided to
hang out with my best friend we will call her Abby.
I just got into my license that spring, so I
was super hyped about driving around town on my own.
(05:26):
I pulled up to Abby's place and we were trying
to figure out what to do. We decided to skip
making plans with friends and instead cooked dinner for her
mom and stepdad. So we hopped in my car and
headed to Walmart to grab the ingredients, and of course,
we couldn't resist grabbing some cake mix on the way out.
(05:48):
While we were shopping, we kept crossing paths with this guy,
probably in his mid fifties, but didn't think too much
of it since the store was pretty crowded. We checked
out and walked to my car, and that's when we
noticed the same guy loading groceries into his trunk. I
remember joking to Abby saying something like, oh, is that
(06:09):
your new boyfriend? Why don't you go get his number?
We laughed, maybe a little too loudly because it caught
his attention. He turned to us and complimented our hair,
then asked if we were sisters. We told him we were,
which wasn't true. Thanked him and wished him a good day. Honestly,
(06:30):
in our town, guys randomly complimenting girls isn't unusual, so
we just brushed it off. We got into my car,
I locked the doors as always, and we laughed about
how creepy his eyes looked. But here's where things started
to get weird. Apparently he saw us walk to my car,
because instead of heading towards the exit, he drove slowly
(06:52):
behind us, opposite of where the exit was. I saw
him staring at my car through the rear view mirror
and looked at Abby like, holy shit, it's the same
creep We burst out laughing again, probably as a way
to cope, and once he drove off, we did two.
The rest of the night was chill. We made dinner,
(07:14):
hung out, and eventually crashed. A few days passed and
I had completely forgotten about it until one day at
work I was running food to tables, helping out the
servers when I dropped a playoff to a guy who
looked way too surprised to see me. At first, I
didn't recognize him until I saw his eyes the same
(07:37):
unsettling stare. Yep, it was Walmart guy. I quickly placed
the food down, asked if he needed anything, and booked
it to the bathroom. De texts Abbey, Dude, that creepy
guy from Walmart is literally at my restaurant right now
and I just served him. Hours went by and he
(07:58):
stayed at the bar drink alone. I mentioned it to
some co workers and they were like, Eh, he's probably
just a lonely old guy. Eventually, my manager sent me
home since it was slow. As I walked to my car,
I heard the restaurant door swing open, and there he was,
following behind me. He called out, trying to start a conversation.
(08:23):
I turned around and he hit me with, so does
a pretty lady like you have a boyfriend? I told
him I did, and then my boyfriend worked at the restaurant,
A total lie. He got closer close enough that I
could smell the alcohol on his breath and said, would
you mind if you and I became friends. I was
totally creeped out. I panicked and blurted out I'm sixteen,
(08:48):
thinking that would get him to back off. Spoiler alert,
it didn't. If anything, it seemed to make it more interested.
I quickly said goodbye, walked to my car and drove off,
hearing him mumble something under his breath as I left,
I was shaken. I called Abby, then told my mom
when I got home. She warned me to stay alert
(09:11):
because clearly this guy had to think for underage girls
and didn't care who saw it. Fast forward a week,
I'm at work again and guess who's back. Yep creepers
at the bar, slamming beers like it's his job. I
told my manager I wasn't comfortable serving his area and
filled her in on the whole story. She got it
(09:33):
and moved me to the registers instead. At one point,
he stumped off to the bathroom and slammed the door
so hard the whole restaurant went silent. He looked back
at everyone and locked eyes with me again. I'd had enough.
I just walked back into the kitchen and hid. Ten
minutes later, the police showed up asking to review footage
(09:56):
from the previous Saturday. My manager took them to the
office and we were all kind of confused about forty
minutes past, and the cops walk over to the bar
and rest him right then and there. I couldn't believe
what I was seeing. I ran over to my manager,
like what just happened. Turns out he was under investigation
(10:18):
for spiking a young woman's drink at our restaurant. The
cameras caught him in the act after she filed a
police report the next day. I haven't seen him since
except in my nightmares. Hopefully still rotting in jail somewhere,
finally getting help or at least a harsh wake up call. Anyways,
(10:40):
ladies always keep your eyes off for each other. Creeps
don't always wear red flags. Sometimes they come in the
form of a lonely old guy with a drink in
his hand and way too much interest in teenage girls.
(11:01):
I don't usually shoply, but this happened about six months ago,
when I had one of those weird restless nights where
nothing feels right. I couldn't sleep, I scrolled through every
app on my phone at least twice, so by that point,
suddenly going to Walmart at one thirty am to buy
a frozen pizza feels like the best plan I've had
all day. So I got in my car and drove
(11:23):
to the twenty four hour Walmart a few miles away.
The parking lot was mostly empty, except for a couple
of cars clustered near the entrance and an old RV
parked further out under a busted light. I remember it
because it looked like it hadn't moved in days. Inside
the store was dead quiet. There are maybe four people
(11:45):
in the entire place, including two employees who looked like
they wanted nothing more than to be literally anywhere else.
I wasn't evening there for five minutes when I saw him,
A tall guy, maybe in his forties, dressed too clean
for that time of night, pressed slacks, button up shirt,
black shiny shoes. He did have a cart or basket
(12:08):
or anything. He just walked slowly down the cereal aisle
with his hands folded behind his back, as if he
was inspecting something. What got me was how quiet he was.
No footsteps shuffle just appeared. When I turned around the aisle.
I gave him an awkward nod that you give people
when you're passing by, and he just smiled, tight lipped,
(12:31):
didn't say anything. I moved on quick. There was something
about his eyes that felt wrong, not dangerous exactly, but off,
as if he was watching something behind me. I got
my frozen stuff some snacks, and started heading out towards
the checkout. When I noticed something strange. Every aisle I
(12:52):
went into he would show up too, not right away,
but like thirty seconds later. He would just be there.
Times at the end of the aisle, sometimes halfway down,
staring at the shelves but not really looking at anything.
Still no cart, still nothing in his hands. I started
getting paranoid. Maybe he was just another late night shopper
(13:14):
with weird habits. Maybe I was just overthinking it. But
then came the toy section I cut through to get
to the front faster. It was completely empty. Lights were
sort of dimmed until I walked through, triggering them. I
was walking past the accent figures when I heard something
(13:34):
drop behind me. I turned around. No one was there,
but there was a small rubber ball, a bouncy ball,
rolling slowly towards me from the end of the aisle.
I picked it up, looked around, Still no one. I
started walking again, and that's when I heard a voice
from behind me, low and calm. He dropped something under
(14:00):
on fast. He was standing ten feet away from me,
the man from earlier. His hands were still behind his back.
He was smiling, but this time it looked almost proud,
like he was happy. I turned around. I didn't say anything,
just held up the ball and said this isn't mine.
(14:20):
He tilted his head and then, without a word, turned
and walked away. I waited a solid minute before moving again,
just standing there, heart racing, listening for his footsteps. Nothing.
I went straight to the self checkout and paid as
fast as I could. When I left the store, the
parking lot was even more empty than before, just my
(14:43):
car and the RV. Its curtains were still drawn, no
lights inside. I got in my car, locked the doors immediately,
and started the engine. Before I could put it in gear,
I looked in the rearview mirror. The man was standing
in the in the middle of the parking lot, no bag,
no car, just standing there, facing in the direction of
(15:06):
my car. I reversed and drove off without even looking back.
Now here's the part that really messes with me. A
couple weeks later, I was scrolling on Reddit late at
night some thread about creepyper life encounters. Someone mentioned a
guy at Walmart at two am, tall, clean clothes, no cart,
(15:28):
always smiling. They described the exact same smile. Someone else
chimed in and had almost the same exact story from
a different state. The one similarity that was always the
same was the words you drop something. I don't know.
It can't be the same guy, but it's just creepy
(15:49):
and I don't think I'll be going to Walmart late
at night anymore. This happened about two years ago, and
I still think about it. It was a Wednesday afternoon
in May. I was at a large outdoor mall in Columbus, Ohio,
(16:10):
planning to do a little shopping before heading to work
near by. At two p m. I parked on the
first floor of the parking garage, just a row across
from the main entrance to the indoor section of the
mall near the back. As soon as I parked, I
made eye contact with this guy walking down the next
row over. I was twenty six at the time, and
(16:32):
he looked at me about my age, maybe a little younger.
He suddenly turned and started walking towards me. I immediately
looked down and began gathering my things, hoping you just
passed by. But then knock, knock, he tapped on my window.
I can't remember if my window was already half way
(16:53):
down or if I rolled it down more, but it
was partially open. He asked me if I knew where
the nearest rest was. I told him that there was
one just inside the mall entrance, literally right across from us.
He said he didn't know where that was and asked
if I would show him. I pointed and said, just
(17:13):
walk down this row and go through those doors. The
signs right there. He didn't budge. He just stood there
staring at me through the window like he was waiting
for something. The silence stretched, and I realized he was
expecting me to physically get out and lead him there.
When it became clear I wasn't going to move, he
(17:34):
suddenly asked, can I hop in your back seat? Real quick?
My confusion turned to fool and panic. I froze. I
don't even remember what I said, if anything. Things started
doubling down. He asked again to get in the back seat,
and then said, do you want to hook up in
the back I was in total shock, and for some reason,
(17:57):
probably out of nervous politeness, I just blurted out no,
thank you, I have a boyfriend. I'm sorry. He smiled
and said that's okay. I have a girlfriend. I love her.
The conversation kept going like that, me awkwardly apologizing, saying
I needed to leave to get to work, while he
(18:17):
kept texting on his phone between sentences, barely acknowledging my words.
I was terrified to make a sudden move, afraid that
locking my door might trigger him to do something worse.
I didn't know if he was alone, I didn't know
if someone else was watching. My brain was screaming, don't
escalate it. Eventually, I worked up enough courage to start
(18:40):
a car. I put it in reverse and peeled out
of there as fast as I could. I drove a
few blocks away to my job, rushed inside, and immediately
called MOL security. I have no idea what his intentions were.
Maybe he generally wanted to hook up, which what who
approaches someone in a parked car like that? Maybe it
(19:04):
was bait for something worse, robbery, trafficking, or who knows what.
He looked like a totally normal guy until the conversation
took a sharp, creepy turn. What's even more unsettling is
that I was driving a rental car at the time.
My own car had been stolen just three weeks earlier.
I'm so thankful we didn't see what I usually drive,
(19:26):
in case he caught the plate maker model to find
me later. This whole encounter still gives me chills. What
do you think his deal was? Has anything like this
ever happened to you? I sold the socks off my
(19:48):
feet for ten dollars. Yep, someone literally bought the socks
off my feet at the grocery store. For quick context,
I'm a thirty year old woman living in Midwest. I
say this happened a week ago at my local grocery store.
I was doing a quick run for a few things
and noticed the man near me in the dairy section
(20:09):
giving me that look, you know, that one just a
little too much eye contact. I gave him a polite
smile and kept moving. After checking out, I'm bagging my groceries,
I headed to my car. I started loading things in
my trunk when I suddenly noticed the same man pulling
up behind my vehicle. He gets out and says, hey,
(20:33):
I have a question for you. Thinking nothing much of it,
I said, sure, what's up? Can I buy your socks?
I blinked? Sorry? What? He repeats? Can I buy your socks?
I'll give you ten dollars for the socks on your feet.
At this point, I'm just standing there, like, did I
(20:55):
hear that? Right, So I asked why. He shrugs and says,
you know, it's kind of my thing, like a foot
finished thing. He nods, yeah, something like that. Now, as
this incredibly bizarre conversation is happening, he has his car
(21:15):
positioned in a way that blocks my end and starts
reaching into his inner jacket pocket. Now listen, I'm a woman,
I'm always aware of my surroundings. In the second he
started to reach into his coat, my brain went full
of deaf con one. I'm thinking he's about to pull
something out, and I'm about to be unalive over a
(21:36):
pair of target ankle socks. So I say, hold on,
let me just put my cart back. I used my
walk to try to calm down and gather my thoughts,
but when I got back to my car, he had
gotten out of his vehicle and was now standing right
next to the driver's side. Panic mode activated. At this point,
(21:57):
I was full on fight, flight or free, and I froze.
I sat down in my driver's seat with a door
still open, and with shaky hands, I peeled off my
socks and handed it to him. He smiled, took the
socks and said, thank you. You're beautiful. Your feet are
so pretty. Then he handed me a crumpled up ten
(22:19):
dollars bill. I walked back to his car, and just
like that, he drove away. Let me tell you, this
is by far the creepiest, weirdest, and most unsettling thing
that's ever happened to me. And yeah, I haven't worn
socks in public since. So what do you think? What
would you have done in this situation? This happened recently,
(22:49):
and I'm still a little shaken up. I'm a nineteen
year old woman and I was shopping alone at my
local Walmart late in the afternoon. I only needed a
few things, so I grabbed a car and headed straight
to the home and pharmacy section. I stopped in the
aisle with the protein bars to look for something specific,
(23:10):
parking my car to the side. The store wasn't crowded,
and at that moment, the aisle was completely empty. That's
when a man suddenly approached me from the side and
said something. I had never seen him before. I didn't
see where he came from. He didn't have a car
or any items with him, and he was way taller
(23:31):
than me, which immediately put me on edge. Since I
was alone, I stayed alert and kept my distance. I
didn't catch what he said the first time, so I asked, huh.
He repeated himself and asked if I was from a
certain township, one that's forty five minutes away from where
we were. My gut immediately told me something wasn't right.
(23:56):
I quickly said no and started to walk away, trying
to end the conversation, but then he said, you're very pretty.
At this point, I gave him an awkward smile and
kept moving, clearly uncomfortable and not interested in engaging. But
he kept going and asked, are you single. That's when
(24:17):
I snapped out of any politeness and said firmly not interested,
before walking away as fast as I could. I felt
completely unsettled. Something about the way he approached me, seemingly
out of nowhere, knowing I was alone, asking him if
I was from a random town then immediately complimenting me
(24:38):
set off all of my alarms. He didn't look threatening,
but the situation itself fell off After that. Headed to
the checkout, constantly skinning the area to make sure he
wasn't nearby. I saw him walking down the opposite direction,
which was a huge relief. I got to my car
(24:58):
quickly made sure no one was around and left right away.
Maybe he was harmless, maybe he wasn't, but his behavior,
his body language, and the fact that I was alone
all combined into a huge red flag. I'm really glad
I trusted my instincts. My mom and grandparents lived in
(25:25):
the same small town for years. My grandma was a
physician now retired, and my mom was a child's psychologist.
Since there aren't many stores in the area, they frequented
one in particular, where all of the staff knew them well.
One winter day, my mom went to the store as usual.
(25:48):
While she was picking something off the shelf, a little girl,
maybe eight or ten, came up and stood right next
to her. My mom looked at the girl, expecting her
to say something, but she just stood there silently. My
mom didn't think much of it, picked up her item
and moved to another shelf. A few seconds later, the
(26:09):
same girl followed her and again stood close, pretending to
look at an item, but not speaking. It was odd.
My mom changed aisles again and eventually lost sight of
the girl for a bit. Then she noticed the girl
speaking to one of the saleswomen and pointed in her direction.
(26:29):
My mom still didn't think much of it and went
to the register to pay before she left the store.
The next day, when she came back, one of the
saleswomen approached her and quietly said, Hey, just so you know,
the girl from yesterday wanted us to call the police
because she said you were acting like a pedophile tords her.
(26:49):
Needless to say, my mom was shocked. Luckily, the staff
didn't act on the accusations right away. They knew my
mom and family well and decided to check the security
footage first. On the footage, they saw clearly that the
girl had followed my mom around the store and had
approached her first, not the other way around. When a
(27:13):
staff member confronted the girl, but what she said, she
left quickly. Two men were waiting for her outside. A
few weeks later, my mama saw the same girl again,
this time on our street. She was walking quickly flanked
by two men, one on each side. It was the
(27:34):
middle of the day and our street is usually empty,
so my mom didn't feel safe, but think it was
wise to approach them. She never saw the girl again
after that. When I was four years old, my family
(27:55):
newly arrived from Mexico visited Walmart in South Texas. My parents,
still learning English, asked me to stay with my father
while my mother shopped. As I walked towards him, a
woman in her thirties approached me. She spoke to me
in English, which I didn't fully understand at the time,
and suggested we find my parents together. Confused in trusting,
(28:19):
I followed her to her car and we drove away. Meanwhile,
my father searched the store frantically, starting in the hot
wheels aisle, but he couldn't find me. Panic set in
and he alerted others, and soon an amberlert was issued.
After two days, the woman was apprehended when authorities traced
(28:39):
her vehicle's license plate. It was later revealed that she
was mentally ill. This incident occurred in twenty fourteen, and
although I was young, I still vividly remember her face.
It taught me that not all kidnappers fit the stereotypical image.
Some appear ordinary, blending into every day live
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