Needs More Socialization

 I know that a year of isolation has messed with people's ability to be social. There are customers where you can tell that they don't 'get out much' because of how they latch onto you and just want to tell you their whole life story while you're helping them find their specific brand of cat food. 

Of course there's others that seemed to have forgotten their manners during the pandemic. Who are less patient. More quick to anger. And overall difficult. Etc.

Today...I had a customer was that was probably part of the former category. 

My coworker and I were first made aware of this old man's approach by my other manager speaking into our radios.

She was singing the jaws theme. "Dun. dun. Dun. dun. Dun. dun." 

Which of course you automatically look over your shoulder to see just why someone would be singing the jaws theme at you.

And there was this old guy coming at us. Grandpa age. Seemed friendly enough in the face.

But definitely needs a lesson on well...how to socialize with people and what is appropriate to say to workers in a store.

As the first words out of his mouth were "Do you have any pretty girls here?"

Like dude? You're looking right at me and my coworker. We're both girls. Are you trying to get us to admit that we're pretty? Are you trying to be funny? What's with you?

I was like "Well, we're both pretty but I suppose it depends on your aesthetic." 

*shakes head*

Honestly. Men. 

In any case. The dude wanted to know if we had any cats for sell.

Which we had one cat up for adoption but because of the pandemic only the adoption groups can interact with the cats and customers wanting them. So I could show this guy where the kitty was. But I wouldn't be able to open the cage or anything for him to see it closer. Nor would I be able to adopt it to him.

I don't know how clueless this guy is about cats. But considering he didn't know what "Orange Tabby" meant....he's pretty darn clueless.

In any case I led him over to the cats and he proceeded to grill me with dozens of non work related questions. "Are you going to school? Where did you graduate from? Are you single?"

Like dude.  You're two or three times my age. You don't ask a girl like me if I'm single. That's creepy. So creepy. I'm no gold digger and I have no interest in someone like that.

-Honestly I'm glad I was the one to take over this customer as I don't think my other coworker would have liked this sort of attention.

Like. It was general Q&A sort of things questions you could get in normal conversations...if the dude was closer to my age. *shakes head*

but yah. It was the "are you single?" and then a soon follow up statement of "I live alone." that had alarm bells ringing in my head.

Like dude. I can believe that you're probably just lonely and don't talk to a lot of people if you live by yourself and therefore you don't realize that talking to girls at work this way is rather creepy.

but at the same time....yah....it was an awkward conversation. I ended up lying to the dude saying I had a boyfriend just to get him to back off because he seemed rather...intense. 

Again it could just be the "need to talk to someone" vibe that a lot of customers have had over the past year.

At the same time......it's just...weird. Creepy weird. 

I hope he doesn't come back anytime soon.

-Sarnic Dirchi