A panhandler followed me through a store, into the parking lot, and a few places after that...

I was at TJ Maxx yesterday picking up some things I’d been putting off getting since lockdown started. <br><br>I had just walked in, and was standing by the clothes racks, looking through some shirts. I ended up grabbing two for my kids, and was about to move on to the next section when I noticed a guy sitting on the floor in the corner. He was wearing a dirty baseball cap and a hoodie, and his face looked like it hadn’t been washed in days. <br><br>He was sitting with his back against the wall, and was staring directly at me. I thought my dad was standing behind me or something, because why else would this guy be looking at me like that? I turned to see that he was either extremely high or drunk. <br><br>I moved on to the next section. As I got to the other side of the rack, there he was. He was still watching me. I felt uneasy and wanted to leave. My budget doesn’t take me to this kind of store often, so I was looking forward to getting a few things. I didn’t want to leave empty-handed. <br><br>There was a lady standing next to me, and I said, “is this guy okay?”<br><br>She looked at him, then back at me. I could see the look of disgust on her face. She leaned in and whispered, “I don’t think he’s okay.” <br><br>I said, “I’m going to go tell someone.” <br><br>I walked up to an employee and said, “I think there’s a guy in here who doesn’t look right.” <br><br>The dude sort of looked like he was about to dead nap. <br><br>But no. He was still watching me. So, I continued to move on through the store. I moved a little faster than I normally would, but he popped up behind me every time I stopped to look at anything. <br><br>Once I got to the other side of the store, I started to lose him. I felt safe. <br><br>That is until I had to walk back to the first side of the store. Suddenly he was right behind me. I looked back, and the guy I talked to was standing there, looking at him. I felt like I was being rescued. <br><br>The guy started walking towards me and said, “Sir! Do you need help?”<br><br>The panhandler started walking faster towards us. I walked faster. The guy behind me said, “Sir, please stop. You don’t need to harass the shoppers.”<br><br>I started to move faster, and he said, “Sir, please stop. You need to leave.” <br><br>I was almost at the front door when he said, “You need to leave RIGHT NOW.” The guy was getting in his face at this point. The panhandler was trying to push his way through, but I could see him sort of rocking back and forth. He was pissy. <br><br>I walked out of the store, still hearing the guy telling him he needed to go. I walked to the other side of the parking lot. <br><br>But no. He was behind me. I walked faster. I could hear him telling me to stop. Saying “STOP IT.” I pass by a few people, and at least three of them give me that weird look. I told one guy, “this guy followed me from inside the store. I think he’s on something.” <br><br>He looked back at the panhandler and said, “oh shit dude. Run.”<br><br>I picked up my pace. I knew the guy was high and probably not a threat, but at the same time - he was definitely a threat. <br><br>I got to my car and locked the doors. I stayed in my car for at least ten minutes until he wandered off. I called the police and told them what happened, and they said they’d send someone over. <br><br>Panhandler guy, I hope you get the help you need. But you are most definitely on my let’s not meet list.