New Concept: Personal Space

[EvilEmpryss]

SH: Space Hog
Me: You guessed it!

Went to a used book/video store the other day. One long counter has four registers at it, spaced about five feet apart. Only two registers are open: number 2 and 5 (meaning that there is about fifteen feet between the open registers). I'm at register 2, buying a few old Sherlock Holmes DVDs, when up walks Space Hog.

He has nothing in his hands to buy, but he's taking a serious interest in the movies I'm buying. He stands *right*next*to*me*, peering over my shoulder as I try to bring my purse up to get my money out. I'm not kidding: this guy was a hair's breadth from leaning on my shoulder.

Me: Excuse me, you're invading my personal space. Please move away.
SH: Huh? {stupid look} Yeah, okay. {doesn't move a centimeter}
Me: {more forcefully} I mean it. You're too close, and you're making me uncomfortable.
SH: {another stupid look} Huh? I said okay already. {still doesn't move}
Me: {finally having enough of his rudeness and regretting that I left the house without my service dog, I use my drill instructor/annoyed mother voice} Move away from me right now! You are too close and I don't like it!
SH: {giving me a shocked look, he finally shuffles a few steps away} I said okay. Hey, you gonna buy those Holmes movies?

SH then proceeds to explain to me and the cashier that Holmes is his favorite detective and I should let him buy the videos. All this while the cashier is ringing up my purchase and I'm pulling out my credit card. Thankfully, she finally has enough of SH as well, and informs him in a firm tone that videos are sold on a first-come, first-served basis, and if he wants Holmes movies, he'll have to check the stock another day to see if anyone else brings any in for trade. She then lets him know that if he continues to annoy me she'll have him kicked out of the store. By the time I was done with my purchase, he had gotten the hint and wandered off to browse the music section. He still kept shooting me sour looks, though, like I was buying the movies *just* to hurt his feelings and keep him from completing his Holmes collection.

So, while I was annoyed by SH, I was also grateful to the cashier for standing up to a sucky customer and protecting me.

[Green_Fairy]

sounds creepy! looks to me like you should bring your pooch with you next time you go to the store. if the creepy dude knows you shop there...he might stick around. taken an interest in you...eep.

[HorrorFrogPrincess]

Creepy dude!

...which Holmes movies didja get?

[Sheldonrs]

Wasn't this exactly like the plot of one of the Holmes stories?

I think the title was "Sherlock Holmes and the Fucking Moron".

[elsporko]

Sounds to me like the guy isn't all there mentally, which would explain his inability to understand personal space and the fact that somebody else would buy what he wants and not give it to him.

[cactus]

I don't know, but I'm only that dense when I'm asleep and (because I snore) husband tells me to "turn over to the side, please"
"ok" *does not move*
"Cactus, you are snoring, can you please turn to your side?"
"Yeah...yeah..ok" *still not moving*
"Cactus, turn around!!!"
"AGH, why are you bugging me?!" *turns around*

So.. I vote that he was really dense. Sorry he creeped you out like that

[EvilEmpryss]

Sounds to me like the guy isn't all there mentally, which would explain his inability to understand personal space and the fact that somebody else would buy what he wants and not give it to him.

My hubby's a psych grad student (almost done, yay!) so I'm pretty familiar with the "look" of many mental disabilities (yes, I know that not all of them have obvious outward physical signs, but those that don't tend to have behavioral patterns one can pick up on like eye contact or speech patterns). At first I thought that might be the case, but the longer he hovered, the more I got the feeling that he was trying to intimidate me into letting him have the movies... more subtle bullying than mental condition.

But hey, for all I know he has Aspergers.

[elsporko]

I was actually thinking of Aspergers when I said that, but I don't know enough about mental problems that I would want to throw out suggestions.

[AnaKhouri]

When people crowd me when I am in line (usually at the grocery store), I usually 'accidentally' back up a bit and elbow them or tread on their toes. "Oops! I'm so sorry, I had no idea you were so close."

[Aisling]

Ah yes, my husband and I have that conversation. Every night. He's the snorer. I'm the one begging him to just.. please.. roll.. over.. now. Roll over now. RIGHT NOW!

My fiance snores. He's also ticklish.

He moves REAL fast when I want him to.

[scruff]

Ah yes, my husband and I have that conversation. Every night. He's the snorer. I'm the one begging him to just.. please.. roll.. over.. now. Roll over now. RIGHT NOW!

I've heard that sewing a marble into the pyjama waistband helps, makes it too uncomfortablee to sleep on yer back.

[Mr Hero]

SH: Hey, you gonna buy those Holmes movies?

Well no shit, Shirlock.

[elsporko]

I have a similiar conversation with my fiance, but its when I get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and come back to find she has claimed my side of the bed for herself.

[spookysonata]

Ah yes, my husband and I have that conversation. Every night. He's the snorer. I'm the one begging him to just.. please.. roll.. over.. now. Roll over now. RIGHT NOW!

I'm the snorer, and my husband has learned to wake me up to tell me to roll over, otherwise I won't move. In the morning, I never remember a thing.

[AriRashkae]

My husband loves to tell me about the time he was trying to roll me a bit because my elbow was digging into his side. We were jammed onto a tiny bed at my best friend's overnight.

Apparently, I took exception to this and told him, "I was asleep!" The fun is that it was a good, "There is no Dana. Only Zuul," impression.