I'm really not scary.

[BuggedMei]

I ran out in a hurry to the nearest bookstore to pick up the next book (or three..) in the series I was reading. I get to the manga section of the store, find my book, and oooh 40k books..

I'm browsing. The book store has maybe... 3-4 other customers in it. I hear a crash coming from nearby and look up from my geekyness to see a little girl, maybe 8-10, who knocked down a display and was having a hard time getting it back up. I walk over and ask if I could help her out. She looks up at me and RUNS. I shrug and go back to my books. A few minutes later, I hear "Her mommy! Shes scary!"

Enter Insane Mother.

IM: WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY DAUGHTER.
Me: Huh? Nothing o.o I offered to help her fix the display she bumped into.
IM: SHE SAYS YOU SCARED HER WHAT DID YOU DO.
Me: Nothing lady, go away.
IM: I AM GETTING THE POLICE AND THEY WILL TAKE CARE OF SCUM LIKE YOU.

and she stormed off. Now, I looked a little... frazzled, perhaps? My hair was kind of messy, but otherwise I look like I do everyday. Teeshirt, jeans, trench. I wear this same combo to work... at a daycare center. I'm not all that scary looking. As I'm on my knees looking at some 40k WW2-type book, I hear IM screeching nearby. A rather meek employee approaches me.

E: Uh.. uhm.... ma'mn.. did you...
Me: I didn't do anything to the kid. She knocked something over, I asked if she needed help putting it back.
E: Oh.. uhh.. can you... uhm... leave then... so she calms down...
Me: Fine, whatever.
E: Thank you.

I walk up to the register to pay for the books I want and I overhear IM calming down her kid, to the tune of "There the scary lady is going away, she can't hurt you". In my own little self-sighting, IM was hugging her kid and she was facing me. I flashed her the sweetest, biggest smile I could muster. The kid shrieked.

I'm mad they asked me to leave, I'm more pissed I can't remember the name of that 40k book.

[TelephoneAngel]

I would have refused to leave, not having done anything, and called her bluff "ok, call the police then and they can ask the little girl exactly what happened".

If the mother and child lie about you after that, sue for defamation.

[gaspode]

Oooh do you want to come round and stare at my youngest,he is being a pain in the arse,it might shut him up for a while.

[Sunsetsky]

I flashed her the sweetest, biggest smile I could muster. The kid shrieked.

Good. I would've done the exact same thing. The store had no right to throw you out. Are you going to complain to a manager?

[Andara Bledin]

From the OP, I don't think the store threw her out so much as just requested that she leave for a bit so that the girl and her sucky parent would chill out and also leave.

^-.-^

[MaggieTheCat]

I would have at least refused to buy whatever I'd gone in there for in the first place after being asked to leave. What a bunch of garbage.

[LillFilly]

Wow. You should not have had to, or been asked to, leave. I feel bad for the employee being bullied into doing so; unfortunate that in most places you can be asked to leave for no reason. I think the girl was afraid she would get in trouble by her mother for knocking-down the display and made-up a cover story.

Wonder if the store had cameras, cause that whole situation stinks.

[Red_Dazes]

Quite honestly I'm glad you were the bigger person and just left.

I would not have had that much strength... I would have flat out refused to leave. But I'm a horrible person and wouldn't have offered to help the kid out in the first place....soooooooooo

[bainsidhe]

I think you made the right choice, whether or not you agree with it. The store was in an awkward position, with a frantic child, pissed off mother and an innocent bystander being the cause, through no fault of your own. Removing yourself from the equation was the simplest and quickest way to defuse the situation. Major kudos to you for taking the high road.

I doubt I would've reacted so well, and would probably demand sucky mom call the cops right then and there to pull the security tapes. Perhaps the kid was faking or perhaps you surprised her and honestly freaked her out. Nevertheless, the mother was overreacting and should be ashamed.

[Plaidman]

Its bullshit. You were trying to be nice and a decent human being and they for all purposes, kicked out a paying customer, rather then the destructive customer.

I bet you five buck that mother demanded her childs books be free for the terror she had to do deal with. And her child's therpy bills.

I mean I can kinda see it. Obviously that mother doesnt belive in niceness. Since you were nice to daughter, that had to be a very foriegn and shocking experence for such a young child.

[lupo pazzesco]

Its bullshit. You were trying to be nice and a decent human being and they for all purposes, kicked out a paying customer, rather then the destructive customer.

I bet you five buck that mother demanded her childs books be free for the terror she had to do deal with. And her child's therpy bills.

I mean I can kinda see it. Obviously that mother doesnt belive in niceness. Since you were nice to daughter, that had to be a very foriegn and shocking experence for such a young child.

Nail on head for all of the above.

Nothing left for me to say!

[RayvenQ]

and oooh 40k books..

Tell me what it was about, the picture on the front or even what colour the cover was and I could probably tell you

As I'm on my knees looking at some 40k WW2-type book

Off the Top of my head: Gaunts Ghosts, Cadian Blood, 15 Hours, Ciaphas Cain, Gunheads, Ice Guard, Imperial Guard Omnibus Volume 1

[Geek King]

Honestly, I don't think the kid was nearly as scared as she made out. The kid got caught doing something she was afraid would get her in trouble, and performed in a manner that has worked for her in the past. Mom's reaction make me believe she has blinders on when it comes to her kid, and that this wasn't the first time something like this has happened. Some kids can be really manipulative if they find a trick that works consistantly, and I think this child has found hers.

Just my two bits, I could be wrong.

[Daskinor]

I had that happen to me once in a book store.

I am freakishly tall and look like I can tear the door off a Volvo. So I was on my knees seeing if the book store had the newest Yotsuba Manga (I know, I am a such a tough guy.) Anyhow this girl like maybe 8 or 9 comes up and looks at a random manga. I stand up, she turns to see my giant self shrieks and runs off.

I shrug it off and look for the next Kare Kano manga I have not read yet. Since I could not remember what number I left off on I had to flip through a few. Few minutes later the manager comes up, asks what happened. I told him the girl came over when I was kneeling looking at the managa on the lower shelves and must of not expected me to be so large when I stood up.

He shrugged and walled off.

[mariamousie1]

I would have purposely stayed, just because I had done nothing to warrant my asking to leave. Maybe not as mature, but I wouldn't have minded talking to the police and working everything out that way, rather than just take the blame. I wonder what freaked the girl out so much?