myself with this space thing. I do well when just minding my own business. But once I start conversation I no longer even think about space and get to my comfort space which is like 2-3 ft from a person. I didn't realize that about me, never paid attention. But I get close to people when talking and interacting. So, maybe it just was not a thought for him as he decided he wanted to help you out. That is how I would take it.

Before Covid, I would find myself getting in conversations with just about anybody, about anything. I'm an affectionate person, and I will usually end up shaking hands and sometimes even hugging a complete stranger after a good conversation.

But now, things are strange, and I find myself stepping way away from someone who is conversing with me. It makes me feel bad in a way, like I am shunning them.

I do tend to think you are right that he was trying to help me.

Also, I've been going to the regular dump for years (not the one talked about above). For years, I've unloaded my own stuff, no problem. I'm a big muscular guy, but I'm pushing age 62 and my beard and hair have turned bright white. So as I'm unloading, this 20 something stud who was unloading next to me walked over to me and said "Can I help you with that sir"? I kind of gave him a friendly smile and said something like "WTF dude"! and laughed. He started laughing too and said "I'll leave you to it, have a good day, sir". When I got back in the truck, I though, "Holy shit, I must be an old geezer"! When did that happen?

something heavy. It was a university town with all these college kids getting their food. I cannot tell you how many times these young men would insist lifting these things for me while I am telling them no, it is my job. I don't have the white hair but I do have the wrinkles. I taught my boys to do the same. That is a good thing. Besides, bad back, right? Tis cool.

He could have walked by you empty-handed.

Shopping for a father's day card at CVS, another guy appears in half a minute also wearing a mask, plus keeping distance. We're both on opposites sides of the father's day card section of the rack, which is only a few feet wide. A non-mask wearing woman walking quickly turns into the aisle and abruptly stops, looks us over, then continues to walk right by in front of us. Not buying a card, just going somewhere else.

Odds are nothing happened, but I know what you mean.

Edit: Plus, standing in line separated by tape on the floor to pay for the card, a CVS employee enters the store and goes behind the counter to clock in without a mask.

I would have stripped down completely naked in the card aisle, left my Covid infested clothes in a heap on the CVS floor, walked out of the store butt naked, driven home naked while steering with my elbows in case my hands got the 'Rona from the unmasked woman, ran into my house directly to the bathroom, and taken a 3 hour hot shower to get the freakin' Rona off me.

About twice a week, and old guy, down on his luck, would come in, whip it out, and urinate on the big mirrored column in the candy aisle. I would see him approach from the one way mirror in the office.

I would have to run down and pull him out the back door, while he was urinating on himself.

I never called the police on him. I finally gave him some money to go buy some essentials if he promised never to pee in my store again. He never did again. He was true to his word.

You're a good soul though.

Making a note to avoid the candy aisles in stores.

all kinds of sketchy stuff happened there. We had a security person who dressed as a regular shopper. She caught a very well known doctor's wife with over $1,000 worth of stolen cosmetics in her fake fir coat.

We had to bring her into the office while she emptied her coat of the merchandise.

While the shopper lady and I were watching this, she dropped to her knees and started undoing my belt buckle saying she would do anything if I didn't call the police. Uhhhh...lady...no no no....don't do that please.

As I recall, it was store policy to prosecute if the theft was over a certain dollar amount, so we had to call the police.

she kept saying that her husband would divorce her if he found out that she stole.

That memory pops into my head once in awhile. I always wondered what became of her.

and the jewelry! Tons of high end jewelry! And she smelled like a million bucks...really dressed to the nines.

Kind of a sad story.

One day I was at work........

But it would get me banned from this site.

I worked there with this guy, I'll call him Bobby. The Italian Stallion.

These two women kept coming in the back door.

What time does Bobby get done working?

I'd tell them 9:00.

They went back to their car in the parking lot in back, came back 5 minutes later...is Bobby done working?

No, it's only 830. He's not done until 900.

So I'm up in the office doing paperwork, and I look through the one way mirror, and Bobby is leading these two women by the hand to a door which leads to the breakroom. He buzzes the door open for them, and they disappear behind the door, presumably to go to the breakroom (you had to walk through a stock room, then down some stairs to get to the breakroom). Bobby stayed out on the retail floor, but I'm watching him, and he keeps looking around nervously.

Finally he buzzes himself through the door. I waited about 10 minutes, walked to the door, buzzed my self in, and walked to the breakroom. Bobby and the two women were having a threesome on the breakroom couch.

And how altruistic of you to wait the 10 minutes.

She was a nationally known stripper/exotic performer that was doing a few shows in my town. You can see her if you Google her name.

She came in the store one day looking for some hair coloring.

Back in those days (maybe it's still like this), I think it was the Clairol Hair coloring that came in a glass bottle inside a box.

Ms. Morgan accidentally knocked two or 3 bottles off the shelf. They smashed on the floor making quite a mess.

I was in the vicinity. She became quite upset, almost tearful. I walked up to her and assured her that it was ok, don't worry, it will clean up, etc.

She told me I was sweet and gave me a long hug and a smooch on the lips.

I was overwhelmed with pride. Walked up to each of my co-workers...hey, didja see that...Chesty Morgan kissed me. Uh huh. That's right.

That's the last one I can tell. The other two are pretty bad.

I'm still ruminating on your last story.

Did it specifically say thrones were not allowed in the breakroom? LOL

You put most of my lawyer stories to shame.

Good thing, because now my life is shit hahahahahaha!

I wish i could tell you the last two stories, but I can't, not even in PM...but they would be among the funniest things you ever heard.

I look back at some of this stuff and just shake my head.

But I'm certain YOU have some better stories!

If you can't trust DU'ers, who can you trust?

And what I went through.

The most vivid was a woman who smelled like a brewery passed me in one area, walked up to me in another area with a very expensive robe still on the hanger, telling me she wanted to return it.

I glanced around, saw Security motioning me to do the return. Then they caught her.

Or, raising up to find a teen age boy in a mini skirt and blonde wig wanting to buy pasties to hold his boobs up. Then there was the man who tried on girdles.

I transferred to Cosmetics where I could make some money. Part time job.

I'm a woman, despite my screen name, and currently 71 years old, is that either people cheerfully offer to help me, or I can ask for help and am cheerfully helped. I actually have a bad back from an old injury. It doesn't give me too much trouble, but it means I am not willing to lift anything over about 20 pounds. The older I get, the more willing I am to ask for help.

Oh, and when I can I help others. A while back, in the grocery store, walking down the soft drink aisle, I saw a woman in one of those handicapped carts trying to get a large thing of soft drinks on her cart. She was struggling, so I stopped, helped her, and moved on. She seemed quite astonished. Maybe she was used to people treating her with scorn because she was, quite frankly, obese. Well, even though I'm as capable of being judgemental as most people, at the time I simply saw a woman struggling with getting what she wanted on to her cart. Easy peasy.

because it seems that these days, many (but not all) people just walk on by.

And am older than most. But have to say people are kind to me. I think friendly attitude goes a long way. You can also make a frowning person smile just by a greeting.

I will never understand the mentality of a Donald Trump. It must be hell to be that miserable you have nothing but insults and bragging on yourself.

She was disoriented. She wasn't wearing a mask. Her husband had left her at the store and she was gonna walk home. My friend gave her a ride. She lived almost two miles away and told my friend that she only lived a block away. The woman was a bit disoriented.

An 87 year old woman pleaded with others to wear their masks as she was afraid to go out. At the end she made the mistake of blaming Trump.

I have never seen so many vile posts from Trump supporters insisting they did not need to wear a mask in between vile insults. Several of us stepped in but the hate spewed at that 87 year old woman was awful. She apologized.

Turned out her Son is a Scientist working on a cure for the virus and he had told her not to let her grandson in without a mask.