Walmart Parking lot incident

I had to go shopping at a Wal-Mart earlier this morning. When I was walking back to my car I noticed a black male riding his biking in the parking lot wearing dress clothes. I thought this was odd so I kept notice of him. As I got towards my car he came down the lane and got off his bike a few feet away from me. Again we are in a near deserted parking lot at around 7:00 AM so I immediately put my hand into my pocket for my CC piece and faced him. I also kept the shopping cart in between us. He started stuttering and asked me if I used to work at Mcdonalds. I told him no, I don't know you. He then offered a hand shake and I again firmly told him no, I don't know you while keeping my hand in my pocket. He got on his bike and disappeared, no more laps.

Because he was so well dressed at first I thought he might be some idiot working for Walmart security or a manager. He spoke like he was retarded, but if he was a robber this could have been part of his ploy. I don't think that someone so retarded that they approach people quickly in deserted parking lots would have a very long life expectancy. I can think of 100 reasons not to shake a stranger's hand in a deserted parking lot. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. Maybe it was nothing; maybe I avoided a robbery. I really can't say. BTW I wasn't open carrying because I had to also go somewhere else that doesn't allow carrying and I didn't want to be wearing a empty holster.

Sounds like good tactics to me keeping the shopping cart in-between you refusing to shake hands.

Acting friendly and like they know you is a good trick to get enclose and drop your guard.

What is 'dress clothes'? Did you inform the authorities, Walmart security, someone?

Glad you defused it.

Maverick9 said:

What is 'dress clothes'? Did you inform the authorities, Walmart security, someone?

Glad you defused it.

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Dress clothes means dress pants and a long sleeved dress shirt. Basically a suit without the jacket and tie.

My experience with the authorities from having spent years as a pizza driver which included a handful of attempted robberies is that unless they catch the guy there at the scene with a gun nothing is done, there is no follow up, no canvasing with posters like on TV, nothing.

The handshake "ploy" is used because the great majority are right handed. They have your "strong hand" in theirs, and it takes you by surprise. They can then use the left with a weapon to pretty much assualt the crap out of you and take your wallet, belongings, and be on their way. Mostly deserted lot...Adds to the chance of not being seen/caught..
Good S/A....Glad it worked out for you. I never shake, or get near a total stranger in public. I'm super nice, and polite, but no touchy feely, and no "personal bubble bursting"....

Firearms Iinstuctor said:

Sounds like good tactics to me keeping the shopping cart in-between you refusing to shake hands.

Acting friendly and like they know you is a good trick to get enclose and drop your guard.

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"Enclose"? How about "in close"?

And, contrary to your signature I think that your spelling errors are because of a lack of attention/education, and not on purpose.

Mongoose72 said:

.......unless they catch the guy there at the scene with a gun nothing is done, there is no follow up, no canvasing with posters like on TV, nothing.

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Part of getting something done is to file a police report. You have the right to file a report and, at the least, begin a record of event. If this happens again, and it may, the LEOs have a prior report as a base. Another part of getting something done is to actually DO something. Citizenship is a Verb, exercise your Citizenship and file a report.

@ Mongoose - glad it all worked out. Assuming the worst was at play here, had you been OCing he most likely would have never approached you. On the other hand if he was disabled mentally he may of and may have asked questions. The funny thing is your CC pistol seemed put you more on edge vs if you could have just laid your forearm/wrist/hand across the top of your OC holster.

I have to go to no carry zones daily - huge pain in the arse, but once practiced I can lock stow pistols quickly and clip holster on much faster than putzing with CC holsters, I find.

MSG Laigaie said:

Part of getting something done is to file a police report. You have the right to file a report and, at the least, begin a record of event. If this happens again, and it may, the LEOs have a prior report as a base. Another part of getting something done is to actually DO something. Citizenship is a Verb, exercise your Citizenship and file a report.

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Agree!

Why you dont bother

MSG Laigaie said:

Part of getting something done is to file a police report. You have the right to file a report and, at the least, begin a record of event. If this happens again, and it may, the LEOs have a prior report as a base. Another part of getting something done is to actually DO something. Citizenship is a Verb, exercise your Citizenship and file a report.

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Let me give you just one story about why I do not deal with the police unless there is no other option. Years ago I was delivering for Dominos when a drunk guy started an argument over the new delivery fee. I went back to my car as I saw him pointing something at me out of the corner of my eye, looked like a riffle or shot gun. I got in my car fast and left fast. I cant say 100% what the object was. My manager meanwhile was threatened by this guy that he was going to come down there and shoot us both. Granted this occurred in Maryland where we have no rights of self defense.

My manager calls the police. Instead of going there and arresting the guy they send 1 officer to our store. He calls the guy up who of course denies everything. Originally the officer said he was going to go and arrest him. Then once he talked to him he said the guy sounded crazy, that he needed back up. Finally he became so scared that he simply tried calming the guy down by giving him my name and my managers name. He proceeded the next day to call the head office 20 times trying to get me and my manager fired. My manger had a very unusual name and the guy could have easily tracked him down and followed through with his threats.

It actually wound up causing us major problems at our job, I wound up having to quit.
There is more to the story but I am tired of typing. I have 100 similar stories. Unfortunately I live in the real world where such absurdities as this are the norm and not the exception.

Mongoose72 said:

Let me give you just one story about why I do not deal with the police unless there is no other option. Years ago I was delivering for Dominos when a drunk guy started an argument over the new delivery fee. I went back to my car as I saw him pointing something at me out of the corner of my eye, looked like a riffle or shot gun. I got in my car fast and left fast. I cant say 100% what the object was. My manager meanwhile was threatened by this guy that he was going to come down there and shoot us both. Granted this occurred in Maryland where we have no rights of self defense.

My manager calls the police. Instead of going there and arresting the guy they send 1 officer to our store. He calls the guy up who of course denies everything. Originally the officer said he was going to go and arrest him. Then once he talked to him he said the guy sounded crazy, that he needed back up. Finally he became so scared that he simply tried calming the guy down by giving him my name and my managers name. He proceeded the next day to call the head office 20 times trying to get me and my manager fired. My manger had a very unusual name and the guy could have easily tracked him down and followed through with his threats.

It actually wound up causing us major problems at our job, I wound up having to quit.
There is more to the story but I am tired of typing. I have 100 similar stories. Unfortunately I live in the real world where such absurdities as this are the norm and not the exception.

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Another successful interaction with law enforcement !

used to be a black gentleman that rode around our town on a bike. always dressed in a suit, with tie. also carried a broom on the bike. he would stop and sweep peoples entrance way. never took any money for it.

he was a lay preacher, and he drove a car for one of the town's upper crust old lady's. a bit like Miss Daisy.

he would take you aback with his forwardness, but there's a lot of people like that in this town.

as he got older, people took up a collection for him and bought him a car. he died two years later

but to let you know you did everything right, and you did no one any harm. if he was a good guy he got over it, if he had been a BG, then tough

I didn't see anyone mention it so I thought I would. Good situational awareness and all like has already been said. You said the parking lot was mostly empty and you have already checked/though of this, but...

I've read of cases like this used as a distraction technique to allow someone else to come up behind you. That obviously didn't happen to you here, but it's a good thing to be mindful of.

Glad things went well otherwise.

isnt it always walmart

Mongoose72 said:

I had to go shopping at a Wal-Mart earlier this morning. When I was walking back to my car I noticed a black male riding his biking in the parking lot wearing dress clothes. I thought this was odd so I kept notice of him. As I got towards my car he came down the lane and got off his bike a few feet away from me. Again we are in a near deserted parking lot at around 7:00 AM so I immediately put my hand into my pocket for my CC piece and faced him. I also kept the shopping cart in between us. He started stuttering and asked me if I used to work at Mcdonalds. I told him no, I don't know you. He then offered a hand shake and I again firmly told him no, I don't know you while keeping my hand in my pocket. He got on his bike and disappeared, no more laps.

Because he was so well dressed at first I thought he might be some idiot working for Walmart security or a manager. He spoke like he was retarded, but if he was a robber this could have been part of his ploy. I don't think that someone so retarded that they approach people quickly in deserted parking lots would have a very long life expectancy. I can think of 100 reasons not to shake a stranger's hand in a deserted parking lot. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. Maybe it was nothing; maybe I avoided a robbery. I really can't say. BTW I wasn't open carrying because I had to also go somewhere else that doesn't allow carrying and I didn't want to be wearing a empty holster.

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which walmart since my family practically lives at walmart? just as a heads up...thanks

thedevilrobyjohn said:

which walmart since my family practically lives at walmart? just as a heads up...thanks

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Walmart
657 Phoenix Dr
Virginia Beach
(757) 498-9633

I just was put on hold several times trying to reach a manager to no avail. Finally I just spoke to the loss prevention supervisor who said that she would review the tapes but "wasn't allowed" to tell me anything over the phone. I told her that I was posting about the incident on the internet as some of the local people would like to know if they have something to be on the look out for at that location. She said that they had had no complaints about anyone hanging around the parking lot. She sounded like she was on a speaker phone during the call, or it could just be that she was in a small office.

I told her that there was 3 possibilities:
1. A criminal trying to rob people.
2. A harmless local retarded guy.
3. A stupid employee. When I checked through the self check out the cashier had to keep doing overrides as the "unexpected item in bagging area alert kept coming on". Happens every time I use Walmart self check out. Bjs has a much better system. Anyhow I am still open to the idea that the guy could have been an employee due to the way he was dressed but she assured me that they would never confront someone out in the parking lot like that.

Anyhow, is this about par for the course as far as walmart interactions?
Maybe someone else will be more effective at actually speaking to a manager there to get to the bottom of this?

Sounds very similar to my incident while trying to pump gas.

I say you did the right thing (though the nice person in us feels bad for blowing someone's potentially friendly gesture off). You are alive to post about it so you did all right in my book.

Strange people at Walmart? Whaaat?

I thought that they were all strange, making it the new norm.

Really, getting addressed by someone strange at Walmart is just part of the Walmart experience.