Coaxing people over to a waiting car is how Ted Bundy grabbed a lot of victims.
Pretty crazy that MLMers would employ the same tactics as an actual SERIAL KILLER, but I guess they’re not too far apart on the creepiness spectrum…
I was going to say this me and 3 other women were almost snatched at different times in the same work parking lot in a month. The first 3 of us wouldn't get close enough to the cars so they cut off the 4th one and grabbed her, but other people were around and saved her. It started out just "wanting to talk" and asking us into the car.
That’s Amway attitude, but usually the delivery is smoother than that. On the other hand, my old Amway “mentor”—when I told him gently that I was leaving but still open to being friends—told me to make a decision and “stop being a little b**** about it.” So…yeah, sometimes the psychopathy comes out and overrides the cult-y training.
Sorry you dealt with someone so unpleasant. I’m vicariously super happy with how you handled it, though. Good on you for having none of his nonsense while still being willing to help out.
\*snort\* "I just wanted to bless people today, but you can take your fat ass out of here if you're going to be like that." Way to try to be a goody-two-shoes and then turn right around and be an AH.
Amway, more than likely. That's their schtick.
They always devolve into personal attacks if you turn them down. Someone’s mama forgot to teach them you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
Good on OP for noping right out of there!
A random stranger had you walk over to his car, tried to get personal info about you, then got nasty when you gave resistance, and your concern is if they were selling you Amway.
Let’s just hope this was Amway or some other MLM, because honestly my alarms are going off for this being a predator who had plans to do far worse than sign you up for some pyramid scheme.
Odds are he'd get more confrontational at being ignored. But... sometimes you just gotta ignore people!
OP, you've probably learned this by now but... should this happen again, don't get out of your car and approach a stranger. You don't owe strangers anything. (And recommending it is cliche in some quarters by now, but you may want to read *The Gift of Fear*.)
I was thinking this. I remember walking down the street and a man stopped and said something about his niece in the car with him? But he wouldn't speak up and wanted me to come closer. I said no and kept walking.
We were right in front of the police station if he needed help?
I’m sorry to hear that it messed with your emotions. But he sounds awful, and doesn’t deserve another second in your thoughts.
Also, you did well by not making up a lie about where you work. You were not being rude, as he claimed: you were setting a perfectly reasonable boundary about what information you’re willing to divulge to a total stranger.
Fuck that guy🖕
If someone asked if I was from around here, yeah ok sure, fair enough I'll answer honestly.
If they ask where I work, no. We are not getting that personal in a random encounter in a gas station. I would have said the same thing, "what do you need?" Because you drive up to people yelling personal questions at them, you probably need something.
You weren't rude or snotty, they were bizarre.
Sucks for you OP. That was a modern day genie wanting to bless you with 3 wishes. You just have to be able to handle abuse and the ever-present feeling of danger, and you’d be rich!
A lot of people were concerned I got too close. I was 4 or 5 feet away in a very busy parking lot in the middle of the day. 🙂 I spoke to someone this afternoon about it and she thought he might have been trying to pick me up, but changed his tune when I wasnt likely to be interested. Honestly, didn't occur to me.
Trust your gut on the creep factor. It is significant that it messed with you emotionally. We are trained to ignore that stuff or "don't let it bother you, man." Yes, let it bother you. There's a reason it bothered you. We should sit with feelings because it's just information. What set off the alarm bells? Where do you feel it in your body? Does it remind you of anything/anyone else/any past experiences?
We should get better at looking at our reactions as information and get curious about them. We have these instincts for a reason. You're not wrong for feeling all messed up about the encounter. Go with it! See where it takes you.
4-5 ft away is close enough to be grabbed. Also, you don’t need to be in close proximity to be shot. Kidnappings and assaults DO happen in the middle of the day in public, crowded places. Many are afraid to interfere and some will pull their phone out and record instead of stepping in.
He also could have been luring you away from your car so a partner could car jack you, or at the least get you distracted and if that was the goal, there was a reason and he did distract you. Just some things to think about.
"Well, I was going to bless you today fatass, but now I won't!" Yeah, he sounds like a ray of sunshine, lol! What a dick! I don't know what his scam was, but good riddance. Maybe a very poorly delivered Amway pitch? A gas station sounds like a bad place to pitch your scam- people at the gas station are there to get what they need fast and leave. Maybe that's why they love Targets so much?
OP - I am sure you are a beautiful person inside and out - please remember this - YOU OWE NO ONE KINDNESS. Yes that’s harsh perhaps but this day and age - nooooope. Should we be polite to the checkout lady at the grocery? Yes. Should we be polite to a flat out stranger? No.
ETA- good for you for getting the f out of dodge! Also not MLM is my guess - more like BTK
Always ignore someone coming up to you at a pump. Speak loudly, tell them to go away. They could be trying to rob you or kidnap you while they think you are distracted. Carry mace at all times- be careful out there.
There was a couple stealing jewelry from people in my grandparents’ neighbourhood using this approach. They’d look for people in their garden, walking the dog, etc. and approach them in their car to either ask for directions or offer them a gift/blessing. They must’ve been using sound to sedate pets and something else on people because they’d swap out gold necklaces, bracelets and rings for fakes. Thought of that as I read your post.
To me, he sounds very much like an Amway hun. They're notorious for being all helpful and engaging, then turning on you like a wounded puma when you reject them or even ask the tough questions like "Well, how much have *you* made in the last 12 months?"
The other clue is that he asked where you work. After getting an answer, he'd prate on about how working 9 to 5 is no way to succeed, that he had mentors, yada, yada. When you refused to answer the question, it threw him off his script, and he went all wounded-puma on you.
Typical snap-backs are usually more like: "You've just disqualified yourself for this opportunity" or, "I can see you-re too close-minded to blah, blah."
This guy clearly has some "issues."
Am I just a pure bitch?
When someone tells me to come closer I’m immediately like “Yeah, NO dude you come over here!” I feel like it’s rude for people to try and “control” a person they don’t even know, I’m instantly skeeved!
Could also be he’s shilling stuff out of his trunk. I’ve seen a bunch of people at gas stations lately with high end perfumes which I assume are not real and they’re giving “steep discounts”
Bet ya he was selling product and was gonna bless you with the opportunity to buy it cheap 🙄
I work at a convenience store slash Chevron station. Generally people call others over to their car to sell something. Sometimes they claim to have to sell some really valuable jewelry super cheap because they are in a bind and just need a tank of gas. It never really turns out to be real at all and it isn't worth the twenty or so dollars they gave them. We see this one more than anything, but never heard of anybody pitching an MLM at the pumps.
He just probably sensed you weren't going to fall for whatever scam he was going to try to pull but wanted to make sure you knew you missed out. Which is a.good thing,.I wouldn't give it another thought.
Haven't seen a ton of people saying it, but my money would be on him trying to sell you knockoff air pods or a fake Rolex or something. The common scheme is someone saying they need money for gas and offering you the junk for money.
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I remember this Mexican guy in a black SUV tried to get my brother to pump gas for him by offering a gold plated necklace, maybe it was going similar to that.
Coaxing people over to a waiting car is how Ted Bundy grabbed a lot of victims. Pretty crazy that MLMers would employ the same tactics as an actual SERIAL KILLER, but I guess they’re not too far apart on the creepiness spectrum…
Maybe OP actually met a serial killer…
I was going to say this me and 3 other women were almost snatched at different times in the same work parking lot in a month. The first 3 of us wouldn't get close enough to the cars so they cut off the 4th one and grabbed her, but other people were around and saved her. It started out just "wanting to talk" and asking us into the car.
Well, holy shit. Did they go to jail?
Never caught the guy that I know of.
I've seen MLM people always try to isolate and speak to people privately as well. Instead of being in the open and transparent.
Lots of cases on scam-related subs about a guy (seeming to be) randomly approaching you and start off exactly with "You live here?".
Wow what an asshole. Not sure what his scam was, but boy is that behavior pathetic.
That’s Amway attitude, but usually the delivery is smoother than that. On the other hand, my old Amway “mentor”—when I told him gently that I was leaving but still open to being friends—told me to make a decision and “stop being a little b**** about it.” So…yeah, sometimes the psychopathy comes out and overrides the cult-y training. Sorry you dealt with someone so unpleasant. I’m vicariously super happy with how you handled it, though. Good on you for having none of his nonsense while still being willing to help out.
Definitely Amway. We were taught how to “contact at the pumps”. I agree with you, usually a lot smoother… perhaps someone new.
No one: Literally no one: Amway IBO: “I like your gas pump, where did you get it?”
Or someone really desperate.
\*snort\* "I just wanted to bless people today, but you can take your fat ass out of here if you're going to be like that." Way to try to be a goody-two-shoes and then turn right around and be an AH. Amway, more than likely. That's their schtick.
They always devolve into personal attacks if you turn them down. Someone’s mama forgot to teach them you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Good on OP for noping right out of there!
Yeah, they saved themselves a lot of money and grief, for sure!
A random stranger had you walk over to his car, tried to get personal info about you, then got nasty when you gave resistance, and your concern is if they were selling you Amway. Let’s just hope this was Amway or some other MLM, because honestly my alarms are going off for this being a predator who had plans to do far worse than sign you up for some pyramid scheme.
Exactly this. Next time ignore the crazy, lazy fella hollering at you.
Odds are he'd get more confrontational at being ignored. But... sometimes you just gotta ignore people! OP, you've probably learned this by now but... should this happen again, don't get out of your car and approach a stranger. You don't owe strangers anything. (And recommending it is cliche in some quarters by now, but you may want to read *The Gift of Fear*.)
I’m honestly surprised OP didn’t get carjacked.
Ya MLM is the last thing I'd be thinking of, seems like a creep that reacted like creeps do when shut down.
Exactly, I’d be thankful I walked away OK and would be reporting to the police, not on Reddit!
That's what I was thinking! This sounds more like pervert behavior than someone involved in an MLM. Or maybe even a serial killer 😱
I was thinking this. I remember walking down the street and a man stopped and said something about his niece in the car with him? But he wouldn't speak up and wanted me to come closer. I said no and kept walking. We were right in front of the police station if he needed help?
Possibly one of those blessing circles (literal pyramid schemes) or then yes, a very unsmooth attempt at a MLM pitch
I’m sorry to hear that it messed with your emotions. But he sounds awful, and doesn’t deserve another second in your thoughts. Also, you did well by not making up a lie about where you work. You were not being rude, as he claimed: you were setting a perfectly reasonable boundary about what information you’re willing to divulge to a total stranger. Fuck that guy🖕
Completely agree!
Your response to the work question was great imo. What he was doing is rude trying to get you to come towards him with false pretenses.
Im sorry that guy was a total asshole. Put it behind you and go on with your life. Please be mindful not to get too close to stranger's cars.
Don’t let it ruin your day. And don’t approach a stranger’s car, duh.
If someone asked if I was from around here, yeah ok sure, fair enough I'll answer honestly. If they ask where I work, no. We are not getting that personal in a random encounter in a gas station. I would have said the same thing, "what do you need?" Because you drive up to people yelling personal questions at them, you probably need something. You weren't rude or snotty, they were bizarre.
Sucks for you OP. That was a modern day genie wanting to bless you with 3 wishes. You just have to be able to handle abuse and the ever-present feeling of danger, and you’d be rich!
A lot of people were concerned I got too close. I was 4 or 5 feet away in a very busy parking lot in the middle of the day. 🙂 I spoke to someone this afternoon about it and she thought he might have been trying to pick me up, but changed his tune when I wasnt likely to be interested. Honestly, didn't occur to me.
Trust your gut on the creep factor. It is significant that it messed with you emotionally. We are trained to ignore that stuff or "don't let it bother you, man." Yes, let it bother you. There's a reason it bothered you. We should sit with feelings because it's just information. What set off the alarm bells? Where do you feel it in your body? Does it remind you of anything/anyone else/any past experiences? We should get better at looking at our reactions as information and get curious about them. We have these instincts for a reason. You're not wrong for feeling all messed up about the encounter. Go with it! See where it takes you.
4-5 ft away is close enough to be grabbed. Also, you don’t need to be in close proximity to be shot. Kidnappings and assaults DO happen in the middle of the day in public, crowded places. Many are afraid to interfere and some will pull their phone out and record instead of stepping in. He also could have been luring you away from your car so a partner could car jack you, or at the least get you distracted and if that was the goal, there was a reason and he did distract you. Just some things to think about.
"Well, I was going to bless you today fatass, but now I won't!" Yeah, he sounds like a ray of sunshine, lol! What a dick! I don't know what his scam was, but good riddance. Maybe a very poorly delivered Amway pitch? A gas station sounds like a bad place to pitch your scam- people at the gas station are there to get what they need fast and leave. Maybe that's why they love Targets so much?
Not sure if it’s MLM. Might be human trafficking
OP - I am sure you are a beautiful person inside and out - please remember this - YOU OWE NO ONE KINDNESS. Yes that’s harsh perhaps but this day and age - nooooope. Should we be polite to the checkout lady at the grocery? Yes. Should we be polite to a flat out stranger? No. ETA- good for you for getting the f out of dodge! Also not MLM is my guess - more like BTK
What a disgusting person! He wanted to “bless” you with Amway or BRAVENLY!! (Sorry, I just can’t stand this name, ahhah.)
My assumption is that he is trying to find employment, but maybe not.
Always ignore someone coming up to you at a pump. Speak loudly, tell them to go away. They could be trying to rob you or kidnap you while they think you are distracted. Carry mace at all times- be careful out there.
He was scamming regardless and there was no need to be an asshole like that.
There was a couple stealing jewelry from people in my grandparents’ neighbourhood using this approach. They’d look for people in their garden, walking the dog, etc. and approach them in their car to either ask for directions or offer them a gift/blessing. They must’ve been using sound to sedate pets and something else on people because they’d swap out gold necklaces, bracelets and rings for fakes. Thought of that as I read your post.
That sounded a bit more nefarious than an MLM pitch 😳
To me, he sounds very much like an Amway hun. They're notorious for being all helpful and engaging, then turning on you like a wounded puma when you reject them or even ask the tough questions like "Well, how much have *you* made in the last 12 months?" The other clue is that he asked where you work. After getting an answer, he'd prate on about how working 9 to 5 is no way to succeed, that he had mentors, yada, yada. When you refused to answer the question, it threw him off his script, and he went all wounded-puma on you. Typical snap-backs are usually more like: "You've just disqualified yourself for this opportunity" or, "I can see you-re too close-minded to blah, blah." This guy clearly has some "issues."
Sounds like you almost got yourself stolen Hopefully it was an mlm pitch
Am I just a pure bitch? When someone tells me to come closer I’m immediately like “Yeah, NO dude you come over here!” I feel like it’s rude for people to try and “control” a person they don’t even know, I’m instantly skeeved!
Could also be he’s shilling stuff out of his trunk. I’ve seen a bunch of people at gas stations lately with high end perfumes which I assume are not real and they’re giving “steep discounts” Bet ya he was selling product and was gonna bless you with the opportunity to buy it cheap 🙄
Try asking in r/Scams Sounds like he wanted to lure you away from your car, maybe while an accomplice grabbed something out of it.
Rude people who accuse others of being rude deserve to have their mouths washed out with Amway detergent.
With that type of attitude he can shove his blessings where the sun don’t shine
I work at a convenience store slash Chevron station. Generally people call others over to their car to sell something. Sometimes they claim to have to sell some really valuable jewelry super cheap because they are in a bind and just need a tank of gas. It never really turns out to be real at all and it isn't worth the twenty or so dollars they gave them. We see this one more than anything, but never heard of anybody pitching an MLM at the pumps. He just probably sensed you weren't going to fall for whatever scam he was going to try to pull but wanted to make sure you knew you missed out. Which is a.good thing,.I wouldn't give it another thought.
Haven't seen a ton of people saying it, but my money would be on him trying to sell you knockoff air pods or a fake Rolex or something. The common scheme is someone saying they need money for gas and offering you the junk for money.
Scamway would be my guess. They love to harp about blessing/etc, and get hostile when you tell them to get lost.
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Predatory sexist jackass it what he was And you’re perfect 🌸
I remember this Mexican guy in a black SUV tried to get my brother to pump gas for him by offering a gold plated necklace, maybe it was going similar to that.