I'm temporarily interrupting my extended coverage of 'Backroads And Blooms' to vent and rant a bit about a serious pet peeve of mine... I'm talking about the Annoying Hyena 'Picker' Stalkers as I like to call this type of Shopper! I thoroughly Enjoy the Thrill of the Hunt and don't mind Friendly Competition for Found Treasures at all, but there is 'Picker' and Shopping Etiquette that most of us know and Respect. There can be many of us 'Picking' or Shopping at the same Shops and Events without incident because of this mutual Respect. But the person with this type of MO of Shopping or Picking is either completely Clueless about any kind of Etiquette, because either Greed consumes them or perhaps they're simply unable to spot the Good Stuff on their own unless someone else spots it first for them and they then try to steal it or snatch what they can, like a Hyena going after what another Hunter already took down, I dunno? Most people just Tolerate intrusive Scavengers since it is unlikely they will change their Character or lack of it and they are what they are... but Behavior Tolerated is Behavior Accepted... and this is not Acceptable to me when I'm Shopping and suddenly become their Target.
What I do know is that they'll practically Stalk you around a Shop and suddenly become interested in whatever it is you're looking at or Shopping for, they become obvious right away like any other Shady Behaving Character would. I don't like folks who are suddenly right up my ass or maneuvering quickly beside me where ever I go and grabbing for whatever I'm interested in rudely so they can get to it first now. Trying to crowd you out of the way and totally Intrusive of the space around you. Obviously devoid of any kind of manners, common courtesy or civility. They'll also be way too interested in whatever is already in your cart and if you were to look away or not be attentive, it would likely suddenly disappear too, I don't Trust this type of Person at all.
I Hate when this type of person suddenly becomes your Tail around a Shop, skulking around and rushing over every time you stop to look at something. I like to amuse myself once I know a Hyena 'Picker' Stalker is bothering me and snatching actual 'Scores' I saw and got to first, by then pretending to be interested in random crap that I know is worthless. *Smiles* Just to waste their time, reveal and identify them for what they are. Because if they're actually wading thru the crap then I know they have no real idea what it is that has value unless someone else were to reveal it for them and draw their attention to it. I know its not nice, but these type of people aren't nice and its more Polite to handle them this way than to just say what I'm thinking... something along the line of, 'Get the Hell away from me will ya!' *LOL* Because actually its rather Creepy to be Stalked like this regardless of the person's ulterior Motives and Shopping MO.
It's no wonder they rarely have Shopping Buddies, because their actions clearly reveal devious habits and tactics that few would or could Respect. Hyena Shopper would rather attempt to circle and Scavenge from someone else's finds than to look for their own... if they even can without assistance, which I doubt. You can see I have no Respect and limited Tolerance for this type of person and so I don't like them being around me at all.
So whilst Junquing Monday Afternoon wouldn't you know one would turn up... I didn't know I was being Stalked 'til I got to the Vintage Hat 'Scores' I discovered and was putting them into my cart. Suddenly she appeared like a Vulture, suddenly swooping in and grabbing hats... okay... I already had some nice ones so I'm still Good at this point... and I even put some back that I didn't want... and she quickly grabs them too, which was comical. But I was Annoyed because she crowds in rudely and hadn't been anywhere near the hats until I was looking at hats... so now I'm Wondering if she's what I already Suspect she is? *LOL and a Sigh... because I've found these Types are hard to Shake once they latch on like a Parasite and they will Intrude on a Zen Shopping Experience and ruin a Good Time.*
So I reluctantly leave that area of the Shop to be rid of her and mosey over to the Bags... yep, you guessed it... suddenly she's interested in Bags and not just any along the long row of Bags, which would have been Okay with me... nope, she's pawing at the bags I'm trying to look at and hovering like a knat you want to swat because it just won't leave you alone! By now my Patience is wearing thin, and I realize this will continue unless I just leave and go somewhere else... which I do... and Thankfully without her following! *LOL*
And I was totally Jazzed about the hats I did 'Score' before she began snatching the others I would have also put into my cart if she hadn't Stalked me and intercepted a few, one in particular that I really wanted but wasn't going to be confrontational about. I firmly Believe Karma catches up with folks like this anyway, what goes around comes back around. But it is good to get it off my chest since Blogging is my Happy Place where I can let things go that I find to be bothersome and commisserate at times with those of you who might have Endured similar Experiences and 'Unlovely' folks or Behaviors that get under our skin at times.
These first two Vintage Hats I plan to keep in my Collection... and yep, the Vintage Mannequin Head was 'Scored' recently during another Event for an unbelievably low price, isn't she Retro Lovely!!!??
All of these Hats were 'Scored' for only $1.99 ~ $3.99 each and so many had Exotic Feathers and Bling... so it's no Wonder Hyena Woman suddenly became Interested before I could get all of them I wanted into my cart! *LOL* It's not really that she got some that actually bothered me, I often share in the Spoils of a Good Pick, but it's the way she went about it, which was underhanded and devious so it stuck in my craw and rubbed me the wrong way, especially when she persisted throughout the Shop, which was large enough she could have gone her own way and still probably 'Scored' Good Stuff without bothering and Annoying someone.
So I'm throwing out an informal Survey of sorts... how would you handle a Hyena 'Picker' Stalker that was suddenly Targeting you and apparently Stalking you during your Shopping?
Would you say something? What? Would you do something? What? I'm Curious and Interested in how the rest of you might or have already handled a similar Annoyance in Public?
Personally I never waste my breath saying anything to them because I feel it would be wasted on them. They obviously know what they're doing and it works for them so nothing I could say I feel would Change the situation or them. Having a Confrontation with someone I don't Respect the Behavior or Character of isn't something I want to bother myself with either.
So, once I Identify one, Amusing myself at their expense brings levity to the situation for me and then I don't care... so long as I can ditch them eventually when I'm tired of messing with them by throwing them off their game. *Winks* And I can only hope they actually also put some of the worthless crap into their cart that they thought I was also interested in and pretended to focus upon. *LOL* It would serve them right for not relying upon their own knowledge and instincts rather than those of some random person they don't actually know and who merely wants to be left alone to Shop in Peace.
But I'll be Open to Suggestions on the best way you've found to deal with such a Character as this? Any of you who Adore the Thrill of the Hunt have probably run into a few in your Treasure Hunting Forrays, I'm sure I'm not the only one.
The Man likes to Tease me by saying that if I wasn't a Magnet for Discovering the Good Stuff then I wouldn't Attract folks like this that Pirate other Shoppers that they feel might Discover Gold and other Hidden Treasures they'd otherwise miss or overlook!? *Smiles* He always knows just what to say to make me feel better when I've felt wronged.
And perhaps I'm a bit Emotionally Raw after the Hospital Stay with the Princess... which went well since she was very cooperative, Brave and a Trooper so we got the Job done of all the Testing needed... but which was grueling for Gramma, I hate to see my wee Princess going through so much. In much of the Testing she wasn't within acceptable Range and so it was a LONG Night of Alarms going off constantly and literally... so I got NO Sleep and lots of additional Anxiety wondering what that all meant?! Not to mention 10 days of waiting for the Specialists to determine the outcome and possible Surgery since that is how it's already looking from what the Technician suspected.
And I felt badly for her when we got to 'Wildflower Bread Co.' for Breakfast before taking her to School and the coveted Cupcake she expected for Dessert wasn't available because they hadn't gotten a delivery of them in!!! *Oh No!!! I cringed at the possible Reaction after she'd Endured so much to receive it as her Prize!!!* The Cashier saw her crestfallen little face and comped her an Easter Cookie, which was so Sweet of her. It was no Cupcake, but she didn't want to seem ungrateful either of the Gift bestowed upon her by the Nice Lady.
And when you run into Angels in the Flesh like that, it makes Dealing with the Unlovely People somehow easier to handle doesn't it?
{My Retro Mannequin Head Gal as I Discovered her.}
Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian