# Grocery store pervert gets his due **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 4, 2009, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-store-pervert-gets-his-due/498673 "2009-06-04T08:51:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-store-pervert-gets-his-due/498673/41 "2009-06-04T19:42:41Z")
> [@corkboard](#): > > Not trying to hijack, and it definitely sounds like the guy was up to no good, but “(debit card in bra)”- is that a thing? Do women really stow items in there? There’s treasure in them there hills. Especially when I’m somewhere like on a cruise ship where you have to have your card with you all the time but you don’t want to carry a purse. You really should have told the store manager, but I understand why you didn’t - just too _weird_, right? Threw you for a loop. ---
**Author:** ![tesseract](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@tesseract](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tesseract)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-store-pervert-gets-his-due/498673/42 "2009-06-04T19:46:11Z")
Wow, thanks for all the kind responses. Yay, I feel better about it just because you guys are all so supportive. I agree that I should go back and report it. I did tell the whole thing to the checker as I was checking out, and she told me sorry, but she was young and didn’t suggest anything else. Also, it was around 9 pm and it’s possible there was no manager there. I think I’ll go back today. Yes, exactly, I was thinking, “Hmm, he has an innocent excuse all ready?” Right… And I have been worried about exactly what other posters have talked about…maybe he’s just building up to his next assault, which will be much worse. And he will use his anger at me for hitting him in the face to justify whatever he’s doing to the next person. I actually did read the Gift of Fear, thanks to whoever recommended that. I guess I need to re-visit it. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-store-pervert-gets-his-due/498673/43 "2009-06-04T19:56:26Z")
My take on the scale of appropriate responses: 1: He’s turned up right next to you multiple times. Appropriate response: Heightened situational awareness, assessment of potential threat, etc. It sounds like you did this. 2: You notice that he’s not actually picking up any groceries, despite turning up multiple times. Appropriate response: Get away from him, and tell the nearest store employee to keep an eye on him, too. You didn’t do this, but it sounds like it was immediately before stage 3, anyway. 3: He starts grabbing your leg. Appropriate response: Immediately inflict sufficient pain to get him off of you, then go straight to store security and call the police. Your instincts were sound enough to start with this reflexively, but it sounds like once your conscious mind took over you didn’t carry through. Yes, the situation was very weird. That’s why you _should_ take it to the authorities. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-store-pervert-gets-his-due/498673/44 "2009-06-04T20:00:08Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > I thought the punchline was going to be that it was your baby who was touching your legs. A pervert stranger is bad enough - but a pervert _baby_? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Waffle\_Decider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/77aa72/32.png) [@Waffle\_Decider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waffle_Decider)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-store-pervert-gets-his-due/498673/45 "2009-06-04T20:13:57Z")
This is probably a stupid question, and I’m almost afraid to ask: Do you take the money out of the bra before you get to the cashier, or do you just reach for the boobs right there? :o ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-store-pervert-gets-his-due/498673/46 "2009-06-04T20:17:58Z")
And does anyone ever say anything about boob sweat? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-store-pervert-gets-his-due/498673/47 "2009-06-04T20:18:10Z")
I want to know if it’s like change in your pocket where you absentmindedly jiggle it around. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-store-pervert-gets-his-due/498673/48 "2009-06-04T20:22:14Z")
God, when I worked retail I got more damned sweaty dollars… and let’s not even discuss ass pennies. Generally, though, if people are stashing stuff in their bras they get it before they have to put on a show of it in front of the cashier. (I mean, with a debit card, nobody touches it but you these days anyway.) ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-store-pervert-gets-his-due/498673/49 "2009-06-04T20:32:43Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > God, when I worked retail I got more damned sweaty dollars… and let’s not even discuss ass pennies. I suggest that you never get a job as a bank teller. Let’s just say that incontinent people need passbook savings accounts just like the rest of us. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-store-pervert-gets-his-due/498673/50 "2009-06-04T20:48:50Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > God, when I worked retail I got more damned sweaty dollars… and **let’s not even discuss ass pennies** (bolding mine). Well, OK—let’s not. For the sake of intellectual edification, however, a simple definition is clearly warranted. I, for one, do not carry loose change in my rectum, and I actually have difficulty (perhaps due to an innate lack of imagination on my part) visualizing exactly how this can be accomplished. Please clarify (ignorance fought, and all that). ETA: It appears that a partial explanation is hinted at above, but I’m not entirely sure. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-store-pervert-gets-his-due/498673/51 "2009-06-04T21:01:41Z")
Please tell me that [this is not the actual definition](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ass%20pennies). :eek: ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-store-pervert-gets-his-due/498673/52 "2009-06-04T21:06:31Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > I once had a guy grab my ass while we were standing on a crowded bus. I immediately turned around and screamed “Get your fucking hand off my ass, who the hell do you think you are doing that you fucking pervert?” > > The bus driver stopped the bus and made the guy get off. The passengers cheered. I’m so proud of you and the OP! I try to visualize being able to do something like that (I was felt up on a bus when I was young and just left the bus as soon as I could). I really hope I am able to be loud and strong when I need to be. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-store-pervert-gets-his-due/498673/53 "2009-06-04T21:28:36Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > Please tell me that [this is not the actual definition](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ass%20pennies). :eek: Probably. Definition #2 is taken directly from [this Upright Citizens Brigade skit](http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=60669&title=ass-pennies). ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-store-pervert-gets-his-due/498673/54 "2009-06-04T21:30:14Z")
Well, I don’t think they actually pulled pennies out of their anuses, but there are definitely people out there who keep their money in their jockey shorts. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-store-pervert-gets-his-due/498673/55 "2009-06-04T22:48:17Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > I, for one, do not carry loose change in my rectum, and I actually have difficulty (perhaps due to an innate lack of imagination on my part) visualizing exactly how this can be accomplished. Please clarify (ignorance fought, and all that). Just a guess on my part but I doubt ass pennies are in there rattling around loose. Instead there’s probably some semblance of order. My fervent hope is that they’re distributed much like candy from a Pez dispenser. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-store-pervert-gets-his-due/498673/56 "2009-06-05T00:44:15Z")
> [@corkboard](#): > > Not trying to hijack, and it definitely sounds like the guy was up to no good, but “(debit card in bra)”- is that a thing? Do women really stow items in there? Several of the women in my frat used to carry knives in their bras. ---
**Author:** ![Thalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f475e1/32.png) [@Thalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thalion)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-store-pervert-gets-his-due/498673/57 "2009-06-05T01:08:23Z")
Good job protecting yourself! Too many people are afraid to assert themselves, for fear of looking crazy or rude. You did well. You need to report this assault (and it is a criminal assault) to the police right away. Hopefully the store has video surveillance, but even if they don’t the cops may already know who he is. I can assure that this isn’t the first time he’s done something like this. I’m a cop, and I can tell you that this guy is almost certainly working up his courage enough to rape a woman. He tries something more daring each time, and when he gets away with it (and he really did get away with this, since no one knows his name) he goes to the next level. ---
**Author:** ![Casserole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b77776/32.png) [@Casserole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casserole)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-store-pervert-gets-his-due/498673/58 "2009-06-05T01:16:35Z")
Another here to say you **definitely** did the right thing! Please remember to fill us in once you head back to the store. Don’t put it off thinking it’s “old news” or “they won’t have the tapes”, do it as soon as possible! I empathize, and in your situation, I don’t think I’d feel “right” until I talked to the manager and got some sort of affirmative action taken. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-store-pervert-gets-his-due/498673/59 "2009-06-05T07:06:47Z")
> [@corkboard](#): > > Not trying to hijack, and it definitely sounds like the guy was up to no good, but “(debit card in bra)”- is that a thing? Do women really stow items in there? Yep. It’s handy, and it’s unlikely to be pickpocketed. Women’s clothing is notorious for not having useful pocketseses. The bra creates a small, secure place for stowing items such as money and cards. When one is juggling a baby and a shopping basket, it’s a great alternative to a purse. I don’t recommend it if the weather is very hot, though. That area can get pretty sweaty. ---
**Author:** ![mudkicker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@mudkicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mudkicker)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-store-pervert-gets-his-due/498673/60 "2009-06-05T07:31:14Z")
Good freakin’ on you. I still remember the absolute panicked expression on a Japanese guy’s face once when he pulled his zip down and started wanking at me. (Yes, it was _at_ me, because it was designed to get a response from me.) We were on a quiet suburban street in Tokyo, it was getting dark, and I was coming home from the grocery store. I walked slowly up to him, sultry look in eyes…and whacked him in the face with my grocery bag. Tins and all. He fled so fast he nearly fell over. Obviously it’s not safe to do this all the time, but if it is (public place, others nearby etc), then more perverts should be hit in the face, imo. And I totally get what you say about thinking (before it escalates), Maybe I’m overreacting or he’s harmless - women are conditioned to be like that, and the most persistent sex offenders know it and use it to their full advantage. Kudos to you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-store-pervert-gets-his-due/498673.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-store-pervert-gets-his-due/498673.md?page=4)