Security guard following me

Admittedly I do shop around a bit so I am not regularly in the same shop same time every week but I honestly don't think that many shop workers would jump up and vouch for me. There is one who I would say hello to if I see her on a till, but her dc was in the same primary school, although a lot younger, as mine so a vague acquaintance outside of shopping, I wouldn't expect her to side with me just because of that. There might be a few others who I might recognise but I am sure to them I am just another random middle aged woman who happens to come into the shop they work in. I am always polite and would wish them a good day but I wouldn't expect any of them to particularly vouch for me. I do live in a fairly big town with another one nearby and there must be thousands visiting each shop every day.

Yeah fair point.

They are trained to read people as not everyone who looks dodgy steals, but the way people act give alot away.

And importantly for their profession, not everyone who "doesn't look dodgy" (what is that, even?) doesn't steal. I've spoken to a relative who used to be a security guard about this quite recently, due to a thread on another forum, and they said that the training is often short and quite poor, and what is taught by some providers of the training is pseudopsychology.

They shouldn't be touching you for no reason, OP, and it does sound like you are being profiled, perhaps on a protected characteristic perhaps not, to the extent that may or may not be unlawful.

Start handing them stuff to carry for you? I mean they might as well be helpful as they follow you.

Well, I had years back the most stupid security following around Aldi.
We just moved into a new town. First shopping trip to this shop. I am there with my 6 year old, in school uniform.
I am shopping, and I keep seeing this guy around. At the beginning I thought he was a customer, just following the same route as me. By the end of the shop, I was rather paranoid about this guy following us.
Went to the tills and this guy eventually appeared there. So, only then I noticed he was security.
I had never ever seen security of this type in a supermarket.
Ok, no problem.
Next time we shopped, same.
He eventually started talking to me every time I shopped there. And he looked really scary.
I stopped flipping going there, till this guy was replaced.
OP, if they are intimidating you by staring, and you are not doing anything wrong, just change shop. If they do not want the custom, they will not have it. Also, put a complaint in.
Maybe they are given some stupid briefing about what they should do? But it is ridiculous!
It never ever happens to me when I am with my DH, fancy that?

I used to get this. I shop in Waitrose but I don't dress like a typical Waitrose customer 😆 When I moved to our town, they had security guards (they haven't now for years though), and having just had a baby, I'd often just be wearing trackie bottoms and a polo top or something very very casual. He would literally follow me around, and this was almost everyday, as it was a short walk away so I'd go there everyday for a few bits instead of doing large weekly shops. I was glad when they stopped having guards.

I'm on first name terms with a lot of the staff in there now as I've lived here for years now, so if they ever brought in guards again and they were like this, I'd tell them about it.

At my Saturday job years ago we were told to look out for a particular jacket because the person wearing it was known to us. I wonder if you've got the same clothing as someone who has stolen?

Or they could just be dicks who get off on intimidating women.

😂I would just entertain myself and start having fun with the security but I obviously have too much time on my hands

Lol, "As you're following me round, make yourself useful and carry the basket please"

If they're THAT close then better just to take a rapid step straight back into them without turning and either step hard on their foot or have an elbow out towards your back to meet their solar plexus. THEN turn around all surprised.

They have always helped! I’ve done it a few times when I was particularly frazzled. Explained I can’t see well (genetic defect, glasses wouldn’t help), and that I am struggling to read the signs and in a hurry to get what I need.

They have always said yes of course and helped me in the right direction.

Seriously though, if I’ve not slept and just run to tesco, I do look like one of those meth “after” photos, so I really don’t blame them.

I missed your post! I mentioned that up thread as something I thought would be funny to do.

What happened?

Seriously, anyone this happens to, please fulfil a housebound (🎻🎻) woman's fantasy and ask them to carry your stuff since they're following you anyway and come back and tell me if they do..

I’ve been followed by security many, many times.

I look like I’ve just been dug up half the time though and I can look quite scruffy. plus I have shit eyesight, so I am often confused and trying to find the right bit of the shop, going back to places multiple times, because I get stressed that I can’t see properly so I forget things.

So I get why I look like I am up to no good when I am just trying to find the free from section that keeps moving.

I have called them out a few times and said, “seeing as you are following me anyway, can you please help me?”

The security guard in our local tesco express does this with EVERYONE to the point its a running joke with most of the town

Its annoying but feel like I cant really complain when its happening to most people that go in 😂

Probably a tip-off they'd had, brogueish, though not about you personally

I remember something similar happening to my ex, when he was pulled aside several times for a search at Heathrow
In fairness so were several others, and probably it was no coincidence they were all the same kind of height, age, build, and even facially similar

I just remembered OP, when I had a thread on this I was advised to never use self-checkout and to always get a paper receipt, so I've done that ever since. I feel an idiot standing in line to pay for milk and a croissant but 🤷‍♀️

And that she has 'mannerisms' that make her look suspicious. As opposed to it being a security guard in a grump and/or on a bit of a power trip.

I wonder whether you look very much like someone who they do know has stolen things?

I think I’d certainly ask her!

I think they must have a photo of you on their files, OP - or a photo of someone who looks like you.

I had the opposite!
I was coming out of a store when the alarm went on, I stopped and so did a man who was coming out at the same time as me. The guard waved at me to go but went to talk to the man.
At home I noticed a security tag was still attached to something I had just bought…

I was being followed very agressively in a shop and I happened to know someone else who worked there. I mentioned it casually to her, and it turned out that there was a known shoplifter who looked a bit like me (if you squinted at the picture and ignored the fact that she was described as 5ft 2 and early 30s, whereas I am 5ft 9 and 50).
I think she must have said something, because next time I went in, he smiled at me. (It's a small place)