Should I report this?

[PeachyClair]

As I was leaving the car park in Newport, I was a few steps behind the kids and DH and the chap there evidently didn't see me as he leaned forward and sort of half whispered 'Do you wanna come and see my Puppies?'.
It took me a couple of secs to figure out, then I started feelingr eally, really sick and panicky.

This chap was selling the Big Issue there and alway is, i think he has a pitch agreement. Should I report him to the management, or am I just not seeing the funny side of an off-centre joke?

Made me really edgy as DS1 was having a bad day yesterday and kept running away, I wasn't handling it as well as I could coz of the event and I ended up shouting at DS1 which scares him.

if in doubt - report it - NOW!

I would.

Definitely - without a doubt

I should point out, i don't think it was s aid loud enough for DS's to hear, does that make a difference?

Can you confront him with your children and ask to see his puppies? Is there any evidence of puppies? A lot of people selling BI in Oxford have dogs - one in particular drew in a huge crowd and lots of money while he was flogging it in town.

Agree it sounds worrying - especially as he whispered it - but I'm a big girl's blouse and always err on the side of caution. I'm probably wrong to do that, though.

Bear in mind that reporting the seller may result in him losing his pitch - The Big Issue take complaints from the public very seriously, and will certainly at least suspend him for this, if they don't take his pitch off him.

If you think that there is any chance at all that this man is a menace to children then of course you must report him. But if you're not sure then maybe do as Carla suggests - ask him about what you heard first.

My gut instinct is that he was not selling puppies, just the smirk on his face? I cannot confront him as I won't be back there for a few weeks (we live near Newport, but not in). Don't want the chap to lose his job over a 'joke' if that's what it was, but it wasn't appropriate either! As I said, it scared me, and I am not that easily scared.

Jeez, how awful. What are your gut instincts about it? If your dss didn't hear, were they meant to? I agree with the above of going with your children and asking to see his puppies... do you think he may have seen you and was just playing a joke (albeit a very sick one)?

Ooops, cross-posted. If you're not going back there, you can't really find out for sure.