Woman shaken after a man followed her and refused to accept ‘no’ inside a store, netizens share safety tips

SINGAPORE: A supposed fun shopping experience turned into a traumatic experience when a young woman who was shopping with friends shared online that she was shaken after a man in his 30s was side-eyeing her and kept following her through the quiet part of a retail store.

On Reddit, the netizen shared that the guy directly approached her to ask where she was from, but she simply replied ‘no thank you’ and stepped away from him. However, the man somehow took her response as an invitation to talk to her even more and walked closer to her. 

She then kept refusing the man, but he still followed her until she went to a more crowded part of the store. With this experience, the young woman declared: “It was such an unsettling experience, and I’m still shaken by it because it’s the first time to have someone who approached me and didn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. How does anyone deal with something like that?” 

Many netizens shared their opinions and safety tips in the comments section. One suggested that she could go straight to the store staff and inform them of the incident. 

“Had a similar incident in a supermarket.. I went straight to the cashier and informed them. Then they helped me out,” the netizen shared. 

Another netizen shared a curated response that anyone can use: “For the XX time, the answer is ‘No’. If you continue to follow me, I am going to [scream/tell the staff/call the police].” 

A comment also suggested that she could’ve taken out her phone and started recording because these types of people only know shame. 

“Next time you are being harassed, WhatsApp Video, call your family member or friend you trust, point the camera at the guy and tell them that this guy is harassing you and where exactly you are. Speak loudly and clearly. This will probably scare off the person. In case the person try to do something to you, the person you called can at least know how the person looks and where you are,” another netizen declared. 

With all of these responses, the young woman edited her post and thanked all who shared their advice. 

“It’s sad that so many girls have to go through this even in a safe country like Singapore. I hope this post gets more attention so this issue gets discussed more!!,” she remarked. 

This incident highlights the ongoing concerns of people being harassed in public spaces. This calls for greater awareness, for members of the public to help, and for more transparent safety measures for citizens to feel safe everywhere they go.