I left a Demny's late one night like that. Didn't know it when I sat down, but an Amish club across the street had a shooting and a lot of the patrons came across the street including people that were involved. I heard a loud woman yell something about "You shot my boyfriend, N%£#¥r," and threw something. I bolted out the fire door with my "posse" and we found another venue for our late night snack.
I work at a Mall and have my own plan of escape which is contrary to the stores directions. Why would I run to the back of the store and into the warehouse when a mall exit door is 100 feet or so from where my dept is?
As usual the reason they do have these “Store Plans” is to keep track and account for all the people. Well, not me..I’ll be out the door!
A number of years ago, I was in a mall and in the Sears store in the clothing department. As I moved from one part to another in that section, I noticed a man moving to the same sections as I did. When he did it again, my gut said this man has zeroed in on me. I walked into the mall proper, then walked to the right and went into a large toy store. I went in an aisle that had boxes stacked on the top so no one could see me. A clerk came and I asked her to send the manager to me. He came and I told him I thought a man was following me.
He asked me if the man looked like (and gave a description). I said no, that was not him. He said the man he described was the mall security man in plain clothes, so he wasn’t him.
He asked where my car was and I said not far from that toy store. He took me to the back quickly and opened a door to the outside. I rushed to my car, locked the doors, and headed to the freeway and didn’t spare the speed to my house about ten miles away. Got in my house and made sure my house doors and windows were locked.
I knew that man was following me in that store. I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. That is the worst red flag I ever had. Right now, writing this, I can still feel that feeling of get the hell away from this man.
Good advice.