VERY close call shopping

[Cristi]

I went out shopping today to a town about an hours drive away. I've shopped in that town many times and have always considered it 'safe' since it is so far away from where I work and live.

I spent the day going from store to store, and just enjoying walking across the parking lots in a long flowing skirt, the stiff breeze blowing it around my legs.

When the time neared to start heading home, I changed into pants in the car and took off my makeup, but left my blouse and forms on.

As I was about to get on the highway, I noticed one more store I wanted to hit. I was pretty much in 'drab' mode now, with the forms and blouse hidden under my Winter jacket, but decided to go in and look around anyway.

While shopping I found a woman's Winter coat that I really liked the looks of. I was about to take off my jacket to try it one before realizing that underneath it, all I had on was a thin white top with a bra and forms. NOT something I wanted to be wearing in the middle of the crowded store while otherwise in drab! I found a more secluded section of the store and quickly took off my jacket to try on the coat. It fit perfectly so I put my own jacket back on and headed to the front of the store.

I was just about in a checkout lane when I heard my name called from behind me. I turned to find a co-worker walking toward me. This was on a Friday afternoon and I'd taken the afternoon off from work to do Christmas shopping... He must have done the same.

All I was thinking about while we chatted for a few minutes were things like 'Did I get ALL my makeup off? Is there any color left on my fingernails? Oh God, did I remember to take my earrings off? Can he see the shape of my breast forms under my jacket? Does the top of the blouse where it shows at the neck of my jacket look too feminine?'

I didn't worry about him seeing the woman's coat I had in my arms, I figured he would just assume it was a Christmas present.

It wasn't until I was out of the store that what had almost happened really hit me. If I'd thought of going to that store 10 minutes earlier, I would have still been wearing the skirt and wouldn't switched back to drab until AFTER shopping there.
Just the though of how the situation would have played out if he'd seen me from behind, called my name, then I turned around to face him in full makeup in a skirt, hose and forms still makes me nervous when I think of it. I am nowhere near ready to be 'out' to people I work with and even if I was, he is not one of the few people at work I'd feel comfortable trusting.

So now I have to totally rethink just how far I have to go from home to feel safe when out shopping.

OR I have to satisfy myself that I don't look anything like my male self while dressed, so he wouldn't have recognized me anyway, But I don't have the confidence for that.

[Chiana]

So now I have to totally rethink just how far I have to go from home to feel safe when out shopping.

Lets see, when I was in the service I ran into a close freind of mine while on leave in Tokyo. That was about six months after I ran into the same friend in San Diego, Cal. And once when I was on a vacation in Europe, I saw another good friend from home. And then there was the Hawaii and Acapulco trips, ditto. It is a small world sometimes. My ex used to complain that we could never go anywhere without running into some friend of mine.

[Joanie_Shakti]

You never know when you'll run into someone you know. I was on vacation a couple of months ago in a town about three hours away from where I live. I didn't run into anyone, but when I got back to work the next week, I found out a coworker was staying nearby that same weekend. I had been to a couple of nearby malls clothes shopping. Luckily I didn't see him, but he and his family did drive through my motel parking lot looking for my car as they knew where I was staying. I didn't know they were going to be there as their trip was a spontaneous one.

I felt that was too close of a call and glad I didn't go out to my car with a bra on as I was thinking of doing when I needed to retrieve something.

[Bailey_in_Mansfield]

You never know when you'll run into someone you know.

WAY too true. Honestly I'm surprised I haven't run into a girl from church at Victoria's Secret yet. Had a brief scare during my last visit as a girl browsing panties next to me resembled someone I know...but wasn't the same person.

[MissKara]

Wow, what a close call. I dont venture out as Kara yet (I dont believe she is 100% ready yet) but I could just imagine this happening to me :P

Lots of Love,
Miss Kara

[tricia_uktv]

I think its one of the things we should all prepare ourselves for if we do go out. It hasn'y happened to me yet but I know it will do at some stage. Its all part of growing stronger inside.

[DanaR]

.................................................. .....

So now I have to totally rethink just how far I have to go from home to feel safe when out shopping.

OR I have to satisfy myself that I don't look anything like my male self while dressed, so he wouldn't have recognized me anyway, But I don't have the confidence for that.

What is the chance of that ever happening again? Stay away from crowded stores.

[Marcie4you]

Want to talk about close calls? Sometime ago I agreed to meet two other cd's I met online for dinner at a restaurant to get to know each other. I got there first and was waiting for them. Imagine my horror as they walked in and I realized they both worked where I do!! I sucked it up and spent the evening with them. They NEVER had a clue as to who I was! I guess I pass?

[Tracy_Victoria]

I think the motto of this tale is, "if your going to dress, and your good Enough to pass, stay fully dressed when you out!

If you go out dressed you'll know a thousand and one people see you, and it's unlikely people would reconise you with make, up on, wig, body padding (boobs) and totally different clothes. thesefore if somebody saw you, they would be more likely to say "I saw someone that look like you yesterday!" over oh I saw you dressed as a Women!

I.e. how many times have you seen someone and said" don't they look/remind you off ?"

[sherri]

Want to talk about close calls? Sometime ago I agreed to meet two other cd's I met online for dinner at a restaurant to get to know each other. I got there first and was waiting for them. Imagine my horror as they walked in and I realized they both worked where I do!! I sucked it up and spent the evening with them. They NEVER had a clue as to who I was! I guess I pass?

That's quite a story. What were the odds, right? And amazing that they never recognized you, but you clocked them immediately. Awesome.

[DiannaRose]

Want to talk about close calls? Sometime ago I agreed to meet two other cd's I met online for dinner at a restaurant to get to know each other. I got there first and was waiting for them. Imagine my horror as they walked in and I realized they both worked where I do!! I sucked it up and spent the evening with them. They NEVER had a clue as to who I was! I guess I pass?

But I suppose, if they worked where you do, and they were both crossdressers, they certainly wouldn't have judged you negatively even if they had recognized you.

[linnea]

Although I didn't always feel this way, I now agree with Tracy Victoria: if you're out en femme, it's best to just go with it. I have now walked past people I know (people who don't know I crossdress) and have not been spotted even though they looked at me and I looked back.

[PretzelGirl]

I think that if you are going to go out, you need to be prepared to run into people you know. I work 35 miles away from my house, so between work and social activities, my acquaintances cover a large area. Combine that with Las Vegas and Wendover (a close by Nevada city with casinos) being Utah fun spots, and I can't imagine a completely safe spot.

People drive a lot to have fun. If you are there, why can't they be? All you can do is lower the odds.

[Lisa Renee]

I have been working at my new job for over a year now. And so far I have been in stores shopping enfem and have seen 4 other people I work with. One said hi as I walked past, one didn't recognize me and I was standing right next to her (or at least she didn't say anything) The other two I changed direction when I saw them. I don't want to take the chance of being recognized if I can help it.

[Leslie Langford]

Lets see, when I was in the service I ran into a close freind of mine while on leave in Tokyo. That was about six months after I ran into the same friend in San Diego, Cal. And once when I was on a vacation in Europe, I saw another good friend from home. And then there was the Hawaii and Acapulco trips, ditto. It is a small world sometimes. My ex used to complain that we could never go anywhere without running into some friend of mine.

...how are you when it comes to playing the lotteries ?!

[jenna_woods]

that was close, I went shopping ond day and went to cash out and there at the register was a women that hs known me for years, I could not turn back, she took my money and cashed me out and seh said have a good day mam, As far as I know she had no idea it was me, just some women shopping,

[Alice Torn]

Marcie, I am surprised your voice didn't give you away! Are they coworkers who don't talk much with you?

[Chiana]

...how are you when it comes to playing the lotteries ?!

Horrible.

[5150 Girl]

If you are going to venture out, it is inevitable that at some point you will run into somone you know.
If one is open enough to go out, then one needs to be open enough to run into family, freinds and coworkers.

[tinalynn]

I haven't come close while out (yet) but have many times at home, including just last weekend. I noticed my neighbor across the street was working on his truck - odd, since it was snowing out. Around 7 that night, just moments after I had walked across the living room in full view of the front door windows and sat on the couch, his wife knocked on the door. I scurried into the dark garage while wifey answered. 30 minutes later, after changing, I was across the street helping with his truck. That would have been ugly...

Cristi, I'm glad you weren't noticed...

[Karren H]

Funny but I always considered one or two miles from home as being safe! Lol.

[Cristi]

Funny but I always considered one or two miles from home as being safe! Lol.

Well, all distances are not created equal either.

In the city or major urban area, in 10 minutes you can drive past 100,000 people or more, maybe millions.

In Vermont, I can drive for an hour just to get from one town to the next, passing as many cows as people. Sure, there are smaller towns closer, but they are mostly little places with not much more than an intersection, town hall, country store and gas station.

For perspective, I'd say the average distance between a store like a Staples or Home Depot is probably about a 45 minute to an hour's drive if not even more.

You can use a search on the Starbucks site to see how many stores are within 50 miles of your zipcode. The answer for where I live is *3*.

So for me, driving an hour away to shop is probably the same as a city dweller driving across town in terms of how different the mix of people will be.

[Jamie001]

Another solution is that if someone that you know sees you, just come out as a crossdresser. It is not illegal and the world won't end as a result.

I went out shopping today to a town about an hours drive away. I've shopped in that town many times and have always considered it 'safe' since it is so far away from where I work and live.

I spent the day going from store to store, and just enjoying walking across the parking lots in a long flowing skirt, the stiff breeze blowing it around my legs.

When the time neared to start heading home, I changed into pants in the car and took off my makeup, but left my blouse and forms on.

As I was about to get on the highway, I noticed one more store I wanted to hit. I was pretty much in 'drab' mode now, with the forms and blouse hidden under my Winter jacket, but decided to go in and look around anyway.

While shopping I found a woman's Winter coat that I really liked the looks of. I was about to take off my jacket to try it one before realizing that underneath it, all I had on was a thin white top with a bra and forms. NOT something I wanted to be wearing in the middle of the crowded store while otherwise in drab! I found a more secluded section of the store and quickly took off my jacket to try on the coat. It fit perfectly so I put my own jacket back on and headed to the front of the store.

I was just about in a checkout lane when I heard my name called from behind me. I turned to find a co-worker walking toward me. This was on a Friday afternoon and I'd taken the afternoon off from work to do Christmas shopping... He must have done the same.

All I was thinking about while we chatted for a few minutes were things like 'Did I get ALL my makeup off? Is there any color left on my fingernails? Oh God, did I remember to take my earrings off? Can he see the shape of my breast forms under my jacket? Does the top of the blouse where it shows at the neck of my jacket look too feminine?'

I didn't worry about him seeing the woman's coat I had in my arms, I figured he would just assume it was a Christmas present.

It wasn't until I was out of the store that what had almost happened really hit me. If I'd thought of going to that store 10 minutes earlier, I would have still been wearing the skirt and wouldn't switched back to drab until AFTER shopping there.
Just the though of how the situation would have played out if he'd seen me from behind, called my name, then I turned around to face him in full makeup in a skirt, hose and forms still makes me nervous when I think of it. I am nowhere near ready to be 'out' to people I work with and even if I was, he is not one of the few people at work I'd feel comfortable trusting.

So now I have to totally rethink just how far I have to go from home to feel safe when out shopping.

OR I have to satisfy myself that I don't look anything like my male self while dressed, so he wouldn't have recognized me anyway, But I don't have the confidence for that.

[trannie T]

Last Halloween I went shopping at a Costco eighty miles from home. I was looking at an item and looked up to see a man I worked with for twenty years about fifteen feet away. A few years ago I would have run and hid but I just resumed my shopping. He did not notice me then nor did he ID me when we were in the same area at checkout. I came close to greeting him but decided not to.
I have had a couple close calls shopping in drab also but have yet to be caught. As I am now retired it makes less sense to remain in the closet, I hide more from force of habit than for any valid reason.

[Marcie4you]

I have practiced a LOT on my voice....I guess it paid off!