Is this Virginia woman’s recent Lowe’s interaction with a man who wouldn’t take “no” for an answer a sign of how turbulent the dating scene is in 2025? She thinks so.
TikTok user Rae (@heeeeyrae) posted a video with her dating PSA on Aug. 16. She starts it by saying, “So the following message is for Lamont from Aisle 13 at Lowe’s. If you’re not Lamont, keep scrolling.”
Right off the bat, it seems clear that anyone who isn’t named Lamont is lucky they aren’t being addressed right now. Rae says, “So, Lamont, sir. When we ended up on the same aisle the first time, I thought nothing of it. The second time, still thought nothing of it. The third time, I picked up on a little pattern that you was putting down right there.”
What Prompted This Lowe’s Dating PSA
When she bumped into Lamont the fourth time in the tile aisle, she decided it couldn’t be a coincidence. “You gathered up the courage to walk up to me and ask me—after introducing yourself, Lamont—if you may know my name and have my phone number to get to know me,” Rae says. “I said, you know what, I appreciate the gesture. I’m not interested in meeting anyone like that right now, but I wish you luck in your future endeavors.”
That should’ve been the end of it. “I proceeded to walk away,” she says. “You then followed me to the next aisle and proceeded to ask me again for my name and phone number and mention, ‘Well, you’re not wearing a ring. You can’t have friends?’”
Rae did not appreciate this line of questioning. “I said no,” she says. “Which is a complete sentence by the way. To which you then said, ‘So, I really can’t have your number?’”
Offscreen you can hear the sound of a gun cocking. “Sir, I said no,” she says. “You worried about a phone number, and your family was this close to picking out a plot number.”
Viewers React to the Lowe’s Interaction
In the comments, viewers overwhelmingly applauded Rae’s decision to take her personal safety seriously.
“All I heard was… CLICK BOOM!!!” wrote one person.
“Lamont needs to be safer out there,” joked a second person.
A third person agreed, “Lamont almost ended up on a T-shirt.”
Someone else said, “Let’s normalize screaming in stores when being harassed.”
What Should You Do If You Or Someone Else Is Being Harassed In Public?
It appears that in this case Rae is using hyperbole to indicate her level of discomfort with this behavior and she didn’t actually threaten the man using her weapon. In general, deadly force is legally justified only when you’re in fear of imminent death or great bodily harm.
However, that is not to say that what Lamont did is legal either. Repeatedly asking someone on a date and disregarding their “no” can veer into harassment. If you find yourself or someone else in this situation, it’s important to support the person being harassed and seek out an authority figure if possible. In this case, Lowe’s security may have been able to address this issue without Rae needing to engage any further.
@heeeeyrae …he almost heard that Pop #Datingin2025#SelfDefense#2025 ♬ original sound – Rae
The Mary Sue contacted Rae via TikTok comment and direct message for comment.
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