'A Bunnings romance?': 'Creepy' new dating trend sparks debate

"I would never go in public again," one woman wrote after finding out about it. 

A social media post has gone viral after a woman posted about a "creepy" dating trend she’s noticed online.

The Gold Coast woman, Hannah*, took a screenshot of a post she saw in a local Gold Coast Facebook group with the poster’s name blurred out. 

The man had written a post directed at an un-named 'petite lady' he had spotted at a Bunnings recently. 

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Image: Facebook

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Sweet or creepy?: The divisive Facebook post

"To the beautiful petite lady about 35 ish that was shopping at Bunnings Nerang about an hour ago in the paint section (light blue jeans) Yes, I was definitely checking you out lol, I didn't see a wedding ring on at all 🤷‍♂️ I was going to give you a business card but when I turned around again GONE. 😥😥😥" the caption read.

"Probably married (Lucky Man) but otherwise maybe lunch? Tall, silver haired tradie in Hi-Vis behind you at the counter.

"Cheers Christian xo"

Hannah, clearly disturbed by the post, shared it in the Tea Time Facebook group, writing: "This is a local community page of mine and people are ENCOURAGING THIS."

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"Disgusting!"

The comments on the post quickly exploded, with opinions very much divided.

"Of course 'petite lady' is what made her appealing to him," one user pointed out sarcastically.

Another user offered a more balanced view: "I mean, it's a little icky, but shoot your shot, I guess."

"That is disgusting OMG," a different group member wrote. "In a time where women are being killed by men at alarming rates, people really don't see an issue with a stranger man trying to track down a woman???"

"I would never go in public again," another woman commented.

Some users took aim at specific details in the man’s post.

"Ew, 'silver haired' basically he means an old creep," one commented.

However, a lot of people didn’t see an issue with it and actually thought it was sweet. 

"I literally don't think it's that bad lol," one person wrote. "Maybe they had a bit of a connection but he was too nervous or busy to catch up to her. Maybe didn't want to put the pressure on her."

Another added: "I actually think this is quite respectful and playful! Each to their own though. Sometimes being bold is the only way to go."

"I don't think this is creepy," another argued. "If she doesn't want to respond she won't."

"Women do this all the time, even taking photos of guys and posting them to TikTok being like 'help me find this man'," another wrote.

Hannah responded to this, saying: "It’s creepy when women do it too."

What do you think about this sort of post? Tell us in the poll above. 

Originally published as 'A Bunnings romance?': 'Creepy' new dating trend sparks debate