Assuming it wasn’t just following up in case you really did need some help now, probably a “loss prevention” technique. Retail folks are almost never going to a

Assuming it wasn’t just following up in case you really did need some help now, probably a “loss prevention” technique. Retail folks are almost never going to accuse someone of stealing and “following around a hovering” behavior is discouraged. Instead the recommendation is to keep an eye on someone you suspect to be shady and just swing by every couple of minutes to “check on them”. Even if you can’t see what they’re doing every moment, the constant reminders that you know they’re there and that you might see them is often enough to discourage theft. Works reasonably well. When I worked retail we had a person whose MO was to come into the store, browse the expensive headphones, take one off the shelf and put it down on the floor with their book bag while they looked at something else. After about 10 or 15 minutes they’d pick up the book bag and sweep the headphones inside as they were standing up and then walk out the door. If you stopped by while they were looking at the other thing and asked them if they needed any help with finding some accessories for the headphones or just offering to “hold it at the register” for them, they would wind up putting them back (or handing them to you and tell you they changed their mind) and leaving.