How Creepy Is Too Creepy?

I saw something today that I haven't stopped thinking about.  It was the sort of scene most women will be all too familiar with--a man paying an inordinate amount of attention to a woman he doesn't know but without crossing any lines that would make his behavior illegal.

I was in line at the supermarket.  A woman who appeared to be in her mid- to late twenties got in line behind me.  A man who appeared to be in his late fifties to early sixties got in line behind her.  As a side note, I notice he was munching a handful of corn chips, in what was apparently a rather liberal interpretation of what constitutes a free sample.  Anyway, I digress.  I overheard the corn chip-munching man start a conversation with the woman behind me.  He started by commenting that she must really like corn nuts, which is an innocent enough--if somewhat bizarre--conversation starter.  She replied that they were for her boyfriend, which in my mind was a pretty clear signal for him to back off.  Nevertheless, he persisted. 

I don't remember what else he said, except that the conversation somehow escalated to him asking her what area she lived in, at which point she referenced her boyfriend again.  At that point, it was my turn to pay for my groceries, and I didn't hear what happened next.

For me, it was when he started trying to find out where she lived that turned this conversation from weird into creepy.  And since the woman in question alluded to her boyfriend twice in the conversation, I think she probably found the conversation creepy, too.  Referencing a boyfriend or husband is a tactic I've used in similar situations.  But I was left wondering what, if anything, to do.  The man in question was being creepy, but hadn't come close to crossing any legal lines.  It didn't seem like a situation for calling the police or store security.  We were in a crowded supermarket in broad daylight, which probably provided some safety.  I briefly considered waiting for the woman to finish paying for her groceries and offer to walk with her wherever she needed to go, but wasn't sure if that would be welcome. 

Truthfully, when I reflect on my own experiences of this sort, I'm not sure what I would even want from well-intentioned strangers in this sort of situation.  When I've been in similar situations, I've been very focused on determining whether the situation is likely to escalate in any way and make my escape. It's never occurred to me that a bystander could come to my rescue in any way.  But when I think about it, I realize that it shouldn't be that way.  After all, an inordinate amount of attention from a stranger would be far less unnerving if we felt like someone had our backs. 

So right now, I'm looking for ideas.  Was I correct to not intercede?  Should I have waited for the woman and offered to walk somewhere with her?  Butted in on the conversation to take some of the heat off the woman behind me in line?  There has been discussion recently of how to intercede in situations that are clearly more dangerous, but since low-level creepy incidents are unfortunately a large part of many women's lives, I think we need rules for bystanders in those, too.