10 People Who Walked Into Red Flags on First Dates

You know that moment on a first date when you realize it’s all going wrong? These Reddit stories are a masterclass in red flags, ranging from the awkward to the truly terrifying.

• Once I went on a date where the guy brought his mom along; he said she was his best friend and they did everything together. She even ordered for him. It was super awkward, and I didn’t know how to react. I finished the meal and made an excuse to leave quickly, never called him back
  © Ok-Shop-6376 / Reddit

• It made me cancel the first date we had planned. I met a guy on a dating site and he asked me on a date and I agreed. Later, I got a call from work saying a package had been delivered. It was a huge bouquet of flowers. I was so confused. I asked him if he had sent them and he said “I did! You said you had a bad day last Friday so I wanted to make this Friday a good one for you.” Normally, I would absolutely love this gesture and be over the moon with this. The only problem is that I never told him where I worked and I had told him I lived in a large city an hour away to be on the safe side. So not only did he find my true town but also found out where I had worked. Instant red flag and made me terrified.
  EDIT: I am not on Linkedin and never have been. © SkyK***en387 / Reddit

• Talked to him for two weeks before we went out and no red flags so we ended up going out to dinner. I said I hadn’t been out in a while because I was trying to save money for a washer and dryer. He told me instead of saving for that I should save for a boob job. I didn’t even know how to reply so he followed up with, “no it’s not a bad thing, my sister and Mom both had small tits and got boob jobs and they look amazing.” This is all before the waitress even brought our drinks. I just got up and left. © Unknown user / Reddit

• One time I asked a girl out on a dinner date, after 20 minutes she isn’t there, so I’m thinking that I got stood up. Absolutely cringing with embarrassment from the pitying looks of the waitresses. Finally I decide to leave, and as I walk out the door, my date shows up with a female friend in tow, expecting the three of us to just go back in and have dinner together. I told her absolutely no way and left. © plotinusRespecter / Reddit

• Girl waited about 6 mins before asking how much I earned. When I asked why that was relevant, she said she had no intention of working, once married and so she wasn’t going to waste her time with someone earning less than X amount (I forgot the amount she gave, but I remember it being very high, and nowhere close to what I was earning at the time).
  I said I didn’t think this was going to work then, and she sighed and said I was another broke prick who thought I could get girls when I wasn’t prepared to support them. I noped out of there. © Enough-Ad3818 / Reddit

• Strike 1 — she asked if I was going to pay for dinner, because she was broke. When I said yes, she ordered the most expensive steak and two appetizers.
  Strike 2 — I talked about being divorced and wanting more time with my kids. She said she gave up custody of her kids, but she got the Camaro.
  Strike 3 — told her I was divorced because my ex cheated on me. She said, I cheated on my ex.
  Walked her to her car, and yes a nice Camaro. She wanted a kiss and asked if I wanted her to follow me home. I said, nice meeting you, but no thanks. © RobZagnut2 / Reddit

• So my friend and I were talking last week after an atrocious first date that I had on the weekend. I still struggle with setting tough boundaries, and my date told me to meet him at a location in the city he lives in. When I got there, it turned out that he had booked massages for us (FULL BODY). I should have walked away then but I didn’t and ended up going through with it...only to be taken to a restaurant (WHERE HE USED TO WORK) which resulted in him introducing me to a bunch of people like I was his gf...
  And that was our first meeting in person. © rootsandchalice / Reddit

• She brought her toddler (nbd, I have kids too, I get it). She wanted to shop for an outfit for her kid because she was doing a christmas card family portrait later that week. Bit uncomfortable, but hanging out shopping? Sure, why not. Then she started holding up clothes to me because I was “about the same size” as her ex and he was going to be in the portrait too even through he’s her ex because you know...the kid... and then asked if I would try things on so she’d know how they would look...on her ex...
  I walked off to “find the fitting room” but found my car instead and was very glad we drove separately and I wasn’t leaving her stranded. © ZormkidFrobozz / Reddit

• I include that I’m allergic to cats at the top of my dating profiles. Lots of women don’t include that they have a cat on their profile, ignore that I specifically say I’m allergic, and I find out about the cat later in person.
  The most notable example was nearly a year ago where a woman said she had this cafe she really wanted to go to while we were making plans for a first date and gave me the address. I figured there’s nowhere in the city I would have a problem going so I arrived at the location for the date without checking out the cafe’s details in advance.
  It was a cat cafe. I turned around and left and unmatched. A few hours later I was banned from Bumble. © Negat1veGG / Reddit

• We met for our first date, and he insisted on driving me around. At one point, he stopped at this quiet park surrounded only by apartment buildings. It felt a little weird, but I stayed polite. Over coffee, he started talking about his “ex” who used to live there and said they “used to walk here all the time.” He spent pretty much the whole day talking about her. The moment I realized I’d dodged something huge was when a mutual friend later told me she wasn’t really his ex and had been avoiding him for years. I was too freaked out to date for months after this.

For more dating drama, check out how a woman handled a boyfriend who never reached for his wallet.