Arising from the 'what do you suck at' thread, I thought I'd ask this:

If you want to go upto someone in a pub, club, shop, etc... (ie. somewhere random) and say hello, what do you say?

This has always been the worst issue for me and socialising - I just don't know what to say.

Possibly a simple 'Hello', and introduce yourself...If you get a reply beyond, 'hi or hey' then you have a chance to further the conversation. The man i currently am dating started the conversation with 'Did you check out the airshow this weekend?', and it's been over 6 months since...I think the conversation starter not being to personal, such as what do you do for work, where do you live is what had me interested.

Hello.

Haha, ok. Well I think I know the 'hi' part... :P

It is just that initial ice breaker that is the problem. Saying something that doesn't make me sound like either an idiot or a drooling pervert...

I doubt just walking up to someone and saying 'hi' and then just staring at them works

Are you talking about women, or just meeting strangers in general? I assume you are a hetro male.

LOL...ummmm, no....have had that happen, scared me...didn't know if he was staring just to stare or was afraid to open his mouth for fear of puking from over drinking!

Huh?

Well women mainly - if I was looking for friends I would start via some sort of hobby/club. And yes, hetro male.

I think they meant the person just stared at them...

If I were you, I'd lean more towards meeting women in a hobby/club setting as well. That way you have something to talk about built in. Invest in a premium dating service.

But you aren't asking where to meet women, you want to know what to say. That's hard because it is situational. It is easier to answer by suggesting things you not say or do - like corny pickup lines, don't compliment them, etc. If you see they've been reading a book in a coffee shop, ask them what they were reading. If they are having a drink, ask them what it is.

I don't approach people typically, unless I'm doing volunteer work of some sort.
I suck at all things social and in any way related to dating. I used to try and talk to women at the gay bar before it was shut down, but I never got far. The worst reaction: I say "hi" her jealous ex-girlfriend comes up and breaks a pool cue on my head. Best reaction: Chatting for a while, I ask her if I can buy her a drink, she says "yes" then proceeds to pour it out on my lap.
So I quickly learned not to flirt there. Now that it's closed, there's nowhere to do it. Saves me injuries.

So, if you want to know how to get women to sign petitions, make donations to whatever cause, or accept an informative pamphlet, I can help ya!

Start with something inane, like about the weather or an airshow or anything that most people would know about. Don't seem too interested in them... wait, strike that, don't BE too interested in them. Just chat. If it's going to become more, it will, and you won't have to force it. Be polite, be friendly, act like you wanted nothing more than to exchange a few pleasantries over a beer. Be comfortable -- I know, if you knew how to be comfortable you would not have started the thread. Just try different stuff, and if it doesn't work, don't do that anymore. Be willing to fail. Be yourself, if she doesn't like it, then you won't enjoy being around her in the long run anyway. Relax.

Now that's rough! She could have at least not made you waste your money...

my favorite by far

YouTube - The Sweetest Thing, Pick Up Line

"what do you think about corpses"

what ever happened to the classic: "get yer coat luv, you've pulled!?"

doesn't that line work anymore..?

You should drink more beer

rotfl!!!!!!

Yeah, really. At least that one didn't resort to physical violence.

In some Cosmo or something my sister reads, they had an interview with a group of guys. They said odd things like that actually work for them. You could be onto something!

Bye Bye!