I've tested the following opener about 50 times over the span of four days, and it works at stopping moving sets on the street. I like it because it can be a bit humorous and it communicates alot of indifference right off the bat.

So the opener is simply asking for change. But for now ignore the opener because thats not what makes this work.
Now for this to work you must look like you dont need money. I wear my nicest blazer, jeans, and shoes. I've noticed looking extra nice works better than wearing normal clothes. Also, this is so when I approach a woman, I dont look like another bum asking for money. Trust me, most women WILL stop and at least act like they are going to check their purse when I do it.

This is how I do it:
me: "Excuse me do you have 25 cents?"
her *goes to check her purse*
me "no im just kidding I just saw you and you grabbed my attention so i had to come say hello."
she will either laugh or give me a surprised look, and say hello
Then I'll say "by the way you seem like the artistic type (most women have some type of artistic side to them) are you into arts?" then from her answer i gather topics to talk about.

Its helped me more than other indirect openers such as asking for directions. I often feel awkward stopping sets or walking up to them from behind just to ask for directions, and I feel that they can see that im feeling awkward about it. I also hate opening direct as for me it has a greater chance to fail than opening indirect and the transitioning to direct.

I know this is a little out of the ordinary and many are going to say that you will come off low value by asking for money. But this is why you must put some effort into your looks when you do this opener, and the fact that its being used in a playful way and not in way like you seriously need change gives off a strong vibe of indifference because im not giving a **** about coming off like a bum.

Test it and let me know how it goes. I guarantee if you test it the way I'm describing it you will have positive results.

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A Guide to the No Fap Challenge

The 14 books every man should read. How many of these have you read?

I'm not saying it could never work, but as a general rule for myself I avoid any opener where at some point I have to admit that I was just bullshitting her so that I could talk to her. I think you're better off either being direct "had to say hello" without any little gimmick, or in some cases just starting up a genuine conversation.

My reason is that I think the whole "I need an excuse so that I can talk to you" thing comes off as very beta.

Then again, I've never tried to stop women rushing off a train, so maybe you have to resort to something like this due to them being in such a rush?

When a girl is standing around or giving me eye contact, i always go direct. This opener is for girls that are to stop. For example if they are walking quickly in front of you, if they are walking and texting, or if they look like they are busy.

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A Guide to the No Fap Challenge

The 14 books every man should read. How many of these have you read?

I would never use a canned line during the day. Why bother when there are so many conversation starters in the environment around you?

I like the concept, not the actual opener. I've used similar openers, something like "Hey, do you know what holiday it is today?" *Girl thinks really hard.* "It's cool, I just had to find an excuse to talk to you. Hi."

Something like an indirect direct opener.