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Went to a small hardware store today. I've lived here for two years and this store seems to have a consistent supply of cute girls. I've had a girlfriend most of those two years so I couldn't really do anything about it, but now I don't, so....
I believe I have seen this girl once before, so shes probably only worked there a few months.
I was returning something so I immediately went up to the cashier to return it, she was manning the register.
We exchanged the mundane details of the transaction, and she seemed very uncomfortable, as if I had somehow made her feel that way.
I noticed she was wearing a type of jacket with a certain feature that I found interesting (wont go into specifics here), so I commented on it. Suddenly she opened up and was all smiles and explained that she bought it at walmart and that its really nice and warm etc.. It was like NIGHT AND DAY. We went back and forth a few sentences. I felt IMMEDIATELY attracted to her in an unrealistically LTR kind of way. Sometimes I open to girls and feel less attracted to them after I break through that first barrier, but not this one. Something seemed to click. While I was talking to her I followed my instincts, which told me not to try anything negative even if clearly joking.
Anyhoo, I had no idea where to go from there, there were lots of people in line, all watching us, and the transaction was over, so I just said thanks and she said have a nice day. I didn't leave, because there were some things in the store I had to get, so I shopped for awhile,successfully avoiding her line of sight, since I had no idea what the next step would be and didn't want to look like I was hanging around for ANY reason besides shopping. I wished I could just leave, but I had to check out, so I waited until someone else opened up a register next to her,bought my stuff, and left.
Whats strange is, I felt very uncomfortable until I said something, too. But once I did, I felt extremely comfortable and natural until I ran into the wall of not knowing the next move. Interesting.
Knowing how to handle these retail situations would be HUGE for me, because there are lots of cute girls at stores where I live, and I am not into going out to bars or clubs.
I have some specific questions for the experts:
1- I've noticed that girls respond with a certain pattern to me in retail situations. This goes back for years, at many stores, with many types of girls. I'd say it covers 90% of my interaction with young women at stores. It goes like this: I go up to buy something, they seem very uncomfortable, and stay that way unless I say something unrelated to the transaction. If I say something, they almost always open up and its like a faucet got turned on. What is this phenomenon? Whats going on here??
2- How should I handle the girl I met today? I'm thinking that I must find a way to approach her when shes not busy, which means going to the store when its dead and either asking her to help me with something, or buying something when there isn't going to be anyone in line. I'm not sure what to talk about but I think I might be able to come up with something. I have a funny feeling her and I might kind of click, although I could be totally wrong.
3- Do I still need to do the newbie mission? I don't have trouble approaching girls in this way. I think instead of saying hi to random people, I should just attempt to talk briefly to every cute girl at every store I go to in a day.
1. It's not just girls at stores. When you work in anything involving seeing a lot of people - waiting tables, retail, secretary work - saying hello and "did you find everything ok" turns into a robotic task. You hear about the weather or the economy 40 times a day. The second you take it off the track, the human side flickers to life. I waited tables for a number of years and all my co-workers were teh same way.
I kind of agree with the other respondent - you're thinking about it too deeply. When you put your potential with this girl in this shining light, you start to develop a fear of screwing up, and it WILL mess with your game. She's a random girl in a hardware store - not the love of your life.