I've recently gone over the 100th cold approach (hurray!), I use canned stuff all the time, though I do try to develop my own material as well (which I share with you guys...). I've not been called out once, and I'd really expect people in London to have a clue. Clearly, PU is not yet as mainstream as some fear. For the beginners (such as myself), do use canned lines - I can pretty much guarantee that you'll get caught out on less than 1% of your sarges. Just treat it as being blown off, and move on.
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You may regret it later on with a girl you really connect with if you run a common routine on her, and she either finds out or you feel like you devalued her by running that played out crap on someone so special.
Roads: I disagree. You seem to see pickup as something shameful. If that someone is special, they will appreciate the fact that you have improved yourself because you weren't happy with your life. That is, as long as you tell them yourself. Pickup is merely a self-improvement tool, nothing more.
I've had that talk with a bunch of my good female friends, and not a single one seemed opposed to the idea of pickup. Most of them actually made the remark that I actually understand women much better than I used to, and they'd really value that in a boyfriend.
DISCLAIMER: unless you play ross jeffries and run evil shit like the october man - which I personally find despicable, considering how much that can fuck a girl up. That is, in my mind, the one exception to the rule. Fortunately the evil patterns are safely guarded (or at least used to be...) and also very, very, very advanced.