How do you talk to girls in the supermarket line?

"If I had a coupon for myself, I'd give it to you."

I actually used this line in a supermarket in Austin, with success. It was very late at night and I was using it on a guy, but perhaps it would work for you in your situation as well.

Was there some sort of context for the line, mack, or was it out of the blue?

compliment her melons

Discuss what she is buying. Perhaps you can make a recommendation, e.g. if she is buying the freshly squeezed orange juice ask her if she's tried the orange-pineapple blend as it cuts down on the sweetness of the orange, producing a more balanced flavor profile.

Make a situational joke. If she has beer and ice cream in her hand, "Just the essentials, huh?" Or if her cart is full of carrots and lettuce, "A health nut? We would never get along." If nothing comes to mind, extend your hand, "Hi, dusty."

Oh Kent, you're awesome...

As hackneyed and cliched as this is the biggest thing for me is to be confident (note: this may be a case of faking it till you make it). When I go up to an attractive girl alone I still shit my pants and have to control my breathing and look calm and confident (it doesn't always work). You just want to make eye contact, be friendly, and say something as simple as "Hey." Maybe from there, you start joking about her melons, or the flavour profile of her orange/pineapple blend, whatever. You just want to get used to talking to strangers. If you do it enough, in all social situations, you become more relaxed about the whole ordeal, and thus become more confident. The only caution I can throw your way is there is a fine line between confident and creepy. If I had more time I would post a hiliarious story. Good luck!

A.

When she told you there was an opening you should have said "sorry, i wasn't paying attention--i was trying to think of something witty to say to you". Usually, this sort of meta-situational stuff works pretty well, provided you're affable enough and can carry on a decent conversation once you're passed it...

We had been cruising each other in the aisles for a bit before we spoke. But it was one of my first lines, if not the first.

It was also after midnight.

[singing] "I go shopping/after midnight..."

The late hour gave me a 'what the hell' attitude, which helped.

What will give you the strength to say something is thinking how little you have to lose.

Perhaps I was also thinking of this:



What thoughts I have of you tonight, Walt Whitman, for I walked

down the sidestreets under the trees with a headache self-conscious looking

at the full moon.

In my hungry fatigue, and shopping for images, I went into the neon

fruit supermarket, dreaming of your enumerations!

What peaches and what penumbras! Whole families shopping at

night! Aisles full of husbands! Wives in the avocados, babies in the tomatoes!

--and you, García Lorca, what were you doing down by the watermelons?



I saw you, Walt Whitman, childless, lonely old grubber, poking

among the meats in the refrigerator and eyeing the grocery boys.

I heard you asking questions of each: Who killed the pork chops?

What price bananas? Are you my Angel?

I wandered in and out of the brilliant stacks of cans following you,

and followed in my imagination by the store detective.

We strode down the open corridors together in our solitary fancy

tasting artichokes, possessing every frozen delicacy, and never passing the

cashier.



Where are we going, Walt Whitman? The doors close in a hour.

Which way does your beard point tonight?

(I touch your book and dream of our odyssey in the supermarket and

feel absurd.)

Will we walk all night through solitary streets? The trees add shade

to shade, lights out in the houses, we'll both be lonely.

Will we stroll dreaming of the lost America of love past blue automo-

biles in driveways, home to our silent cottage?

Ah, dear father, graybeard, lonely old courage-teacher, what America

did you have when Charon quit poling his ferry and you got out on a

smoking bank and stood watching the boat disappear on the black waters of

Lethe?


"A Supermarket in California," by Allen Ginsberg. Written around the same time as HOWL.

"tampax huh? you dont find them uncomfortable on extraction?"

"So you just take that one pill and you don't have thrush anymore? Will wonders never cease?"

I was going to suggest the same thing. Really, it's an awkward situation. There's no way around it. Just acknowledge that and go. It's the only way to deal with it that isn't going to be incredibly contrived.

Easy one. There is always a stack of tabloids by the checkout (Star, National Enquirer, etc.). Take any random story and make a witty, somewhat jaded joke about it: "Would you look at that...The center of the earth really IS colonized by aliens. Who knew?" "Hmmm...Brad Pitt caught with a tranny prostitute. You'd think he'd learn." This gets her to smile, and, if you're lucky and she has a great sense of humor, she'll join in. Of course, be able to hold a conversation after you break the ice.

This is where your knowledge of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes gleaned from style forum can prove invaluable.

Seriously, everything suggested is good advice. Supermarkets are great for "shopping".

Haven't you heard of the Social Safeway?

http://www.talesofthecity.com/totc_t...70_serial.html

And don't forget the Clash, "Lost in the Supermarket".