Chatting to strangers - do you?

I always chat to strangers, if they're willing.
I love finding out all about people's lives.

Forget celebrities; normal, everyday people have the most interesting stories.

Yes, always have but even more so now I’m on my own. I’m turning into my mum who always struck up a conversation with anyone who would listen!

'fraid I talk to strangers, especially at the bus stop - they became my bus stop buddies! One of them I discovered she liked painting and she joined the club I am a member of. Unfortunately have only been once to the bus stop since Lockdown so I hope my buddies are all well. Still in touch with my art friend. So it's true - a stranger is just a friend you haven't made yet.

Wouldn't dream of passing anyone without a simple hello/smile. If a little conversation ensues - terrific. Only exceptions are those who have that 'fixed stare ahead' look.

Always, planes,trains, buses, shops anywhere. However it can be a pain having been on the other side of a real fierce chatterbox! I was on holiday and flying back sitting next to one initially I was delighted as I always prefer to chat and make new friends but......this was really on another level as it was long haul and this lady was sharing seats and care of two children with her husband so it was continual change around and every time she returned from her break ....there I was for conversation!

I do, and always have. I'm not persistent, I can take no for an answer!
While not being ebulliently jolly, I try to open on a positive note.

My friend from London came to stay ‘up north’. She was most surprised when I started a conversation with a person but ‘you don’t know her’ she said. Says it all ... we are a friendly bunch up ‘ere.

I live in my own so love it when I'm out and can have a chat. When I take my dog for her walk we can be away for ages because of all the stops we have for a chat with others. I've always been a chatterbox anyway and worked in retail for years, so always had customers chatting away with you all the time.

Yes, I will chat to a stranger, if they reciprocate. With this distancing and isolation, our mental health will suffer. My husband and I went to our local hospital today as he had an X-ray appointment. We were cheered up by interaction with the hospital staff, because we rarely interact with others. Our son usually phones us on his way home from work to check if we are okay and my daughter is only 10 minutes away but busy with her family. Many people will be affected by mental health which is very worrying, especially those living alone.

I was in Sainsbury's yesterday and an elderly lady was at the (socially distanced) check out ahead of me. She kept up a running commentary while she did all the 'oldies' check out things: put all her shopping through, then began packing it very slowly, then got her card out to pay (at least she didn't count it all out in pennies!) and then began asking the young lad on the till a series of questions about the management of the shop and complained that the one-way system footprints had been removed, stating loudly that "we're about to go into another lockdown, you know!" Finally she trundled off with her trolley.

Throughout all this, I stood, my shopping already on the conveyor belt. I could've huffed and grumbled but I was in no hurry. The checkout operator might have been the only person she spoke with all day. His eyes were glazed and he apologised profusely for my long wait but people are often lonely and need a bit of time. Some people are under time pressure, but for me, there was no need to rush. Just as well, since she never once glanced back at the queue! She was masked (as we all are) and gloved but I didn't spot the blinkers!????

I do if they look friendly. I chat a lot at our local shops when waiting in the pay queue. I notice in the city people are much less friendly.

Unfortunately I attract weirdos so I try not to talk to strangers...
Happened just yesterday at the airport. I was so relieved to be outside and to be able to remove my mask, and there's a man I've never seen before who made direct eye contact with me and tried to strike up a conversation. It was abundantly clear he was very very drunk ? . I don't deal well with drunk men.
Before I could politely extract myself he'd told me his name and his predicament!!
Lockdown has helped keep me away from these situations. Thankfully!!

I love chatting to strangers; everyone's got a story and I love that. Having conversations with strangers is one of the joys of getting older, Men are no longer 'chatting you up', they're just chatting! Although, when I went for a hospital appointment (remember those days?) I used to be astonished by the intimate details some perfect strangers would tell you! My mother lived on her own for many years after my father died but said she never felt lonely because when you're old it's like having a baby in a pram everyone talks to you when you go out!

About ten years ago an old lady in our street died and there was an enormous turn out of neighbours for her funeral. It occurred to me then that if something happened to me most of my neighbours would say ‘who?’
From that day in I say hello to people I walk by in quiet streets and always take time to chat to people when I can. ?

I chat to people for a short while, shops, queues, dog walkers etc. Not too long in case they get bored! Last year on the bus which runs into through our village a woman sitting opposite me sat open-mouthed. When I smiled at her she said " Ruddy Hell! You're all weird....I'm from London where we don't talk to people. Not only do you lot chat to everyone who gets on, you know their **in' names!"

Yup. I've always enjoyed chatting with whoever and wherever. It can sometimes be difficult, though.

A few years back (whilst I was still working) on the bus going home, I did my usual trick of getting out the newspaper (I desperately needed to unwind mentally before getting home) an elderly lady started to chat to me. She seemed a bit distracted, but something told me to put my paper away and so I did.

She then started to tell me how, a few nights before, someone had knocked on her door and when she opened it, had forced his way in. I had not been looking at her but my eyes flew up and the tears were streaming down her face.

She then told me, in an awful - almost robotic - voice, that this complete stranger had then forced her to the floor and raped her. She pushed up her sleeve and her arm was horribly bruised "I'm like that all over" she said.

I was aghast. I immediately asked if she had reported it and when she said no, offered to go to the police with her but she said no, thank you and then stood up and patting my arm and saying "thank you for the kind ear" she got off the bus.

I have never forgotten that and have never refused to lend an ear to anyone since, on the basis that you just never know, do you, how much a kind ear can mean to people.

Exactly MawB2.
I was brought up in the pub trade and i spoke to pretty much everyone.
And i seem to be a magnet to those who want /need to talk and that`s fine by me.

Always chat to people at the bus stop.
We are all mainly regular bus users.

I quite often chat to people in shop queues.
Especially if it’s a good old moan.
I like nothing better than a good old moan.

Same as Trendy. Life story to any captive audience!! My kids hate it. Lol.

Chatting to people we don't know is what we have always done in the north of England.

Everyone does it here, but I'll still do it in other places too. Some of the DGC think we know everyone in the town!

Several posters have made the excellent points that sometimes you can be the only person someone has spoken to for days, and that sometimes people really need someone to speak to - your story was so sad, BelindaB, but you were obviously the right person in the right place for that poor lady.

You never know, do you? I'll carry on making pointless conversations with strangers!

Even though I am a quiet, reserved, introverted person I talk to anyone and everyone when I am out and about. I meet some lovely people. Since my Covid walks I have met and chatted with folks in my village I never knew existed.

We do chat daaan saaaf too.
We had a sing-song on the bus last week.

I do now I’m older Always too self conscious before. You can have great fun with people and soon learn to recognise those who would rather be left alone. Now I have a “grandog” its better still as dog walkers usually happy to chat. One day I watched in awe as a woman reversed her 4x4 through a row of cars and into a tight space without hesitation. I waited for her and told her how impressed I was- parking NOT my forte TBH - and she was chuffed to bits and said she couldnt wait to tell her husband . Just hope one of the kids will tell me though if i get “ creepy” and start scaring people!! ??

I've always chatted to strangers and now, even more so. Some people, living alone, will only have that one conversation when they're out.