Chatting to strangers - do you?

I am a friendly sort,and will chat to anyone,I have always had a customer facing job.

Surprising what you see,hear,and learn from a hello and a

I’m from South Wales and we speak to everyone!

I certainly do, a chat and a smile makes the world go round.
Having said that, I was painfully shy as a youngster, had a hyper critical mother and consequently low self esteem. After marriage we emigrated and I found confidence by coping with a new life. Later as our social life grew I realised many people are shy and are grateful when others engage them so this is what I did. My confidence grew and by the time I was thirty I was a happy chatter to all and sundry.

I do if they seem to want to. I like to think that it might make someone's day a bit brighter if they are lonely or just in need of a smile.

Yep, give a little and receive a lot more. I came to Surrey from the Midlands when I was 18 to do my nursing course. I talked to people in the street and bus stops ... and dogs too . I had made friends with a local girl who thought I was mad. The only thing is you need to read people’s body language and know when to stop!

This is me all over, I strike up conversations with anyone and everyone. In my work I have a few lonely people that always come to me for chat and a catch up it makes there day.
My dd always gets embarrassed when I start chatting to people in queues as she’s shy.

Guilty as charged. Many years ago, in my early thirties, I moved from London to a new town. Thursday morning, market day, waiting in silence at the bus stop would be a mixture of folks from very elderly to much younger. One week thought to break the impasse and on arrival at the bus stop promptly said "good morning". Never another silent Thursday morning! The elderly loved to tell me about the days when the town very different and their children young. Others related stories of their life before arriving in the new town. I could have written a book about these lovely people!

Now 83, and three hundred miles from that new town, and still talking to all and sundry (isolated since Feb). My family say I am better known in the town in three years than they are after ten years living here. Shopkeepers tell them they know me and how am I managing - and do I need help. How lovely is that- so keep speaking and smiling and spread a little joy on the way.

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.

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!! ??

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

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.

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!

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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!"

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 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!

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 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.

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!????

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 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.