Approaching strangers

My roommate asked me to pick up a 9V battery from Rite Aid. Before I left, I decided it would be a good idea to grab a couple of masks and my camera just in case I ran into some potential strangers for the blog.

I walked in, grabbed the battery, a pack of fine-point Sharpies and "browsed" around the store keeping an eye out for people before I headed for the check-out counter. Nope. It's 10 PM on a Tuesday night. People look warn out from the day and even slightly pissed off. Oh, well.

As I approach the check-out counter, a smiling employee says, "how are you, tonight?" Hmmm. She actually seems friendly, yet ready for the day to end. Maybe asking her to pose with the mask would be a fun break from the monotonous day. After I make my purchase, right before I take my receipt, I make my move.

"Hey, I was wondering. I just started a silly blog involving people, friends and strangers alike, taking a picture with a cheesy mask of me. Would you be willing to do it for a few seconds?"
"Mmmm," she said reluctantly. "I don't think so. I'm wearing my uniform, so..."
"No problem, thanks anyway. Have a goodnight."

Ok, so it may (or may not) sound like a pretty regular thing with no need to feel awkward. Whatever. I feel so awkward and rejected. No one is at fault and I totally understand if people don't want to do it. For all I know, I came on a little strong...or maybe even too timid. I have no idea. Nevertheless, asking strangers is NOT easy at all.

The first stranger I ever approached for this was a cop. He was actually very friendly and wished me luck, but felt he needed to decline since he didn't want to besmirch the uniform. Legit. However, the employee at Rite Aid gave me the same reason. Did she not want to besmirch the Rite Aid uniform? Maybe she really has pride in her work and had the same exact motive as the cop. Maybe she was ashamed of her work and didn't want to be associated with it despite having a concealed face. I really don't know.

The point is asking strangers to do this is TOUGH! People who are in speech therapy for their stuttering are given a task requested by the speech pathologist where the stutterer "advertises" his stuttering on the Subway/Metro/public transit to get over his fear. While I'm sure what I'm doing is not nearly as stressful as what the stuttering person goes through with the advertising, it's certainly another form of leaving my comfort zone, and by golly, it's rough.

If you have any suggestions of places, strangers and approaches for the begining, I would love to hear your ideas!