h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I asked my roommates about the general strategy for getting the attention of the checkout counter girl. They expounded on the point for the better part of an hour, but what they said pretty much boils down to, "Let her make a place for yourself in her heart, to the point where she looks forward to seeing you again. Once that is done, be direct in asking her out (you only have a minute or two to talk to her, anyway), and give her your phone number. Let her come to you; if she doesn't want to, don't press the point."

Since I do kung fu training on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the supermarket where she works is on the way home from kung fu training, I'll go visit her every Tuesday and Thursday night around 8pm or so. That way, if she's paying attention, she can predict when I'll show up. If she really does think I'm worthy of attention, then she'll start to look forward to when I'll be there.

The next objective will be to distinguish myself in her mind from all the other stupid customers she deals with every day. Last Tuesday, when I went through her line, I made a point of complimenting her hair style. I'll go through her line a few more times, and when it feels right, I'll introduce myself. I'll probably wait for a moment when I don't have any other customers behind me, so I can take my sweet time to talk to her.

After introducing myself, I'll probably bide my time as I gather little bits of information about her in idle conversation. I need to find out what nights she doesn't work, whether she's seeing anyone at the moment, and what kind of person she is (laid back and lazy, or busy busy busy).

When I'm ready to ask her out, I'll say something about how I want to hang out with her outside of her work, and give her my business card. I figure my card is good enough proof that I'm gainfully employed, and if things go bad, it would be better if she didn't have my home phone number.