Spin off: Have you ever told a stranger something to "help them out"?

[Travel60]

Sure, all of the above. Biggest was a few years ago. The big shopping mall near us had built 2 new parking garages on either side of an anchor store. I was leaving and had to take the elevator then walk up half a level to my car. I met a man who looked out of sorts/scared. I got in my car and as I drove down the ramps I saw him again looking even more frantic. I stopped and asked if he was looking for his car. He said yes and he couldn't find it. I asked "are you aware there is an identical garage on the other side of the store?" You could almost see the light bulb going off in his head. He was so relieved!

 

[CdnCarrie]

Generally not. You tend to come across as a know-it-all or busybody if you offer unsolicited advice to a random person in public you don't know. If they ASK for help/assistance is different to me then assuming you understand the situation well enough to offer input.

telling people their fly is down or they dropped something is being a know it all?
Odd perspective.

 

[aprilgail]

I've occasionally told a woman I didn't know little fixable things, like your tag is out or your zipper is down. I've never said anything to a man.

I tell men and women if their zipper is down. I talk to anyone I don't care. The lady in front of me at the pharmacy on a sunday didn't have enough money for the meds she was picking up (she had a 100.00 bill they said was counterfeit) - I just stepped forward and said no problem I will pay for it- she was very grateful- it wasn't cheap, it was over 100.00 but it was insulin, needles and test strips and she said she was out. She wanted to give me her number so she could pay me back and I said I would give her mine and if she was going to pay me back to give me a call (no sense taking hers because really she could just give me a fake number anyway)- she did call after she went to the bank Monday with that 100.00 bill which the bank said was real! I went to her apartment complex to pick up the money and she was out there with all of her neighbors! She told them all the story and they all came out to see LOL.

 

[Moliphino]

I became the unofficial UK pavilion Kidcot info booth on our last WDW trip when my sister and I were sitting having a cider right near where the Kidcot stop was pre-covid. People kept wandering over looking for it and I told them where it moved to.

 

[Adventureland]

Sure, it's nice to look out for others. I'm more inclined to talk to teens or other people my age-or moms with kids.

 

[_19disnA]

telling people their fly is down or they dropped something is being a know it all?
Odd perspective.

The OP's post was very general and then several others jumped in about offering unsolicited advice to others. To me that is different from letting someone in front of you in public know they have dropped their wallet or purse (I don't consider that giving 'advice'), but to each their own.

 

[bcla]

I’ll occasionally give unsolicited advice if it looks like someone is struggling. But it requires reading the room.

I have had random people ask if I might reach for something on a high shelf. Once it was something on a low shelf, but buried in the back where my arms were long enough to reach. As someone once said, it never hurts to help.

 

[2SLM]

Told someone they had something on their forehead. It was Ash Wednesday. It was not helpful.

 

[RedAngie]

I’ll occasionally give unsolicited advice if it looks like someone is struggling. But it requires reading the room.

I have had random people ask if I might reach for something on a high shelf. Once it was something on a low shelf, but buried in the back where my arms were long enough to reach. As someone once said, it never hurts to help.

Didn’t we have a thread recently where a poster was upset because a woman was “ungrateful” after he oh so chivalrously grabbed an item off a shelf for her without even asking or offering first?

I agree, read the room first.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It's situational more than anything for me

To me telling someone the stall is out of toilet paper is just what you HAVE to do, I mean come on it would be awful to know that and let someone go in without telling them. I'll also let staff know. If there's something up with a specific stall I'll mention that too if I can.

Tag sticking out hmm that depends really. I wouldn't tell a woman her bra strap is showing though because in some cases that's intentional or not anything they can do about it and often saying something isn't discreet. I'll tell my husband all day long about his fly being down but I don't know that I've honestly mentioned that to a stranger.

I think some of the examples people have given aren't really what the original question was about (IMO). Some of these are more like holding a door open for someone whereas I read the OP/title to be more about "something is wrong do you mention something to someone" kind of thing like if you're asked where some place so you help out is that's not the same as telling someone you noticed their fly is down.

 

[disykat]

Years ago my sister brought home a guy and we all decided he was a keeper when my sister blew her nose and he discreetly pointed out she needed another kleenex. We all saw it, and we all approved.