Will you accept a straw from strangers?

for something like straws i would have probably accepted them then put them in the nearest bin, they are dirt cheap to buy anyway. i have tried various samples on cheese counters in the past but that was purely in order to taste before i buy but i don't go out of my way to approch people who are are giving away things for free. i suppose it depends what they are giving away in the first place.

Well i would have been more polite to her. Maybe she was a strange lady, but she meant well. But as to answer your question, NO. I would not take a straw or straws from her.
Maybe if she would have offered me chocolate i would have taken it. LOL. I have a chocolate addiction, and you might guess my parents did not have any luck with me on the part that says: 'Do not take candy from strangers'. They still do not seem to understand how nobody kidnapped me. LOl.
But straws. no. why should i? they are not sealed, they are not clean, every Israeli would think that maybe there was an explosive liquid in them. (what can we do, that is where we grow in..security problems and stuff), and i do not really like straws. Maybe my mother would take them, as you know from my response to another post you opened about straws, she loves them. Lol.

Oh baby, there must be something about you that the middle-aged woman likes to give you those straws. I have never encountered this kind of strange offering though. The usual things I saw are beauty products to try, credit cards and even insurance. Maybe, they have a contest there and who gave out the most numbers of straw will win a big amount of money, LOL!

I, like you would not have accepted the straws, you never know how sanity they are and the last thing I need is another infection in my system. Giving out straws is a strange give away for a mall, where they have a drinking convention there?

The idea of giving somebody "straws" as they enter a mall makes no sense to me.....No, I would have reacted in much the same manner as you did.

I frequently go our of my way to not get caught up in the "free" stuff that they give out at the malls or at the grocery stores....

What a strange tale, my friend.

At the weekend I took some friends to a huge shopping mall in the centre of the city, the weather was hot and sunny and there were crowds of people out shopping and enjoying the good weather. There were also crowds of street traders about, and a lot of people giving out all kinds of "freebies" an "samples" of various things. Bearing in mind the weather was hot, I had to wonder the wisdom of people handing around trays of cold meats on sticks, small pieces of various assorted sausages and cheeses. Yuck! However, on the upside, there were also small glasses of assorted drinks, most of them in ice boxes, and these we happily accepted:-)

Handing out straws? That's a new one on me. And unwrapped, no less. I wouldn't take them. I wouldn't even touch them. What is a shopper supposed to do with a straw without a drink? Ah, there's the rub. "While you're shopping, do buy yourself a refreshment at our food court." Better to give out wrapped packets of 2 saltine crackers. That will stimulate the urge to buy something to drink, and they are wrapped and sealed so you know they should be okay to eat. However, finding a hole in one of those wrappers would be hard to find.

If you're going to give out something, give out pens. Everybody loves pens. I know that doesn't stimulate shopping, but what else could you give out that would stimulate shopping without making people wary about the product you are giving out? Er, perhaps the fact that we're in the mall to begin with means that we will be shopping. Give us a reason to come back. Give us a pen with the mall's name and address on it. That should keep them coming back and won't risk anyone's safety... except for maybe the kid who has an urge to poke his eye out.

Personally i have to say when it comes to people i don't know, i'm quite un trusting, and even more inquisitive.
If someone came at me with straws, i would first ask why the heck they were giving out straws, and not something else, why they weren't packaged, and why they didn't just set up a stand or something for those who want it rather than jumping in others faces.

I wouldn't be able to help but think what could be in those straws, or if they were previously used for something else, i don't care if i could wash them or sterilize them, i just couldn't help but wonder or think of the possibilities, which would make me in the end say no, and tell them they should think before jumping out at someone as anything can happen now in this world, get them thinking a little and then be on my way.

This is certainly something that one would not encounter every day. Even using one's widest imagination a logical reason for the action would be extremely difficult to come by. Perhaps it was merely a promotional idea by someone and that if one accepted a straw he would win a prize of some sort. Were this on my mind at the time of the offer I might accept it....as long as the person offering it was at least clean appearing....whether I used the straw or threw it away at a later moment is immaterial.

No i wouldn't accept a straw from a stranger only because you don't know where their hands have been. It might sound alittle harsh but i am safe about germs and such . so my answer is NO.......