Because of my shyness I came out of a chip shop with a portion of fish...

when my dd had a new rather dishy headteacher most of the mums were rather sweet on him one day a lookalike was in the playground so I smiled alluringly and said hello for another mother to say It isnt Mr..... you know, Oh said I he lives near my mother I was just being friendly Im sure she knew I was lying.

It is an adorable British thing

ElizabethDarcey: get your smear test done! They always use plenty of lube. No excuses! Seriously. xx

I wish they used lots of lubrication for smears! At my surgery it always seems to be rationed so you only get the tiniest bit. I can't cope with the pain of a not-properly lubricated speculum. I can't argue with the nurse who always gives me the 'don't make a fuss' look. It's mortifying and I am SO shy!

Getting on a train and sitting near the toilets (I was new to train travelling) and rather than moving because of the pissy smell I stayed! What on earth!

I am such a different person now!

what on earth did you do with 20 loaves??!
The sight of 20 loaves in a non-industrial setting is surprisingly disconcerting! For ages afterwards my diet was rather 'toast-heavy' and navigating the freezer was like playing giant loaf-tetris

This thread is the story of my life ! I’m so glad I’m not the only one who stays on busses till someone else gets off or buys something that’s way overpriced. It’s had me crying with laughter though.

I went into the Chanel shop and was just browsing, the assistant convinced me I needed the latest liquid eyeliner. I did need a new one but didn't think to ask the price, then when she was packaging it up and it came to nearly £40 I was too shy to say it was too expensive so I paid for it. I do love it and use it a lot but it was even more expensive than my Chanel foundation

when in Uni I walked into the wrong tutorial very late and after a minute realised it was a project management course tutorial whereas I was studying for a degree in completely different subject.
The tutor who looked to be in his 60s or 70s saw how confused I looked and came over to help while everyone else was getting on with their work, instead of telling him I was in the wrong room I told him I was new to the course and he spent the next hour setting up emails addresses and signing me up to the course newsletters and photocopied mountains of stuff for me that I had 'missed'. The whole time I kept telling myself to speak up but I couldnt.
Also I used to never ring the bell on the bus as I didn't want to be the only one getting off at a stop I'd rather wait for a busy stop, very ridiculous.
I am much much less shy now than I was before but still have horrible social anxiety I so wish I could do something about it.

I paid for 3 glasses of wine in a hotel bar and the bill was £120. They'd charged me for 3 bottles, but I paid it because I was too flustered to question it!

I bought a pair of hideous boots for an extortionate price, because I didn't have the heart to turn them down when the mum round at the school approached me with them.
Fell for it again with another pair of shoes of hers about 6 months later. They are currently in the cellar. I will give them to charity.

Ohhh.. I often feel 'invisible' in shops. People around me getting served. I end up slinking out with nothing.

When it was snowing I called on an elderly neighbour to ask if she needed any shopping. She said she needed quite a bit, and we made a list. I said to pay me when I got back as then I would know what it cost.

When I dropped it back she had clearly forgotten she owed me for the (large amount of!) stuff. I was too shy/embarrassed to ask her for the cash.

I kind of hope that the karma fairy was watching me .......!

Next time someone snips about "no such thing as female socialisation to be nice", I shall refer them to this thread!

I'm finding the thread hard to read and and hard to find humour.

I have learnt to be assertive in most situations but I think you're right about female socialisation.

For me it comes out the most when I'm having building work done. i suddenly become very uncertain.

Working at a new place, someone thought my name was charlotte (not my real name) but out of fear of upsetting her, I let her call it me for nearly a year! I'm surprised she didn't ever find out as all my other colleagues called me by my actual name!

We had a painter in to decorate the house. I said I would go pick the paint if I knew how many litres I would need (undecided as per) he had said 30litres for the rooms I was painting. (I know it’s a lot of paint). So I went to b&q to get some valspar paint and the guy asked how much do you need, I had said “30litres for each room so 5 rooms would be 150litres please” he asked if I was sure as it was a lot of paint and it would take a while to mix it all up. I was adamant and said that’s fine I’ll have a look around the shop and come back. He said he would call over the tannoy when the paint is ready. I said “oh that should be okay just now, I’ll maybe pick another colour for the other 2 rooms”

The guy took 18 x 5L tubs to the checkout at £28 a tub I was so so so disappointed in myself. Over £500 on paint. THAT CANNOT BE REFUNDED.

My DP could not look at me for laughing. Costly but taught me a lesson. 😂😂😂😂

Just stop being so wet.

I really am at some of the stories on here. How do people live like this?!?

At markets when they let you taste the strawberries/raspberries/peas etc. I always think I'll taste them and see if they're any good - taste and they're not good but still feel compelled to buy them because I had tasted them and they might think I was just trying to get free tastes otherwise.

Many years ago in Gran Canaria. We found a proper supermarket that sold fresh meat instead of the usual tourist crap you find. The mincemeat was sold in Kilos. I pointed to the tray and asked for half, meaning half a kilo. She gave us half the tray. It was bloody loads. To add insult to injury, we had some that night and saved the rest in the fridge. Opened the door a day or so later and there was a cockroach in the fridge so we didnt get to eat it all.

Oh and we bought a melon on the beach for 10 fucking euros. We saw the man and said a piece would be nice and beckoned him over. He chopped the fucking thing up, put it in a bag and asked for 10 Euros....

It is happygo. It's a British politeness thing.

@Walnutwhiplash I'm crying at you cheerily taking possession of your bread mountain 😂😂

Actually I have managed to find my assertiveness about the hairdresser's basin (ooh sounds like a literary novel). When I book I say I just want a cut and not a wash, as the basins are uncomfortable for me. They spray my hair with water instead (and it's clean when I go). No one has ever objected and it's such a relief not to have to do it! I have a really long back and it's just agony in those things.

However I still always say the haircut is nice even if I hate it. But what else can you say? If it's shit there's not much they can do is there?

@retainertrainer - I'm exactly the same. My hairdressers doesn't have any sort of reclining seat so I have to slouch down in a normal seat and it's agony the whole time on my back, so the neck pain on the sink isn't quite so bad!

@retainertrainer I actually sat there in the seat with water almost burning my head rather than just say to the hairdresser it was too hot.

It’s absolutely ridiculous written down I wonder if it’s a British thing?

I once spent £30 on fudge. It wasn't even nice. I'm still bitter and it's been nearly 2 years.

Bloody hell MysticTed, that's one time I wouldn't have been polite and British!