Is this a good way to decline a date?

[Fringebenefits33]

One of my close friends has been on a first date, and the guy's asked her for a second. She isn't feeling it, but wrote to him saying 'Yeah that would be good, I've got a really busy week at work so I'll have to get back to you, but it would be cool."

It's up to her, but AIBU to think this is awful? She thinks it's kinder, but it's just wasting the guy's time. It's going to give him false hope and he'll likely message her again. Surely it's better to just politely decline.

Of course she's better to just say 'thank you, but I didn't feel that we had a connection so wishing you all the best but I'll decline' or similar.

I bet she'd be the first to moan if the poor bloke lied to her / lead her on.

No, not good - if he texts again she should be more honest but she's leading him on.

Unless he's good at reading between the lines.

She should just say no as kindly and straightforwardly as she can rather than giving somebody unwarranted hope.

This made me think about the Sex and the City episode where one or more of the main characters are scratching their heads over a man who seems interested but doesn't take things further and one of their boyfriends says "he's just not that into you" and they all find it a revelation. It's been a fair few years since I watched it so my recollection is probably not 100% accurate but that's the gist. I think it inspired a book and a film.

Yes OP it would be much nicer and kinder of her to let him know she doesn't want to date him.

That's awful. Surely she's a grown ass woman who can articulate a no instead of stringing him along. She owes him nothing.

Surely she could have constructed something that was kind but to the point.

She sounds like she has poor communication skills.

Unfortunately, she hasn't declined it, just postponed it. An honest but kind refusal is much better for both of them.

I agree with you, don't give false expectations. You can say no to a date not because someone is terrible, just that they are better being with someone else even if they have not met that person.

It's one date, she can say what she likes bar actually arranging to meet and cancelling because that's cruel.
No don't do that.

Anyone with an iota of sense will see that it's bullshit and if they can't, they should work on themselves so that they are not so naive and thus vulnerable to disappointment in the dating world.

I think the previous posters are taking this too seriously as if one date is the first step to marriage.

Apart from actually arranging to meet and not turning up it's OK to make excuses.

Presumably she won't contact him again and after a week he'll get the hint.