Choosing the right place to cold approach is vital to your success. Picking incorrectly could mean the difference of not having multiple new women in your life.
The best places to cold approach is at malls or colleges. These places are optimal as they have enough women available to approach an enough around your age. You'll want to be somewhere that allows you to approach at least a dozen women per hour. Otherwise, you'll waste time with little success.
We'll break down all the common places people approach at, how to approach at them, and whether or not approaching at the gym is worth it.
The mall is by far the best place to cold approach at:
Women aren't typically too busy or preoccupied to talk.
Regarding alternating malls, it's a great option for not being recognized as "that guy who talks to every girl." If you find yourself hitting up a specific store often, the retail clerk would probably recognize it.
It's not a big deal or a deal-breaker, but some may want to avoid it.
Speaking of retail girls, they're a great approach option and one that I've had a ton of success with. I've always been surprised by how many want to keep talking after I approach them (even if they reject me). This is especially common with retail workers. I assume many of them are just really bored and want to chat.
Here's a short cold approach video example I did in a mall years ago.
Cold approaching at a college/university is a fantastic choice if it's available to you. Depending on your circumstance, it may even be a better choice than a mall if you live close to one. Either way, it's worth checking out.
They're unmatched in terms of the highest frequency of single attractive women in your age group.
Note that if you already go to the school, you may note want to approach a ton there. You don't want to gain a reputation as the guy hitting on everyone. If you are at college now, check out How to Get Laid in College.
Coffee shops are good date spots, but aren't a great for approaching.
While it's reasonable to expect to see attractive women at them, they're just too small to have enough of them. Unless there's one attached to a mall where you're already approaching at, I wouldn't bother.
Cold approaching at a grocery store is a lot like a coffee shop. There are not enough opportunities to make it worthwhile. However- that doesn't mean you shouldn't ever approach there. They can be great once you reach a point where you don't need to "go approaching."
Not needing to "go approaching" means you can approach an attractive woman any time you see fit. So, any store you consistently visit should provide enough options in the long run. Worth it if the retail girl is cute, too.
Depending on the size of the library or bookstore you're approaching at, they can be viable. If you're someone who reads a lot, you should definitely keep an eye out for prospects. At the very least, it's worth checking out the ones attached to colleges.
Check out How to Meet Women at the Library for advice on how to make the approach and the advantages of bookstores versus libraries.
Cold approaching at parks, also similar to coffee shops, is not worth it unless it's something you're already doing. I've detailed how you can make a park approach (as I've lived behind a popular one for years).
The best type are generally dog parks if you have a pupper. Everyone loves to comment on other's dogs, so it's a great conversation starter if you're struggling with approach anxiety.
There are some other great options if you plan to cold approach with a friend.
While approaching with a buddy can be done anywhere, it opens the doors to approaching other groups of women. This could range from a situational event like a music festival approach to just hitting up your local beach. It's even better if you can be the guy in the group to initiate it.
Another passive option for cold approaching is visiting a place related to your hobby or interest. Again, it's not worth planning by itself though.
If you are interested in joining a specific hobby group- Meetup.com could work (I haven't personally used it, though).
You can cold approach at the mall by visiting the stores with the best odds to have attractive women your age. If you're unfamiliar with a certain mall, visit their directory online and find the best stores to visit (or just wait, as you'll end up doing laps around the mall anyway).
Another option is to hang out at the food court and look for openings.
Make sure no more than 3 seconds pass from when you see a girl to when you start approaching her.
The longer you wait, the more difficult it gets (and the more likely you'll talk yourself out of it).
Check out the best openers for knowing what to say after you make a mall cold approach.
You can cold approach at colleges by utilizing their libraries, cafeterias, or campus lounges. Approach a girl by mentioning how you're going to school there next semester and asking what it's like here. This works as a reliable icebreaker if you're struggling to say "hello."
Another option is to bring up a textbook a girl may have with them, and asking how the class is. If you need help getting started, just asking anyone for directions to a specific part of the college is a good AA drill.
Of course, if she sees you there week after week, it's not exactly ideal. Again, it shouldn't stop you from approaching, but I know it's hard enough for most guys already.
We don't need more excuses not to do it, so preferably rotate mall approaches in with it. In addition, choosing different days (and time of day) can help ensure you see a large enough variety of women.
It's okay if most of what you're saying is small talk. Most of the approaches I've made have been full of fluff. You'll get better at toning it down over time.
After you chat with them for a bit, ask for their number.
You can rely on an "excuse" of asking if they're willing to help you out more if you have other questions. Or, just be straight saying how you "have to get going but wondering if they would want to hang out sometime".
There's no need to worry about it possibly backfiring, either. Even if you have no connections to that school, you can easily just say you decided to hold off registering for classes for now.
Another option is to attend campus events or clubs. If you have a relevant interest in one that's available, it can be a suitable option (if there's enough people joining). It's pretty typical for them to be available to the public.
Cold approaching at the gym isn't a great option. Most women normally wouldn't feel they look great while exercising and wouldn't want to be talked to. In addition, gyms should be a place anyone can go without being judged or bothered.
However, that doesn't mean you can't meet anyone at the gym.
Your best option is to be friendly with someone you might like, saying a few short words or just saying "hi." Over time, you can gradually get to them better to the point where you can ask them out.
Basically, you can turn a "cold" approach into a "warm" one.
You can also do the same through fitness classes. Yoga can be great as you're practically guaranteed to see the same group each week. The best part is you can chat and be friendly with everyone, then gauge who may be interested by their receptiveness.
I don't usually recommend investing time into any one girl when you don't know if it'll lead anywhere. However, you have nothing to lose if you're already planning to workout anyway.
Remember- this way of meeting new women for everyone. Make sure you are confident in whether you should be cold approaching (or not). If you have any other places you're wondering about approaching at, let me know in the comments below.
I've approached (or been approached) at just about anywhere you can think of. I'll let you know how it went and if it's a good idea to do.