I don't think it was rude at all.
If Helen had said, "Listen here, fella. You can take your drink and sit on it." THAT would have been rude...

Once, in Monterey, I was filling up gas in Sand City. A guy pulled up to my car and opened his trunk. In the back of the trunk, there was a huge plasma screen TV.
"Here, take it." He said.
"Excuse me?"
"It's my boss's, I quit today. I want you to have it because I hate my boss."
For a split second I saw myself loading it into my trunk. But the other side of me thought better. It wasn't mine to have. I didn't buy it myself... It wouldn't feel right to me. So I told him, "No, thanks."
He seemed surprised and pissed off, but I don't regret that. Besides, it could have been some sort of police sting or something....

Ah, but I do remember a lady coming by the Not Afraid manor with a case full of handmade jewelry. I do believe a tall redhead bought something...
:D

I must've been in a especially good mood that day. ;)

I must say, she was really sweet. Right after that that real estate lady came by and tried to sell me a house in LB, remember?

I should have just had a party that day! I could have invited both the Baptists and JWs in for a religious discussion, too.

It would only be different if the diarrhea was somehow caused by who paid for it.

The leading with the personal questions things is such a standard sales trick that I would just immediately shut down on the person no matter their ultimate intent. If you start with "what kind of car do you drive," "do you go to basketball games," "are you registered to vote in California," "what kind of coffee will you be having" are all immediate signs to me that the person wants something from me so I have no problem with shutting them down and then tuning them out.

Nonsense: "She wants me. I can tell."

Skillet.

Lol! See, what first flashed through my head was that the kid was probably using someone else's card- be it an ex-beau, mom or dad's, or even stolen. Jaded, perhaps, but there you have it. Helen is a mom, and maybe her mom spidey sensors went off. (This kid is being fiscally irresponsible!)

First off, learn how to spell diarrhea :D

Seriously though, the difference in this case is that they were in line to make a purchase - he wasn't making the drink, just offering to pay for it.

I am not sure how "rude" the inquiry was. The words don't seem that offensive, but I am not sure of the approach.

Overall, I think we, as a society, are little too protective. I feel as though we should open up a little more to one another.

I have been trying to figure out to respond to Helen's OP. I keep thinking that I am disappointed (generally speaking) that a simple "no thank you" was not used here. I do think that leaving the establishment was a bit much (unless it was simply out of personal embarrassment). Without being there, I suspect that the worst thing the gentleman was engaging in not the smoothest marketing. Optimistically, I want to believe he was trying to make the world a better place.

I have been known to pay for people's meals at a restaurant. I remember Susan and I having an engaging conversation with the people at the next table one evening several years ago. They were there celebrating their anniversary. I was so touched by their story and their demeanor, that on our way out (we were seated and consequently finished before they did), we paid their dinner tab. We did it simply because we thought it would be an unexpected gesture that would (hopefully) make the world a better place.

I wonder how many interesting conversations that you have missed out on because of this. Sure, a lot of them were probably sales pitches, but not all of them may have been.