I've had good luck with the "I look like your mother (or grandmother) and you like being helpful to her, right?" look. Bonus points if he's with his girlfriend (wife) and can impress her with how useful he is.

And I have asked tall young women if they're the closest.

Go, askye with all the adulting today!

I'm constantly bothering tall people at the market to get things for me, and by "tall" I mean over 5 feet which is taller than me and means they're usually able to reach the top shelf.

I do this all the time. Usually at least one item per grocery trip.

My original idea for my kitchen was to put up a pegboard, but then I realized that I couldn't do that without damaging the walls. So, my new idea is to get some kind of decorative border and frame the area where I would have put the pegboard, and then put up a ton of Command hooks for holding stuff.

I'm constantly bothering tall people at the market to get things for me, and by "tall" I mean over 5 feet which is taller than me and means they're usually able to reach the top shelf.

As a person surrounded by tall and strong people, I assure you they are delighted to help. Makes them feel all manly and helpful and stuff. It happens to the boys and DH all the time. Usually they are observant enough to offer, but are more than happy to help.

In our last kitchen, we had no cabinet space for pots and pans, or drawer space for cooking utensils. The walls were knotty pine, so hanging stuff was no problem. We had a four foot by five foot sheet of pegboard, spray painted orange, on one wall. All the pots, pans, and spoons, spatulas, pastry blenders, skimmers, meat forks, etc. hung on that pegboard. I had amall towel bars on the inside of two cabinet doors to hold pot lids. It was rough and ready, and honestly, keeping the less-used stuff clean was a bit of a hassle, but I loved the accessibility and ease of use and storage.

I'm a fairly tall woman in a family full of short women. I like getting things off high shelves for people, it's a simple thing to do that makes me feel useful.

Also, the best hiding place is the place only I can reach to dust...

As a person surrounded by tall and strong people, I assure you they are delighted to help. Makes them feel all manly and helpful and stuff. It happens to the boys and DH all the time. Usually they are observant enough to offer, but are more than happy to help.

I usually ask women. I'm more comfortable speaking to a stranger if it's a woman.

I just found out that my next door neighbor just had major surgery. Half of me feels like I should do something, and half of me feels that at 8 1/2 months pregnant, maybe I get a pass this time.

I'm more comfortable speaking to a stranger if it's a woman.

I try to find young men well into the "I'm old enough to be your mother, young man" range, because they're more likely to have automatic reactions built in. I wouldn't ask a man closer to my own age for fear of flirtation attempts--unless he's with his wife.

at 8 1/2 months pregnant, maybe I get a pass this time.

Oh, good lord, yes. Plus, it might make them feel even worse to have you doing something, a la "Oh, god, I must be dying, sj is coming over to check on me in her state."