Uninvited boys can certainly be a problem, but my experience is the same as fountainhall’s.
As an uninvited lad approaches one makes the briefest eye contact, gives a genuine smile for a millisecond while making a subtle negative motion with the hand, and courteously saying “No, sorry cannot”. Then look away, and pay him no more mind. This approach to the problem rarely fails.
Perhaps where some fail is in maintaining eye contact too long or, if a lad persists, continuing to engage him. He may feel that as long as you engage him he has a chance. In the unlikely event a boy should sit down beside you unbidden, he has transgressed proper bar boy behavior; you owe him nothing more. He no longer exists.
I genuinely sympathize with the spurned lads, and as soon as I have unlimited funds and unlimited time I intend to off every single one of them, but until my resources are infinite I must deal with reality.
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