…i am sitting at the train station and just saw a hot blonde walking by in a very short skirt, stockings, and boots wheeling a bag

If you don’t get punched in the face, maybe you identified her. Then again, maybe she punches you in the face anyway because it’s none of your business.

heresy!

Go up to her, pretend you recognize her, and ask her if she's Judy Hotstuff from Al Bundy High class of 69. If she says 'No' and starts looking around for security, then 'No' is your answer. If she says 'No' but smiles and engages in conversation, then don't take 'No' as her final answer. Your objective is to get her digits, not make an appointment on the spot. Now, if you're in LA, be warned that all the women look like her.

Just like some of you gents would be MORTIFIED to be recognized/approached in public, even if you are single/alone in the moment and others would find it hawt to be approached/chatted up by a woman who knew/thought you were a monger... ladies have a similar range of desires.  
 
Undoubtedly, the safe thing for everyone to do is the merest of eye contact/head bob/wink/half smirk and then KEEP F'N WALKIN' along! You never know if someone's SO/SD/etc is just across the way or around the corner. Who wants to cause drama‽?😳 If you've actually met the other person (vs just recognized/surmised they are part of this lil world), then maybe text them and say 'Hey, are you in X place cuz I think I just saw you'.  

Not like anybody has a "I'm a sex worker" sign on their head

Statistically one out of every 20 women you see is or was a sex worker, regardless of age, looks or what she is wearing. One out of every 5 men has paid for sex, also regardless of age, looks or what he is wearing. So statistically you are much more likely to run into a client who has paid for sex than an actual sex worker. "Sex work" is obviously a very broad umbrella, so this includes on line services as well.

Specifically, that one of every 20 women is or was a sex worker. I'm surprised it's so high. Same with one out of every five men has paid for sex. I believe you because you've been a credible poster but I'd love to see your sources.
Personally, none of my non-TER friends have admitted to playing this game. And the only women I've met who are providers are girls I've personally been with or met at M&Gs.

The definition of sex work is very broad, so if you are just thinking of paying for sexual intercourse that percent would be much smaller. "Sex work" includes dancers (belly dancing, burlesque or pole dancing), naked/body part modeling (sexual in nature), web cam models, phone sex, peep shows, porn actors, snip creators, erotic massage, sugar daddy/baby, only fans, escorts, and BDSM models or creators are a few I can think of. Obviously there may be some sex workers that just do one type of sex work and there may be some that do multiple types. Most of these are legal so there will be more statistics on them than the types that are illegal. So again, this percent is all sex work, not just a sex worker selling sexual intercourse and a client paying for sexual intercourse. I honestly can not think of one male I know over the age of 40 who has never been to a strip club. Nor do I know of any male that has been in the military and was stationed overseas and who is over the age of 40 who has not visited a brothel in those countries. I don't know any male that has never looked at porn. I guess the only caveat to the last one is how much porn is consumed for free vs. actually paying for it. I think the sex worker percent is probably accurate, but I personally think the male percent paying is higher than one in five.

But I don't quite get saying a male who's looked at porn fits in the same category as someone who's been to a cat house, paid an escort or had sex overseas. Though I do get it's hard to figure out where the line is.
I'll leave it to others to argue about whether it's one in five.
But thanks.

I too am interested in whereu said these specific numbers come from. I made the assumption since you said men and women, that those under 18 are not included in your numbers/

I’m very honesty. Honestly. I am a rare breed indeed. The majority of people I have met in this industry lie. They lie to their loved ones, their SO’s, their friends & family. I choose to tell the truth.

I don't know where I found the numbers, I read this awhile ago and actually when I tried to find the info the data I found   more women are sex workers than what I quoted. This information would be worldwide, not just in the US. The OP just said "provider", I went with the very broad term of sex work. And yes, would be 18 and over.  
But also remember in the majority of the world almost all consensual sex work is legal. In some areas it is also very normalized and an everyday day of life. We live in a vacuum here in the US where even some of the other commentors are concerned about discussing this openly and thus assume no one else is buying sex (or a sexual service, if you will). And yes, going to a strip club is purchasing a sexual service that would be sex work. If you bought a Playboy or rented a porn VHS back in the day you would be purchasing a sexual service or "sex", even if the sex is just with yourself.  
If you are just talking about in person only and only in the US the percents are going to be much, much smaller.

It's ubiquitous in Central and South America, Europe, Australia and on and on. it's a shame prudish America can't figure this out. Still, if you're careful and use TER wisely, you can safely purchase great sex here at almost no risk. As for foreign guidance many times I've recommended The International Sex Guide (ISG) I've used it successfully in Costa Rica and other places.

Given my experience with male friendships, I would gather using the broad definition in the US may be closer to 3 out of 4. That said, there are likely variances in other countries. Some are more open to it. Some are much more strict about it. It’s probably difficult to accurately figure every third world country out. Maybe even some of the larger ones.

I have been on the website USSG but have not viewed the international one! Thanks for the link!!  

Asking me to explain the obvious. In fact, it's so obvious even this Neanderthal should get it. Please ignore the troll.

...that you'd be triggered by a simple question.  Being TER is basically a communication platform and a database of information, it's pretty basic in navigating and pulling useful info from it.  It's the "use TER wisely" part that I do not understand because it's so rudimentary that you'd have to be pretty dumb to not be able to take advantage of all of the information so easily at hand.  Unless I'm missing something, adding "wisely" is redundant and ads nothing to the statement.  So again I ask, what do you mean by "use TER wisely"?
But, flatter yourself if you must by calling me a stalker.  If you look at the other boards where we have had interaction, you'll find yourself in perpetual response to my posts and always having to have the "last word" but not the other way around.    

Please seek help.

I guess I'm not really expecting one because you really don't know why you wrote what you did other than trying to sound like Obi-Wan Kenobi talking to young Luke Skywalker.  Please tell me ickydik, I'm flying into Salt Lake in a couple weeks and have an appointment with a smokeshow with awesome reviews and I gotta know....will the Force be with me?

Obviously it means "do your homework" and was used simply because I didn't want to explain all the ways TER can help someone make good choices. The fact that you had to pretend not to understand shows either how dense or how tendentious you are.
As for your SLC trip, no, the Force will not be with you.
As always with snafool, it will be the Farce.

Wow, after 3 days of dodging a very simple question you found the courage to speak the truth.  I would agree with doing your homework is all that is really necessary to get properly laid using TER.  It's truly a very low bar for success.

I "found the courage to speak the truth?" LOLOLOLOL!!!! What I actually did was briefly descend to your level and point out the obvious. I think it was even obvious to you. But as a stalker and a troll you played your petty and juvenile game.
So congrats on your big "win."

...on the ground and crying like a little boy that just peed his pants and others are laughing at him.  Snaf isn't laughing, but as he begins to walk away he's slowly shaking his head and wondering..."why does ickydik bring this on himself every day?".  He feels bad for ickydik and hopes someday, he'll learn to be a better person.

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt."

i was not interested in “picking up” a sw…i was just playing a game by checking out all the women traveling alone and seeing if they had any obvious signs of their profession…

Us sexworkers look like CEOs or dressed down to look normal. By your definition this lady sounds like every lady I see in ChIcago outside a club minus the bag.