With an inconspicuous camera like the GR and snap focus, you might find that you can still often and fairly easily get candid shots (even close up) by bringing the camera up to head or chest height and taking the shot when you see an interesting subject.
This can yield more flattering portraits, as the angle is more straight on towards the face (less distortion of the face) and you can get more interesting ground-level background than sky. It can also be nice to get shots of people when they instinctively look at your eyes (and not necessarily at the camera, depending on where you hold it), rather than shots where it is obvious they have no idea you were even there (which can come across as voyeuristic).
At the very least, using a swag of techniques will yield more variation and different compositions in your albums
This technique can be more noticeable to the subject than shooting from the hip (which also has its time and place), but the subjects often won't realise until after you've got the shot, or they may not even notice at all. Alternatively, you can walk around holding the camera up higher and people may assume you are just walking, or reviewing pictures, or filming, etc.
If you do get "caught" taking a shot, most people either won't care or will just look the other way (but you've already got the shot). If they do take issue with you taking their photo, you can often disarm them by being friendly and showing them their photo or offering to send it to them or delete it if they don't like it. You might also actually meet some cool and interesting people this way, and get even more photo opportunities.
Don't take this the wrong way. I don't mean to criticise your photos or your style at all, and I am by no means an expert on any of this. In my own journey I am trying to be more confident in taking photos of people in various circumstances. At the end of the day, taking photos is personal, and there is no right or wrong way to do it. However you choose to do it, will reflect your particular view of a moment in time and will have personal meaning for you