Are you friendly to strangers?

I don't tend to compliment complete strangers on their clothes or accessories. Some people can get funny about that, and although I do notice decent clothes, men in particular can get weird if you compliment them on their attire.

But I do find myself talking to complete strangers if they approach me, and finding myself quite comfortable having those conversations. Although I'm an introvert my nature, and I used to think of myself as very shy, I do like speaking to strangers and striking conversations with them. The only awkward thing is ending them. I feel rude when I have to say "I've got to go now."

I never notice watches, bags, or shoes, but I am very friendly to strangers. In the past, if I'd see a cool band shirt, I'd say something, but I guess those Pink Floyd shirts got old after 40 years (and I never see "new" bands advertised). And if they talk, I'll definitely talk back, since I'm very talkative. 99.9% of the time its someone who is over 70, which is great, because I don't want to talk to a teenager, but its too bad that its only REALLY old people with humanity.

Now if I (mid-30s) were to say hello to someone around my age or younger, they'd stare at their shoes or phone.

That sort of thing is NOT done in NYC
In the outlying suburbs conversation loosens up a bit and it's more friendly but I would not compliment a strange woman on her outfit...that can only cause trouble

polite is the better word.

I wouldn't compliment on anything they have. That'd be weird as if I were trying to steal from them or distract them to do some bad thing on them.

As for a stranger talking to me, I would politely answer something short, and ignore and avoid them. Being cautious (for reasons above). That's what happens when you live in a place full of petty thieves and robbers.

That applies for random people on the street.

I smile at strangers and say hello if eye contact is made. It all depends on the situation but mostly I wouldn't freak out. I mean if it were a creepy person totally different reaction. I also compliment people all the time. I guess it's a little less threatening for a woman to compliment a woman, but I believe that honest compliments can mean so much to self esteem. It's all about delivery though. I've found that in the past getting a compliment from a guy who was really hitting on me was frustrating because you know it's just a line, but you can tell when it's not. Those ones feel good.

Yes. I'm a friendly sort in general.

I've complimented strangers, and had strangers compliment me.

Today I took my dog for a walk in an open nature preserve and met up with a man and his dog early on. We ended up walking around the preserve with our pups (great dog! nice man!) and had a very nice chat. He surprised me at the end by saying he'd like to stay in touch and could he have my phone. I gave it to him. This wasn't a romantic sort of thing. He's happily married. We just had stuff in common, and our dogs liked one another. He said his dog didn't usually get on this well with other dogs, so it'll be fun to met up again sometime so they can hang out together. They acted like they were brothers!

Er, uh, I wandered off topic. It's that it was a very nice experience in an otherwise hectic day, and it's related to your question.

Now I'm curious to read what others had to say.

Im notoriously shy but I talk to strangers all the time, even sudden long conversations.