Those dreaded words that no CDer wants to hear?

[Wildaboutheels]

Those awful 4 words. "I love your shoes".

Now, w/o cheating [checking other responses before you post] do you KNOW how you would react?

To simplify, let's assume, you don't see who said it, but the voice certainly sounds female and it sounds like they are within 15 or 20 feet away. [Not 100 feet away and shouted for the whole store to hear]

1] Your heart rate would likely instantly jump to 150 beats a minute and you would likely drop and spill your purse and you would do your best Run Forrest Run impression?

2] You would instantly just KNOW you had been busted? Followed by #1 reaction?

3] Immediately counter attack and go on the defensive with a well rehearsed verbal assault?

4] Thank her for the compliment and/or offer to her where you bought them?

5] Simply say "Thank You" but with your body language let her know you are open to questions?

6] Feel the need to explain to her WHY you are "dressed up"

7] Ignore her/Pretend you did not hear her?

8] Other?

Feel free to pick as many as you want!

[AllieSF]

Mine would be a modified No. 4. The modification would be that she or he has just given me a great reason to start a conversation with another stranger.

[kimdl93]

Without hesitation, 4.

[Michelle789]

I would go with number 4 and thank her. Being complimented on your shoes is a normal part of being a woman. Every time I have gone out en femme I get complimented on my shoes or clothes at least once, especially in support groups.

I understand the fears behind this. "I've been clocked." "I haven't been clocked yet, but I will be clocked when I open my mouth and she hears a male voice."

[Kate's at home]

I'd give her a big smile and say thank you. Unless she was being sarcastic, she would have just made my day. And, I would be thinking what I could compliment her on.

Kate

[Deedee Skyblue]

how do I know it is addressed to me? If I heard a voice and couldn't tell who it was, and there were other people around, I would assume it was addressed to someone else. If there are only 2 people around so I know it must be her talking to me, what else is there to do but say 'Thank you' and try to find something about her to compliment.

Deedee

[natcrys]

My shoes always get compliments.. and I always go for 4. :)

Why on earth would those words be something I wouldn't want to hear? Seriously.. why wouldn't I?

[dana digs sweaters]

#4 & #5 without a doubt :)

[KaceyR]

Mine was #4.. At my recent Dress Barn shopping..
Actually.. Twice.
One by a customer, and another by the SA.
Only thing I find annoying is I still am lacking in the response after.. I'd like to be able to say thanks, and give a good comment back on whatever the lady might have on,etc... But I'm too new and still a bit nervous at this to give quick compliments back I guess :(

[mechamoose]

"Aren't they great??"

Thank you (dear!)

<3

[Marcelle]

Going to go with # 4 as well as that has occurred only it was a scarf I was wearing.

Hugs

Isha

[DebbieL]

Women admire each other's shoes and frequently compliment us on them. The polite thing to do is #4, to thank her for the compliment, preferably in a feminine voice that shows that you truly appreciate her compliment. Even if you don't remember where you got that specific pair, you can give her your favorite store (DSW in my case). Often this will become an opening for a conversation. It's also a good idea to look for some choice she has made and compliment her. Jewelry, clothing, or shoes are all great items to complement. This mutual affirmation validates both of you and creates the opening for mutual admiration and mutual friendship, even if only for a few minutes.

When a woman compliments your shoes or jewelry, this is her way of saying "you're one of us". She may not even realize you are not a natural woman.

Needless to say, it's a good idea to practice speaking in a more feminine voice. A pitch around A below middle C to middle C is a good range, especially if you're a larger woman. It's also a good idea to practice using a range of pitches to show emotion. Most men maintain a rather even pitch, usually less than a third in range. Women often use an entire octave or more.

[S. Lisa Smith]

#4 or #5 depending on how I felt at the time. I've gotten compliments on my tops before, my shoes are pretty plain...

[darla_g]

Can't a compliment be taken as a compliment and leave it at that?

[Underdressed]

#5. I actually had that situation while wearing heels in drab.
Judging by her expression I am pretty sure that it was meant as a complement!
The moment passed so quickly that I never had the chance to respond.

[Jenelle]

I would be nervous as hell but thank her then explain the utter ordeal I had to go through to find them in a 12WW and moan about how I would just die to fit in a size 9.

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi WAH, #7 for sure don't look back and keep walking.

[Nicole Erin]

Why would anyone do anything except 4 or 5?
Unless it is a snide tone, it is genuine. Yeah you probably were "busted" but if so, they have already shown approval.

[Janine cd]

I would go with 4 and smile as I walked away.

[Wildaboutheels]

One odd thing about compliments I have noticed is that Black ladies are probably 10 times more likely to offer them regardless of the store but especially in Payless...

[Jilmac]

I think I would keep it simple and just go with number 4

[lindsey89]

No doubt number 4. I love having conversations like this with women!

[Adriana Moretti]

My shoes always get compliments.. and I always go for 4. :)

Why on earth would those words be something I wouldn't want to hear? Seriously.. why wouldn't I?

I'm rolling with Nat...it is also a very good opening line to say to a GG....the shoes say alot about the women wearing them...

[Nadine Spirit]

#4

And I don't dread it at all. I love getting complements. Generally I don't complement back. But I offer complements to others when I genuinely think they deserve them.

[Millie.Graham]

Well, I am currently super duper in the closest. So if I were to actually hear those words I think I would go with option #0. Fall over dead from a heart attack. :-). But in all honesty. I believe that if I ever screw up the courage to venture out into the big wide world en femme, I would go with number 4 or 5 and be thrilled with the compliment.

[sanderlay]

#4 or 5

I smiled brightly and said to her...

"Thank you."

I think were my words as I hear the woman compliment my outfit and choice of colors. I did say something else but I don't remember what it was.

Added: And I did enjoy hearing the compliment. :D

[Diane Smith]

It has happened to me more than a few times. (Hey, I wear nice shoes, and other people notice!) I always react with #4 or #5, and often wind up in a nice conversation afterwards.

- Diane

[Beverley Sims]

Definitely use number eight..

If she deserves it I would engage her in conversation and sarcastically embarrass the hell out of her.

Otherwise she may be someone I would hit on and then I would take her home to bed and give her a sound education in what a CD'er is capable of. :)

[Mistyjo]

for me it would be 4 or 5 or something in between

[Nadia Pinky]

I think my react will be 4 or 5

[Shelly Preston]

Those are not dreaded words at all.

I love it when I get complimented on my shoes or anything else. I will always take the comment in the spirit which it was given. The vast majority are genuine and sincere and deserve interaction where possible.

Some of the best conversations can start with a lovely comment.

[stephNE]

How about "give off a glow as bright as the sun!"
I've had my ears pierced for about a year now. Every now and then I'll be in the bank or a fast food place and a young lady will tell me she loves my earrings. I love hearing something like that.

[Lexi Moralas]

I am going with 4 , a situation like this was nerve racking when I first started going out. I I grew to enjoy interactions like that. What I dreaded ( but also enjoyed on some level ) was the young male voice that said " damn baby nice ass" that seemed to originate from the pack of high school aged guys hanging around out side Spencer's or the food court ;Happened to me twice , it made me feel good and scared the crap out of me at the same time! I learned not to go to the mall when schools were on vacation. But now that I not able to dress hardly at all I would welcome either experience lol

[Cheryl T]

#4 immediately. I'd tell her what brand, where I got them and how much I paid. All that time I'd be scoping her out so that I could find something I loved that she was wearing and return the favor.


Actually something similar happened to me already.
We were walking through a mall and a lady came up to me and asked if I had crocheted the overlay I was wearing. I told her no, that I wish I had that talent and then told her where I got it and thanked her for the compliment.
She thanked me for the information and we went on shopping.

[Rachel_B]

Out of all the choices, it would be #4 for me which I have done more then once. To me, some of the others just seem like a way to draw more unwanted attention to you therefore making it more likely to out yourself in front of lots of people instead of just one or those that are in earshot.

[ossian]

8) Pretend it is ninja attack by Peter Sellers and start laughing. Probably say thanks my options are very limited, I have very narrow feet,which is actually true.

[Lorileah]

A couple years ago I was informed there is only one correct response "Thank you,"

[Princess Grandpa]

The only compliments I get, excluding my friends who are being nice, are about my nails. Surprisingly I get a lot of those. My response is always the same. I bust out in a big stupid grin and say thank you. Sometimes a small chat develops because of them but not often.

Hug
Rita

[Wildaboutheels]

It's good to see that some here can recognize a glass as half full rather than half empty.

[Jodi]

My designer shoes are my trademark, and I frequently get compliments on them from gg's. I always give a big smile and say "thank you so much". If I am asked about them then I will give more info.

Jodi

[5150 Girl]

A modified #4... AS I sell Avon, I wear a lot of their stuff and often. (Yes, I also have a lot of stuff that isn't)
If I am wearing Avon shoes (or dress or whatever at the time) I'm all Thanks, They're Avon! Do you have a Avon Lady? No? Well you do now!
IF they're not Avon -> Oh thanks! I wish I could say they're out of my Avon books, but I'm cheating today.. Do you have an Avon Lady?

[suzanne]

"Dreaded words"? Are you kidding? I love starting a conversation that way, so I guess I'm a #5 on your list. As someone else said, its a normal part of a woman's day, so bring it on.

[Teresa]

I'm assuming the voice you mean is the nearest and dearest, I would try and get away with 5 !
If another voice is allowed then I go with 8 because the SA said that when I tried the shoes on !

[carhill2mn]

My reponse to this would be "thank you".

[RachelRICD]

I always take a compliment and return a Thank you. I work with hundreds of GGs and get complimented often and always find it delightful. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

[Princess_pantyboy]

#4 for sure Hun all about a thank you with a lil smile too.

Hug
Princess

[Christen]

Yep, #4 & #5.

[Sally24]

I always use #4. It's great to get compliments. Especially from well dressed GGs! If you go out any amount you've got to be ready to interact with others. I prefer to pass or blend but as long as people see me as attractively presenting I don't care.

[Connief]

I would go with 4 or 5. A compliment is always nice to receive. For me, I would she already knows, so what the heck, be nice :)

[Kristencdct]

I would like to think that I'd be graceful enough to go with 4 but I have a feeling 1 would take over.

[CynthiaD]

Are you kidding? I spend a lot of money on shoes! I want people to notice them, and I absolutely love complements. I would thank the person profusely, and return the complement if I could. I would do the same thing even if I were absolutely certain that the complement was meant sarcastically. Nothing short-circuits sarcasm more than being really, really nice.

[jjjjohanne]

The time it actually happened to me, I responded, "Well, thank you." She kept moving and that was all there was to it.

[GenieGirl]

4 Thank her. This happened to me while out with a friend and her husband to dinner last Saturday. My friend complimented my shoes. I thanked her but didnt make any other remarks about them. My gf was with us and didnt want to make a scene....my gf was jealous that i didnt get her a matching pair because she liked them as much as i did...at least i bought her dinner :) Another fun night out as Ginger.

[Kevyn53]

Yeah, number 4, for sure... " Thanks, I got them at...."

[heatherdress]

Depends on the situation - who what where when.

If I were at a CDer party - 4

If it was my boss - 1, 2 and 6