BTW: If someone is so 'religious' and sensitive about 'religion' then why go shopping without a male (Mahram) to begin with??? I am just being curious.
Though it should always be like that but at times in exceptional emergency cases men might not be able to accompany them, which they should. In my mom's case, my dad was in another shop buying other things to save time. Btw, it is amazing that the same shopkeepers **NEVER **gave any such compliments in the presence of a mehram male in the whole history of past. Guess why ? :)