Finance, Forex and Investments

Indians responding to compliments by making a gift of the item?

I love Indian (as in India, not Native Americans) jewelry and clothing and am wondering about something that has happened when I have complimented women on their appearance. I told a woman who was a customer in a shop I work at that I thought the shawl she wore was very beautiful and she told me she made it and insisted very sweetly that I take it as a gift. I thanked her as well as I could. Then today, I was in a restaurant and complimented the server on her earrings and tol her how pretty they were. She removed them immediately and also insisted I have them. Both times I refused the gift and only accepted when the lady repeatedly insisted. My question is this: Is this a cultural tradtion and I should be aware of NOT complimenting items because the owner feels obligated to give it? Or am I supposed to reciprocate? I certainly don't want to take advantage of someone being so kind hearted and generous. Does anyone know how to best handle this? Beyond saying Thank You of course.

Public Comments

1. Sounds like you have a nice little thing going on! Yes, of course this is a well-known and widespread tradition of generosity. You comment on how much you like something, and it becomes a gift. It's the reason people sometimes look at you funny when you say how much you like their car. This isn't so common in the US since we are such avid shoppers and you can just tell someone where you got it, or the web adddress and the price. You should definitely reciprocate.