Old guy noticed I had a ton of produce and complimented me at the store.

Bro do you know how rare it is to get like honest compliments from other men?

Honestly, the solution to this, I think, is to start complimenting other men. Men don’t compliment each other because they’re afraid of being seen as gay (even if they’re not aware of it, it’s fully ingrained into us from the time we’re children). Breaking that barrier and complimenting other men, and not (openly) caring about that stigma will help other men do the same. Eventually, men will start complimenting each other.

Note, I say this as a gay man, so I’m sort of past the whole humiliation of people thinking I’m gay bit. I understand it would likely be more difficult for a straight guy, because you (they?) have to also worry about losing potential romantic partners if people think you’re queer.