That's a good question. I addressed this in another comment. I can see how it may seem as if there's no safe way to approach a woman. I wouldn't say that's true, however. Often, it's more HOW the approach is made. Cheesy lines, invading personal space, etc. right off the bat are bad. That being said, I've had lots of pleasant conversations and made some good friends through random chats that just happen. A smile, a polite hello, maybe a comment about something that's of particular note and happening in the vicinity are all good and don't make women feel like they're being graded like cattle for later use and consumption. Here's an example, say there's a particularly good sale on corn on the cob (this actually happened a couple years ago to me):

Guy: (sidles up to me, invading my personal space) Damn something looks good!.

Me: (points to corn) Yeah, corn.

Guy (doing the old up and down glance): Ummm, that too.

That's not good. However, I ended up having a 10 minute conversation with another gentleman who was digging in same barrel of corn as me who just smiled and mentioned to me that he hadn't seen corn at 10 cents an ear since...ever...cue discussion on rising grocery prices etc.

I guess what I'm saying is approach us as people, not as potential bed buddies, if that makes sense.