Simply put, try not to take your snake into stores. Its fun, yes. I take Salem everywhere, but whenever people get uncomfortable I remove him from view. I love to take him to pet stores, parks, et cetera. The people at our petsmart know him by name and all sorts of people ask me about him. I usually take him to friend's houses, pet stores, and to parks. However again when people show discomfort, I keep him close to me. Do not stop taking him out and socializing him, just don't let those anti-reptile people get to you. Just keep in mind where you take him, for example don't take him into a grocery store or a hardware store, not only is that dangerous but people will gather a negative attitude towards you. Above all else, don't let anyone talk down at you for having a snake. Snakes are beautiful, wonderful creatures, and closed-minded individuals like that ruin your day.

To be frank, I used to talk to my customers about my snake all the time. One person complained about me telling her little girl why pet snakes shouldn't be feared, and I got in trouble about it until a bunch of my coworkers saw me bringing Salem into the pet store and saw how nice he was.

It's really not about the snake, its about the people wanting attention.