How do you personally greet a superior officer outside?

In uniform, I salute and verbally greet/acknowledge them.
Outside of uniform, I verbally greet/acknowledge them.

While it has been a while, much would depend upon how well I knew the officer and their rank. I know many will find this amazing, but I have been know to actually mess with people at various time in my military career? One of my favorite in connection to this question was the young lieutenant who I ran into coming out of those old WWII barracks, that had been converted into warehouses with a steaming cup of coffee in his right hand. I saluted out of reflex and the lieutenant came very close to throwing coffee into his own face, but caught himself just in time, quickly switched hands...spilling hot coffee all over his hand...and returned the salute. When I saw him switch the coffee back to his right hand...after that I just could not help myself. Told the corporal with me, 'Come on!' We sprinted around the building and we were able to get back in front of the good lieutenant just as he was turning to the short end of the building, offered another salute and greeting of the day, giant smile on my face as he sloshed coffee on his left hands again...the poor corporal having no idea what just happened but guilty by association...and I was surprised as well to find that the response to the greeting had been changed to variation of the F-bomb? My favorite part to this day is the confused look on the corporal's face and him realizing he had been messing with our new LT but not sure how he had been dragged into it.

I'm used to seeing Colonels and Sergeants Major frequently enough, outside of my own office. Salute, then greeting, salute is returned, carry on.

Though I did see one Major shout, "Don't salute me" to a group of Enlisted and Officers his junior returning from lunch in pairs. He was standing near the entrance, having a conversation with an SFC and I can only imagine that he had been getting a lot of salutes given where he was standing. So I informed him of a nearby bench where he wouldn't be bothered. Don't know if he took my suggestion, kind of his own fault really.

The nod & "sup dude?" As a retiree, I can get away with that! ;)

Yo, General, waaaaasssssuuuuuuuuuuuuuuppp??

In response to the picture.. WTF? The least inappropriate term I can think of to use for that is soup sandwich with can of 8up.

I was always 'Morning Sir / Ma'am or 'Morning Maj. Snuffy (well whatever their real last name was, I didn't call them Snuffy :) ).

You don't have "notice the officer may be heading your way and cross the street or turn away and pretend you are busy and did not notice the officer" in your choices!

"Superior" or "Senior"? ;)

To be honest, LTC (Join to see) , it depends on my relationship with the Officer. If I don't know (or don't care for) the person wearing the rank, then I simply salute with AM/PM greeting of the day.

If I know the person then I extend the greeting as appropriate: "Good morning ma'am. See you at senior staff (or some other add on).

When I was at school (Leonard Wood), there was a 1/2 mile path between the DFAC and the schoolhouse. Certain times of the day (typically around meals) there was a lot of officer traffic. I noticed every thing from calling a gaggle of classmates waiting for accountabilty being called to attention with the caller saluting with greeting of day, to similar gaggles moving away from the side of the main path to avoid dozens of salutes.

Almost every post has specific greetings and responses that are supposed to be followed by both parties, but I rarely see it followed. 90% of the times it is "good (time of day) sir/ma'am", or often just "sir/ma'am"

I SUPERIOR officer, I always greet w/ the respect & dignity of their position.

Now you, LTC (Join to see), I typically give the Spaceballs salute to...

Seems to be some confusion regarding the use of the word superior. As an NON-commissioned officer, ALL Commissioned officers were of superior rank. The use of senior here would be inappropriate, as that indicates officers of a rank higher than captain or major, or colonel. The use of the word superior is accurate, but does not indicate whether or not the superior is commissioned or non-commissioned. That would determine the appropriate greeting, as noncoms are not normally saluted except in certain circumstances, such as turning over control of a formation of soldiers. I assume the question is referring to commissioned officers. In either case, the superior is given the appropriate greeting and for officers, a hand salute is rendered until returned. If I am sitting outside and a person of superior rank approaches me, all the above applies and I would stand at attention for officers, and at parade rest for NCO's, until told to do otherwise.