I hate dogmatic answers to questions like this.
I mostly open carry. That's because I leave my house once every few days at best, and open carry around the house/property works for me.
I also live in a fairly rural area, and while I'll generally untuck before heading into a gas station or grocery store, I don't always. Most don't notice; those who do don't care - again, for the most part. Of course I'm also big, mostly disagreeable (my wife thinks I look angry when out in public), aware, polite to all, and work hard to maintain situational awareness.
Of course, I live in Georgia where 20% of our population has a carry permit, and attitudes are different in urban areas than where I live.
But I also take issue with the "if a bad guy sees your gun they'll take you out first argument." Think this through: you and your buddy are going to rob a gas station. You take a quick look around and see a police officer walk in. Do you shoot him in the head as your first move, or complete your purchase, walk outside, reassess, and maybe try again in 10 minutes? What if that isn't a cop that walked in but a biker with a 1911 on his hip, or a trucker with a big 'ol revolver. What changes? Your goal is to "make crime pay," and that means not getting into a gunfight when all you want to do is steal $700 easy dollars. You wait until it's safer, or you pick another location.
Same with one of the recent school shooters. That individual left their first target because security was sighted - the presence of one armed individual stopped a church shooting.
There are no easy, binary, black/white or right/wrong answers here.
You've got lots of choices when you choose to go armed. Choose something that makes sense for you, and adapt as necessary. When I do go to Atlanta I tend to carry higher-capacity firearms and I do conceal there, but that's the exception. Mostly I'm an all-day every-day open carrier. Of course I've got a pistol range about 100 yards from my house too.
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