Let me start by saying, “Thank you” to anyone who might be reading this. Over these 30 blogs, I’ve covered a wide variety of topics, so if we can consider #30 to be a milestone, then it’s time to express some appreciation. And to discuss those magic words that we learn as children – not “more dessert” or “it wasn’t me,” but rather “Thank You” … “Gracias” … “Arigato” … “Danke” … “Grazie” … “Obrigado” … “Spasebo” … “Merci” … “Tak” … “Xie Xie” …

In some places, “Thank You” has become overused, while in others, the phrase has become distressingly rare. For whatever reason, both have become pet peeves of mine, and perhaps, after reading this, of yours as well. Let’s start with overuse.

You might be wondering, “When can ‘Thank You’ be said too much?” Well, how about in TV interviews. Why do they have to conclude, “Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us,” followed by this response: “Thank you.” I’m sorry, but is there some FCC rule against saying, “You’re welcome?” If you listen carefully, sometimes they don’t even stop at two. The thanks can go back and forth, and even extend to the co-host: “Thank you, Charlie, for that excellent report.” “Thanks.” “And now, over to Bob.” “Thank you, Jenny, and thank you, Charlie, and thank you too, Bob. No, wait, I’m Bob. Well, thanks for that introduction.”

But the other side of the coin is what I find more irritating, and that is the disappearance of a simple “Thank You” in most retail establishments. As a youngster, when I worked in my father’s retail business, he taught me very early that it is essential to thank every customer. I remember wondering about that, since we were “giving” them merchandise, but Dad pointed out that they could take their business elsewhere, so it was critical to always express our appreciation for their coming to us.

Today, though, in supermarkets and pharmacies and fast food establishments and movie theatres and everywhere else, that simple statement of appreciation for the customer has vanished. Oh, you might get a “Have a nice day,” from a teenage cashier, or maybe even a “Take care,” but that doesn’t fit the bill. I don’t blame the kids - they are just doing what they are trained to do. So why can’t the managers and supervisors and business owners take the time to train them right?

Perhaps you will pay attention to the transaction closing the next time you’re shopping somewhere. And maybe you’ll find yourself in a place where the clerk authentically does say, “Thank you for coming in today.” If so, that’s an establishment that merits your business, because obviously they appreciate it. But please, if they do say, “Thank you,” remember to respond with “You’re welcome.”

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 28th, 2008 at 2:56 pm and is filed under Al. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.