I never expect staff to look at me as if I'm the highlight of their day - I'd feel patronised if they did
Same here. You can tell when someone is faking, and when they genuinely mean a smile or a greeting.
Over here we think of the approach that comes up with a huge smile, and an "Hi, can I help you!" and a "Have a nice day!" as being "American."
I suppose it is...although I must say that baffles me utterly. I know what you're saying, but since I have never known anything else, it seems odd to label something that way. Everywhere you go, that's just how salespeople and customer service folks greet you. But it's like everything, isn't it? It's all in what you're used to.
I don't even go into shops when someone is lurking at the door to greet me, and I get pounced on by falsely-smiling people, asking if they can help me.
Absolutely! The worst are those shops where the salespeople are paid on commission. You can practically see them circling the customers like sharks trying to scent blood in the water. I hate that. I hate feeling pressured when I'm in a store. That's one of the reasons I love Best Buy so much, that big electronics/DVD store I took you and king_pellinorAnd, hey, isn't this a peculiarly British expression?
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Date: 2006-12-08 05:29 pm (UTC)Same here. You can tell when someone is faking, and when they genuinely mean a smile or a greeting.
Over here we think of the approach that comes up with a huge smile, and an "Hi, can I help you!" and a "Have a nice day!" as being "American."
I suppose it is...although I must say that baffles me utterly. I know what you're saying, but since I have never known anything else, it seems odd to label something that way. Everywhere you go, that's just how salespeople and customer service folks greet you. But it's like everything, isn't it? It's all in what you're used to.
I don't even go into shops when someone is lurking at the door to greet me, and I get pounced on by falsely-smiling people, asking if they can help me.
Absolutely! The worst are those shops where the salespeople are paid on commission. You can practically see them circling the customers like sharks trying to scent blood in the water. I hate that. I hate feeling pressured when I'm in a store. That's one of the reasons I love Best Buy so much, that big electronics/DVD store I took you and
Why yes, yes it is. :-D