Today is my soapbox day. I usually don’t like to rant but today is a good day for this. I don’t know where “no problem” came from in our world today, but when I was growing up, when someone said “thank you”, the reply was “you are welcome”.
It seems today the common response to “Thank you” is “No Problem.” That just makes my skin crawl, particularly when it is said by a person in a store, or a server at a restaurant. I really never thought of my purchasing from a store or spending money in a restaurant as a potential problem, or felt that I had to be reminded that I wasn’t a problem, or that their serving me was no problem. I wanted to reply, “It shouldn’t be a problem as your employer is paying you to serve customers,” but didn’t.
Several nights ago we stopped at a Chick-Fil-A. I hope you have one of these wonderful restaurants in your area. Not only is the food delicious, but the young people working there have been versed in proper responses. When we paid for our food and was handed the tray, I said “Thank you” and the response was “My pleasure.” “My pleasure!” Are you kidding me? Someone finally gets it. That made my day. My pleasure…what a lovely thought.
When we were kids my Dad was a stickler for greetings and responses when we were introduced to anyone. He taught us to extend our hand, shake firmly, and reply, “nice to meet you,” while making eye contact. He was always introducing us and observing our response. I get it now! I understand why this was important then and important today. Manners are so very important.
So today I salute the Chick-Fil-A restaurants and any other employers that teach their employees the importance of making a customer know they are valued. It’s my pleasure to salute the people that developed their training program, developed standards of service, and hired young people who get it.
Ok, I am down off the soapbox. Is it just me, or do you agree
