I’ve seen one Britisher who said it’s an American-only thing, but since it’s been around for a couple of generations now, it’s probably widespread.
If you don’t say that (I’m talking about English conversations obviously) then what DO you say?
Is it “Good day”? Which is virtually identical. Or what else?
Here in the land of Oz we say have a good day, mate.
I think the main diference between the States and the rest of the world ( well the bit I’m familiar with read:Europe ) is the use of “Have a good Day” or something similar in the service industry .
I found that Americans (people in service indutry) can be more “in your face , nice” than a lot of other Nationalities.*
*This is obviously a generalisation and should be taken as such .
Mmm…when I was in the UK in 1998, I saw a news report which mentioned a study on how British customers felt about the people they dealt with in the service sector. A large percent said that they felt that salespeople were not as rude or polite as they ought to be, and a quote that sticks out in my mind was something to the effect of “While the British like to make fun of the American ‘have a nice day’, this survey shows that we would prefer to have more of that in the UK.” I work in retail, and I usually do say “have a good day/evening.” I try to be, and sound, sincere. People like it when you’re nice, it’s that simple.
In my experience, it’s not just the “have a nice day” thing - service in the US is MUCH better than in other countries. (I have heard that Canadians are nicer than Americans, but I don’t know, having never been to Canada.) I once went to a large mall in Israel, looking for a specific item of clothing, and got so frustrated with the lack of service in every store I went into, that I resolved to buy something at the first place someone offered to help me. I walked out of the mall empty-handed. In no other country has anyone ever bagged my groceries for me, and in Italy, I had to pay for my plastic grocery bag.
In Germany, they do say Good Day, but at the beginning of the conversation, not the end. Hmmm, now that I think about it, I’ve never heard anyone to tell me to have a nice day here, just goodbye.
A lot of my fellow Americans here find the Germans rude because of the big cultural differences. Americans tend to smile more, and are more outgoing. The Germans tend to be more reserved and formal. Customer service is definately not up to US standards. Personally, I like the German people, even if they are a bit crusty.
Have a nice beer! and sit he with me to appreciate the sunset properly, then the dusk, then the evening, then the night and the wee hours and the dawn!
Cultural differences can go the other way too. Americans may feel that persons of other nationalities are cold or even rude, but I’ve been told by more than one European that American friendliness seems fake and annoying to them. It’s all a matter of what you’re accustomed too, I suppose–where you draw the line between polite and unctuous.
There’s even variation within the US, of course. I’m originally from the Midwest, and I stubbornly refuse to become New-York-ified. I look all service people in the eye, smile, and firmly say, “Thank you.” No matter what. Sometimes this illicites a sullen “You’re welcome,” and sometimes I just get a withering look.
Sales people in the US (well, Canada too) can be too nice. I like the politeness, sure, but if someone asks if I want help and I politely say, “No thanks, just looking” I really mean “No thanks, just looking” and not “…but please show me every item in the store anyway”. I might come off as a rude customer, but I can’t help it. I guess it’s the reserved Swede in me. I once left a store although I really liked the stuff because the woman wouldn’t leave me alone. If I want help I’ll ask for it. But that’s just me, I suppose an American in a Swedish store would be highly offended if no one rushed to offer their services.
Or did I get that wrong?
Obviously, this is far different, or else not.
Let me tell you a story about dpr. This is an Australian tale. This is a true story. Everything in this story actually happened.
One day dpr took a couple of friends for a quick drive to ‘Super Rooster’ which is a KFC type establishment only much much better.
After having placed their order, paid for it, received their food they prepared to leave when dpr turned to the young girl behind the counter and said:
“Have a Great Day”
The three friends left on their merry way.
As they were driving back to point a, point a being where they were when they decided to go to Super Rooster (May Super Rooster always prosper until their dreams of world domination are brought to fruition) when one of the friends turned to our yougn hero (dpr not Super Rooster) and said:
“You really meant that, didn’t you? A lot of people say have a good day or have a great day out of habit. But you consciusly say it and mean it. Wow!”
This person was right.