Your friend should have adapted, yes, but I would agree with him that what you describe is not the gold standard for polite. I do not expect my boss to tell me to “please” do my job, and would not appreciate it. If it involves my job, give me the instructions necessary to perform the task; if it’s a personal favor, say “please”.
It’s a well known fact that in Florida the further south one goes geographically the farther north one goes attitudinally. Or, as latitude decreases, attitude increases.