This series always raised a bit of a chuckle in Sydney because one of the two major department stores in town was actually called Grace Brothers at the time.
Fine is just a crappy word to use regardless, but to me not replying with an inquiry about the other person’s health would be rude regardless of the use (or lack of use) of thanks.
It is? Darn. Well then, I guess it was a big useless rant I went on, then, wasn’t it. :smack:
I worked at Harrods in the early 1970s for a couple of weeks (Christmas Sales temporary staff).
The sales assistants used their first names, even in front of customers. Senior staff and the Department Manager were called Mr. and Mrs.
We were all treated perfectly politely.
We were asked to dress smartly and did so. (Hey, some customers were millionaires - it was a posh place!) If a ‘correction’ was needed it was done unobtrusively.
We stood up most of the time, ready to help. We didn’t know the Floor Manager by sight, but were told to be polite to everyone.
Lack of courtesy in ordering drives me nuts, too. “I need another beer.” Okay, bad example. That I would regard as okay once a rapport has been made with the waitress. But in normal circumstances, “I would like” and such is still the social norm. I’d chalk it up to “ugly Americans,” even as there are many here right at home.
Somewhere around Casa Hook there is a picture of this store. We visited Oz in the 90s and almost fell over laughing when we saw it. The inside of the actual store was a distinct step up from the one on the show
I think it was. They did tend to specialise in that genre. Another of theirs (I think) that I tend to put into the same category was one about the staff of a rather under-utilised country branch railway just before the great rationalisation of the railways in the UK in the 1950s or 1960s - whenever it was.
Yes, the Sydney one was nothing like the television one. I went to school with a couple of the boys from the Grace family. I remember them saying that their father, who at that stage was the head of the department store, absolutely hated the television show.
According to this “Ironically, “Old” Mr. Grace was actually a couple of decades younger than Young Mr. Grace.”
Too right, any British child would get a clip round the ear from Mum for such rudeness. We’ve all been trained from the cradle to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ at every opportunity. My girlfriend is a stickler, and berates me frequently if I forget myself. Typical exchange at home:
Her: Would you like a coffee?
Me: Um, yeah okay
Her: Yes PLEASE. You’re SO rude sometimes.
As for British workplace etiquette, my (80 year old) father is from a dying breed of managers who still insist on formal address. In the company he founded, he’s still called ‘Mr SanVito’, whereas my brother who now runs the place is just ‘Richard’ to the staff. My father was once drafted in to temporarily manage the setting up of a factory in the US in the 80s. He introduced himself to the factory manager (his underling) as ‘Mr SanVito’. The manager said ‘what’s your firstname?’. My Dad said ‘Mr’.
But then this is a man who wears a suit and tie every day, unless he’s on a golf course.
I have been told off for saying “excuse me” rather than “excuse me, please”, which I thought was excessive.
But I must admit that when some sales guy or call centre minion addresses me from the outset by my first name, it does rankle just a little bit. It’s the over-familiarity rather than a lack of respect thing. You know, they could ask permission first. Mind you, I’m get-off-my-lawn-ish enough now that I’d probably say no.
I agree with you. When my 94 year old gran had a stroke back in the late 80s, I was really offended on her behalf that the nurses called her by her first name. This is a woman who never even called her next door neighbour by their first name. Show her some respect!
I agree. When they ask me my name, I just give them my last name - not title or anything, just the last name. Nobody has yet asked for my first name, which is a shame because the answer will be “Mister”.
Sometimes, though, they already know your first name from their screen or whatever, and just come straight out with it. I’m always like, woah, did I miss the meeting where we abolished that piece of social etiquette?
And your nickname is “Sir”.
Agreed. And what drives me REALLY crazy about this is that the name they have in front of them is not what any who knows me would ever call me. My full first name is Catherine, but people only EVER call me Kate, so the repetition of Catherine down the phone line REALLY grates (and I’ll be damned if I’m going to say ‘no no call me Kate’)