Hereabouts it’s become nearly standard when the weather is good to say “It must be the global warming!” and when the weather is rainy or cold in the summer months we get “So much for global warming. It’s raining/snowing/freezing.” So folks who work in retail what same phrases (other than “please” and “thank you”) do you hear on a regular basis?
One summer in my bookstore I came up with Customer Sayings Bingo with about 12 phrases I heard regularly in previous years that we ticked everytime a customer used one. I think we all bet a pound or a euro or whatever on our favourite phrase. Two that stand out are,
“That time of the year again!” and “Free education my arse!”. I have heard both phrases literally dozens of times and have to smile and nod every time I hear them. But I’m not complaining, it’s just funny.
Back when I pumped gas it was common, on rainy days, to hear: *Nice Weather for a duck. *
Of course there is the standard: Cold/Hot enough for you? (My father thought it was hilarious to respond, when he heard Hot enough For you with: No! The damn controls on my A/C broke and it is freezing in here!)
Haha, I had nearly mentioned “nice weather for ducks” too. To be fair, though, we have that strange big hot and lighty shiny thing in the sky these days. Most odd.
Re. rain, how about when the more cheerful people say" oh, well, we were needing it for the farmers" I have not heard that one for a while, though (and there was always quite likely to be a reply along the lines of “sod the farmers, what about my summer holiday?”
Typical greeting: “Hey there, how you doin’?”
Typical reply: “Purty good, yew?” (this is normally delivered before the question has been completed – along the lines of Interrupting Cow)
When I sold newspaper subscriptions by giving out “free” papers people would always say, “I can’t read.” To which we would respond, “It’s got pretty pictures.”
