# No Problem
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-problem/392604
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [February 17, 2007, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-problem/392604 "2007-02-17T12:37:29Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 12
### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2007, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-problem/392604/221 "2007-02-23T00:29:48Z")
[QUOTE=blinkingblinking]
I just want them to actually think about the words they are using.
[/QUOTE]
Unless you’re an English teacher and they are your students, that’s rude. Period.
---
### Author:  [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2007, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-problem/392604/222 "2007-02-23T00:29:53Z")
[QUOTE=blinkingblinking]
I have no idea what you are talking about.
You live in Australia. Congatulations !
[/QUOTE]
You suggested that I needed some examples of how the phrases “no worries” and “no problems” are used ambiguously in Australia.
I was saying, in reply, that I don’t need examples because I already live in Australia and am well aware of all of the various ways those phrases are used. Because I know how they are used and I know that they’ve never caused me, or anyone I know, any difficulties, I can then come to a reasonable conclusion that the problem lies with you and not the sales person.
Do you understand better know?
---
### Author:  [@threnodyangelfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threnodyangelfire)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2007, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-problem/392604/223 "2007-02-23T00:35:28Z")
[QUOTE=blinkingblinking]
You are ask me whether I am a native english speaker, and this is an example of what you write!
Were you in that furniture store? Wow. What a coincidence !
Why would you not be able to imagine someone asking a specific question about a chair? Do you have brain damage?
[/QUOTE]
He said he can’t imagine someone replying “No worries” to a specific question about a chair.
Dude! Chill. Be nice! 😛
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### Author:  [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2007, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-problem/392604/224 "2007-02-23T00:46:25Z")
**Blinkingblinking** ,
Here’s a free lesson on communication.
Successful communication requires equal effort on the part of the sender and receiver. If a message is not correctly interpreted by the receiver it can be caused by a failure of the sender OR the receiver. It appears to me that you are making minimal effort when receiving information and are then blaming the communication failure on the sender.
You KNOW what “no worries” means in context in Australia, I honestly can’t see how you couldn’t. Yet you choose to be confused and then you take your confusion out on the sales assistant, or whoever it was who said it. That is rude. Assuming that failure lies with the other person.
As a counter example, in my previous post, I tried to clear up a misunderstanding between us by rephrasing my post. What I did there was give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that _I_ had failed in my attempt to communicate with you. I tried not to blame you for a failure that either of us could’ve been wholly or partly responsible for.
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### Author:  [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2007, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-problem/392604/225 "2007-02-23T00:47:34Z")
[QUOTE=blinkingblinking]
I just want them to actually think about the words they are using.
[/QUOTE]
When someone says, “what’s up?” to you, do you look up?
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### Author:  [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2007, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-problem/392604/226 "2007-02-23T01:27:47Z")
Even though the conversation has moved on to **blinkingblinking** insulting and being insulted by others for no good reason (I know, I know, it’s the Pit), I’ll add my two cents.
In my years of retail service, I made it a matter of course to respond to a customer’s “thank you” with “Thank _you_.” I no longer ring people up, but I have to stop myself from this automatic response when faced with “thank you” in everyday life.
I did defend one co-worker when a customer objected to his use of “no problem.” **tomndebb** is right: however it is interpreted, in the vast majority of cases it’s intended to mean “you don’t need to thank me.” However, it should be accompanied by a “thank you” back to the customer to make it clear where thanks should be applied (that is, to the customer).
I reserved my “no problem” responses to situations when I actually went out of my way in service when thanked for such specifically (often other phrases would be substituted for variety, such as “you’re welcome,” “my pleasure,” or “it’s what I do”). Again, though, it would be accompanied by a clear “thank you” variant.
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### Author:  [@threnodyangelfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threnodyangelfire)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2007, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-problem/392604/227 "2007-02-23T02:12:47Z")
[QUOTE=Mellivora capensis]
//complete hijack, while the Aussies are still in this thread//
I had a conference call with Australia today. I absolutely love the accent, I could listen to an Aussie woman talk all day.
//end hijack//
[/QUOTE]
//hijack
I completely take advantage of that when I travel overseas 🙂
//end hijack
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### Author:  [@cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cherry)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2007, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-problem/392604/228 "2007-02-23T02:44:36Z")
[QUOTE=fluiddruid]
I truly do not understand why people would take offense to this.
“No problem” is something I picked up - maybe it’s a regional thing - I use it with customers all the time. It is not used in the place of “thank you” but instead of “you’re welcome”. If I got fired for it, I would be glad; I wouldn’t want to work for someone so vicious and petty.
[/QUOTE]
A lot of times I’ve gotten a “aah huh” which is to mean your welcome, no problem or whatever acknowledgement to thank you. I’ve never heard of ah huh before moving here to the US but I guess it’s regional. Personally I could care less if they are thanking me as long as they aren’t being rude.
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### Author:  [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2007, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-problem/392604/229 "2007-02-23T02:55:46Z")
> [@blinkingblinking](#):
>
> Why do you get so worked up? Do you think we people protesting about language misuse get so worked up? I do not.
> I dislike some language misuse and I also dislike Ice Hockey [do not capitalize nouns unless they are proper nouns]. It is no big deal.
> I am not the OP. I would not have started a pit [The Pit is a proper noun and should therefore be capitalized] rant about language misuse. I just wanted to put in my 2 [numbers should be spelled out when they are very small numbers] cents into this discussion.
[QUOTE=blinkingblinking]
No [a comma should appear here] that [this pronoun lacks a clear antecedent] is not my ‘reading comprehension issue’. It [ditto] is your lack in writing by not making it clear.
[Either provide a line of empty space between each paragraph, or indent each paragraph]I did not really mean that I annoy people by saying [a comma should appear here] ‘Why would there be a problem?’ I am fairly sure the people are [you change verb tenses here: stick to past tense] not annoyed. Were you?
I just want them to actually think about the words they are using.
[/QUOTE]
> [@blinkingblinking](#):
>
> Since you are making an issue out of it, please tell me how my writing skills are poor.
All bracketed comments mine. Sometimes your writing makes me see red.
Daniel
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### Author:  [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2007, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-problem/392604/230 "2007-02-23T03:01:09Z")
[QUOTE=Left Hand of Dorkness]
Sometimes your writing makes me see red.
[/QUOTE]
It’s also plodding, pedestrian, and utterly without a rhythmic flow that would make it enjoyable to read rather than a tedious trudge.
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### Author:  [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2007, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-problem/392604/231 "2007-02-23T03:58:35Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.]
He’s using it to assume an air of sophistication he clearly doesn’t possess naturally. That’s the very _definition_ of pretentious.
[/QUOTE]
While I don’t disagree that **blinkingblinking** is pretentious, I do disagree that using the word “shall” is all it takes to demonstrate that. What makes you think that the appropriate use of the word, as it was in the quoted sentence, is pretentious?
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2007, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-problem/392604/232 "2007-02-23T04:04:01Z")
[QUOTE=Frank]
What makes you think that the appropriate use of the word, as it was in the quoted sentence, is pretentious?
[/QUOTE]
Call it context.
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### Author:  [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2007, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-problem/392604/233 "2007-02-23T04:27:46Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.]
Call it context.
[/QUOTE]
Well, OK.
I was perplexed. I personally, see no reason why any English word, used in its appropriate place with its standard meaning, should be deemed pretentious.
As I said, I agree with your general sense of **blinkingblinking** as pretentious, but I wouldn’t dare base that on one word.
Perhaps the Aussies could answer me: is the word “shall” common in your dialect of alleged English?
---
### Author:  [@Second\_Star\_to\_the\_Right](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Second_Star_to_the_Right)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2007, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-problem/392604/234 "2007-02-23T04:36:26Z")
Back to the OP:
[QUOTE=Bambi Hassenpfeffer]
I work for a regional chain renowned in its industry for customer service. I have worked in the same department for 8 years, 7 of them in a supervisory role. I have worked in 4 different locations long-term, and I spent a year doing training at over 90 of our locations for the corporate office.
So, explain to me why you think I’m rude, and why you think I shouldn’t be permitted do my job when clearly I am incapable of expressing my gratitude to you in a way you feel is appropriate. Tell my regulars, whom I see (and have seen, in some cases for years) every couple of days that my not saying thanks is an unforgivable lapse in etiquette. And for your finale, explain why “No problem!” is so much ruder than “Thank you.”
[/QUOTE]
I work for the same chain and have roughly the same amount of experience. Normally, I do say “thank you” at the end of the transaction. Force of habit. Today, in honor of this thread, I conducted a little experiment. I didn’t say “thank you” at all. I said things like “Have a good one” “Take Care” and yes, the dreaded “No problem”. And guess what? Not a single customer went away angry. All my transactions proceeded exactly as they would have. I simply substituted one pleasantry for the other.
> [@kalhoun](#):
>
> No problem? NO PROBLEM??? Dude, I know it’s “no problem.” It better not be a fucking problem! It’s your job, you ill-bred, socially inept little dweeb. When I approach the point of purchase, a “hello” would be nice. Try to feign a little enthusiasm, m’kay? I realize yours is a dank existence, but I AM a paying customer and my purchase DOES provide a portion of your income. And if I thank you for your blank stare or your heart-felt grunt, the correct response is “You’re welcome!”
First of all, you didn’t come in the store because you benevolently decided to grace us with your presence and your money. You needed groceries(or whatever). So ease up on the “show some enthusiasm” throttle. You bring up things that actually would provoke a rant- blank stares, grunting, etc, which I fully agree is not acceptable for someone who is interacting with customers. But the topic of your rant is not these things, but the fact that some people say “No problem”? You then go on to call our existence “dank” and to use the blanket statement “ill-bred, socially inept little dweebs” to describe retail workers.
You know what, Kalhoun? Fuck you. You’re a nasty bitch, and people like you are the ones who make retail hell. The thread that Biggirl referenced only reinforces my opinion. You flip out over “no problem”? I think you’re the one who is “socially inept”.
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2007, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-problem/392604/235 "2007-02-23T04:36:41Z")
[QUOTE=Frank]
As I said, I agree with your general sense of **blinkingblinking** as pretentious, but I wouldn’t dare base that on one word.
[/QUOTE]
I didn’t. It was but one of several possible examples of his pretensiousness. I picked two for that post, and that happened to be one of them. Didn’t mean to imply that the word “shall” was automatically pretensions; it just struck me as so in this case, given the general tone of his other posts. Clear?
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### Author:  [@Pixiesnix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixiesnix)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2007, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-problem/392604/236 "2007-02-23T04:49:32Z")
Well, dang.
I was gonna reply directly to **blinkingblinking** ’s dumbassery, but it looks like he’s getting a thorough enough spanking without me.
**kambuckta** , FWIW, I’m sure he dribbles plenty when he talks. 😃
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### Author:  [@Hakuna\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hakuna_Matata)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2007, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-problem/392604/237 "2007-02-23T05:10:10Z")
[QUOTE=blinkingblinking]
You are being rude to me with your pathetic name-calling. But you should realise that you cannot insult me. So try to insult me. I do like insulting people that try to insult me or that are rude to me, because I know those people can be insulted.
I cannot be insulted because I accept everything about myself. I cannot be insulted because I do not care about you or your opinion of me.
I recommend to everyone to make yourself insult-resistant.
[/QUOTE]
Am I the only one hearing Vizzini from the Princess Bride when you read this guy–especially after the above passage? 😃 Truly a dizzying intellect.
Man in Black: All right. Where is the poison? The battle of wits has begun. It ends when you decide and we both drink, and find out who is right… and who is dead.
Vizzini: But it’s so simple. All I have to do is divine from what I know of you: are you the sort of man who would put the poison into his own goblet or his enemy’s? Now, a clever man would put the poison into his own goblet, because he would know that only a great fool would reach for what he was given. I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you must have known I was not a great fool, you would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.
Man in Black: You’ve made your decision then?
Vizzini: Not remotely. Because iocane comes from Australia, as everyone knows, and Australia is entirely peopled with criminals, and criminals are used to having people not trust them, as you are not trusted by me, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you.
Man in Black: Truly, you have a dizzying intellect.
Vizzini: Wait til I get going! Now, where was I?
Man in Black: Australia.
Vizzini: Yes, Australia. And you must have suspected I would have known the powder’s origin, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.
Man in Black: You’re just stalling now.
Vizzini: You’d like to think that, wouldn’t you? You’ve beaten my giant, which means you’re exceptionally strong, so you could’ve put the poison in your own goblet, trusting on your strength to save you, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But, you’ve also bested my Spaniard, which means you must have studied, and in studying you must have learned that man is mortal, so you would have put the poison as far from yourself as possible, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.
Man in Black: You’re trying to trick me into giving away something. It won’t work.
Vizzini: IT HAS WORKED! YOU’VE GIVEN EVERYTHING AWAY! I KNOW WHERE THE POISON IS!
---
### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2007, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-problem/392604/238 "2007-02-23T05:19:13Z")
[QUOTE=Hakuna Matata]
Truly a dizzying intellect.
[/QUOTE]
If that’s not an apropos username, I don’t know what is. 😃
---
### Author:  [@Second\_Star\_to\_the\_Right](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Second_Star_to_the_Right)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2007, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-problem/392604/239 "2007-02-23T06:04:21Z")
[QUOTE=Hakuna Matata]
Am I the only one hearing Vizzini from the Princess Bride when you read this guy(blinkingblinking)–especially after the above passage? 😃 Truly a dizzying intellect.
Man in Black: All right. Where is the poison? The battle of wits has begun. It ends when you decide and we both drink, and find out who is right… and who is dead.
Vizzini: But it’s so simple. All I have to do is divine from what I know of you: are you the sort of man who would put the poison into his own goblet or his enemy’s? Now, a clever man would put the poison into his own goblet, because he would know that only a great fool would reach for what he was given. I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you must have known I was not a great fool, you would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.
Man in Black: You’ve made your decision then?
Vizzini: Not remotely. Because iocane comes from Australia, as everyone knows, and Australia is entirely peopled with criminals, and criminals are used to having people not trust them, as you are not trusted by me, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you.
Man in Black: Truly, you have a dizzying intellect.
Vizzini: Wait til I get going! Now, where was I?
Man in Black: Australia.
Vizzini: Yes, Australia. And you must have suspected I would have known the powder’s origin, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.
Man in Black: You’re just stalling now.
Vizzini: You’d like to think that, wouldn’t you? You’ve beaten my giant, which means you’re exceptionally strong, so you could’ve put the poison in your own goblet, trusting on your strength to save you, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But, you’ve also bested my Spaniard, which means you must have studied, and in studying you must have learned that man is mortal, so you would have put the poison as far from yourself as possible, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.
Man in Black: You’re trying to trick me into giving away something. It won’t work.
Vizzini: IT HAS WORKED! YOU’VE GIVEN EVERYTHING AWAY! I KNOW WHERE THE POISON IS!
[/QUOTE]
That is awesome.
---
### Author:  [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2007, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-problem/392604/240 "2007-02-23T06:18:59Z")
[QUOTE=Kalhoun]
Mild rant, but I woke up still annoyed about it, so there ya go.
I’ve noticed a couple things about retail workers that seem to indicate a trend rather than isolated incidents.
1. They don’t thank me for my business.
2. When I thank them for my change or for handing me my bag o’ stuff, they say “no problem.”
No problem? **NO PROBLEM???** Dude, I know it’s “no problem.” It better not be a fucking problem! It’s your job, you ill-bred, socially inept little dweeb. When I approach the point of purchase, a “hello” would be nice. Try to feign a little enthusiasm, m’kay? I realize yours is a dank existence, but I AM a paying customer and my purchase DOES provide a portion of your income. And if I thank you for your blank stare or your heart-felt grunt, the correct response is “You’re welcome!”
[/QUOTE]
Jesus Christ.
Its\* just an expression.
-FrL-
\*I.e. “no problem”
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