# People, mostly older, who get peeved by retail and service workers saying "No problem" instead of "You're welcome" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 6, 2024, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-mostly-older-who-get-peeved-by-retail-and-service-workers-saying-no-problem-instead-of-youre-welcome/998517 "2024-03-06T02:47:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-mostly-older-who-get-peeved-by-retail-and-service-workers-saying-no-problem-instead-of-youre-welcome/998517/121 "2024-03-08T14:59:41Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > But overall, the “etymology” of the phrase _feels_ to me like service people’s default reaction is you’re bugging them by asking for something. Anyone asking them to do something _is_ normally a problem for them. But this one time it isn’t. Aren’t I lucky they’ve deigned to serve me just this once without an overt sneer on their face and spit in my drink? That’s not at all what anyone is thinking when they say “no problem”. The purpose of language is to communicate thoughts and ideas from one person to another. In face to face communication, language does this alongside things like tone, cadence, and body language to communicate more complex ideas. If you want to ignore the other person’s intent and app the other ways they communicate it in order to zero in on the “etymology” of a given phrase - something that almost certainly _was not part of the equation at all_ when they chose to use that phrase - that is essentially you intentionally sabotaging the successful exchange of ideas. I have no idea why anyone would choose to do this. It seems like a recipe for misery. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-mostly-older-who-get-peeved-by-retail-and-service-workers-saying-no-problem-instead-of-youre-welcome/998517/122 "2024-03-08T15:00:54Z")
Inspired by this thread I have noticed my service provider automatic response to “thank you” expressions is “my pleasure!” rather than “you’re welcome” … how’s that one play? ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-mostly-older-who-get-peeved-by-retail-and-service-workers-saying-no-problem-instead-of-youre-welcome/998517/123 "2024-03-08T15:13:58Z")
One more year until I can retire from the service industry. One more year until I can retire from the service industry. One more year until I can retire from the service industry. One more… ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2024, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-mostly-older-who-get-peeved-by-retail-and-service-workers-saying-no-problem-instead-of-youre-welcome/998517/124 "2024-03-08T15:20:35Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > > [@thorny\_locust](#): > > > > You have no idea how tired she is of that, or what she would say to you if it wouldn’t get her fired. Please stop. > > The cashier is asking Jaycat for _his_ number. If she wants to stop doing that it’s up to her. She’s doing it _in the course of her job_. She’s required to ask that of every customer. – I see this has already been addressed in the thread, and acknowledged; but will post this to clarify that yes, that’s the context that I meant. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-mostly-older-who-get-peeved-by-retail-and-service-workers-saying-no-problem-instead-of-youre-welcome/998517/125 "2024-03-09T13:40:59Z")
I am of the opinion that if you are the sort of person that gets annoyed or offended by a cashier saying “no problem” or any other non-offensive variation of “thank you”, “right away”, “have a nice day” or other phrase of acknowledgement, then you are a giant pretentious asshole. Probably a racist too. I mean if you get that upset because someone talks a bit different from what you would like, imagine if they LOOKED different! And it is people like that who make things worse for everyone in the world because they will write a sternly worded letter to Corporate. And the next thing you know every low-wage employee of whatever chain retail store or coffee shop that idiot frequents will have their workday made that much worse by some Corporate mandated set of phrases they are permitted to use when interacting with customers. Thus helping to create a word where people behave like corporate robots instead of actual people. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-mostly-older-who-get-peeved-by-retail-and-service-workers-saying-no-problem-instead-of-youre-welcome/998517/126 "2024-03-09T13:41:54Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > > [@msmith537](#): > > > > I’m not your “boss”, chief. > > I’m not your chief, buddy! I’m not your buddy, pal! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-mostly-older-who-get-peeved-by-retail-and-service-workers-saying-no-problem-instead-of-youre-welcome/998517/127 "2024-03-09T14:37:09Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Probably a racist too. I mean if you get that upset because someone talks a bit different from what you would like, imagine if they LOOKED different! Once again, that assumption is a leap. People are capable of being huge assholes without being racist, bigoted, or otherwise selectively hateful. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2024, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-mostly-older-who-get-peeved-by-retail-and-service-workers-saying-no-problem-instead-of-youre-welcome/998517/128 "2024-03-09T14:47:26Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > > [@Smapti](#): > > > > > [@msmith537](#): > > > > > > I’m not your “boss”, chief. > > > > I’m not your chief, buddy! > > I’m not your buddy, pal! Don’t call me sweetie chucky ---
**Author:** ![Orville\_mogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/aeb1de/32.png) [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2024, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-mostly-older-who-get-peeved-by-retail-and-service-workers-saying-no-problem-instead-of-youre-welcome/998517/129 "2024-03-10T12:55:53Z")
What really twists my knickers are the USians who respond to Thank You with “mmm hmm”… ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2024, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-mostly-older-who-get-peeved-by-retail-and-service-workers-saying-no-problem-instead-of-youre-welcome/998517/130 "2024-03-10T13:12:42Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > or the sense that “no problem” seems more peer to peer casual in a context that they are expecting a less familiar/informal interaction? While the “respect” bit was mocked some it has validity. Many phrases and terms are appropriate between friends and peers but not to a customer or aunt or uncle. What customs behaviors and / or phrases and terms are acceptable or not change with time, of course. Just today, I was just at a graduation ceremony and one of the fathers was wearing a straw hat. [https://www.muji.com/public/media/img/item/4550583515973\_1260.jpg](https://www.muji.com/public/media/img/item/4550583515973_1260.jpg) At some point in time, that would definitely be an appalling breach of etiquette, but then I realized that I was one of the very few men not wearing a suit. Fortunately, two of the others were also Westerners, so it was less likely that I would be singled out for ridicule. The service industry has become far more casual and the formality reserved for customers is far less noticeable than it was when I was a child, seemingly billions of years ago. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2024, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-mostly-older-who-get-peeved-by-retail-and-service-workers-saying-no-problem-instead-of-youre-welcome/998517/131 "2024-03-10T13:21:48Z")
Honestly, I just want a life so trouble free that I have band-width left to complain about something so trivial. Have I ever had a single day when I could have raised this to the top of my priority list? I doubt it. I seriously wonder about people like this. What must it be like to be them? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2024, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-mostly-older-who-get-peeved-by-retail-and-service-workers-saying-no-problem-instead-of-youre-welcome/998517/132 "2024-03-10T13:46:13Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Honestly, I just want a life so trouble free that I have band-width left to complain about something so trivial. “So what’s your only problem?” “That someone else has no problem.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-mostly-older-who-get-peeved-by-retail-and-service-workers-saying-no-problem-instead-of-youre-welcome/998517.md?page=6)