# Retail Store Greetings

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-store-greetings/774305>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [December 9, 2016, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-store-greetings/774305 "2016-12-09T21:28:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![amaguri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@amaguri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amaguri)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-store-greetings/774305/1 "2016-12-09T21:28:36Z")

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Once upon a time (approximately 3 months ago) some chick at a local store greeted everyone with a hearty “WELCOME IN!” I had never heard this phrase before… certainly “WELCOME!” or “WELCOME TO CHIPOTLE!” but never “WELCOME IN!” I thought she was just a weirdo.

At the mall the other day, no fewer than three different stores had people greeting you with “WELCOME IN!” Maybe it was that particular mall policy, but wtf… I guess there’s nothing particularly wrong with the syntax but it just grates.

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**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-store-greetings/774305/2 "2016-12-09T22:55:12Z")

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Yeah, that’d only sound appropriate on an airlock into a space station…

I think it’s a case of “I’m not used to talking to the public, so i’m going to give it my all!”  
Prevalent among young retail help:“May I do anything to be of help or guidance or other assistance, SIIIIIR?”

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**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-store-greetings/774305/3 "2016-12-09T23:01:22Z")

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I like the Wal-Mart greeting: “Hi! What the fuck are _you_ looking at?”

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**Author:** ![vd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b19c9b/32.png) [@vd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vd)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-store-greetings/774305/4 "2016-12-09T23:36:31Z")

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Maybe they thought you were German and were trying to say, “Willkommen!”.  
Have you been shopping in lederhosen?

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**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2016, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-store-greetings/774305/5 "2016-12-09T23:41:09Z")

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> [@Chefguy](#):
>
> I like the Wal-Mart greeting: “Hi! What the fuck are _you_ looking at?”

Or to quote Jeff Dunham’s Walter, “Welcome to Wal-Mart. Get your shit and get out.”

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**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\
**Post date:** [December 10, 2016, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/retail-store-greetings/774305/6 "2016-12-10T23:31:24Z")

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> [@Chefguy](#):
>
> I like the Wal-Mart greeting: “Hi! What the fuck are _you_ looking at?”

That’s certainly less off putting than Costco’s “Welcome to Costco, I love you”