# Which outdated customs should go? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 5, 2021, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-outdated-customs-should-go/951958 "2021-10-05T23:22:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2021, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-outdated-customs-should-go/951958/1 "2021-10-05T23:22:31Z")
It’s time to end some old, outdated or offensive customs - things done for no better reason than being usual. Like cashiers having to stand up for hours. Men wearing things not black or beige. Never apologizing to children instead of setting an example. **What commonly done things or customs are outdated or toxic and should be done?** ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2021, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-outdated-customs-should-go/951958/2 "2021-10-05T23:26:36Z")
tipping [runs away] ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2021, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-outdated-customs-should-go/951958/3 "2021-10-05T23:46:12Z")
Shaking hands. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2021, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-outdated-customs-should-go/951958/4 "2021-10-05T23:52:49Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Men wearing things not black or beige. Never apologizing to children instead of setting an example. What? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2021, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-outdated-customs-should-go/951958/5 "2021-10-06T00:15:01Z")
Teachers refusing permission to go to the toilet. Saying the customer is always right. Airport porters in the days of wheeled luggage and carts. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2021, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-outdated-customs-should-go/951958/6 "2021-10-06T00:20:33Z")
Retail clerks being expected to smile all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2021, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-outdated-customs-should-go/951958/7 "2021-10-06T03:00:44Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Men wearing things not black or beige. Business suits, period. It is idiotic to judge someone’s professionalism based on if they are wearing a special costume with a flappy thing hanging from the neck. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2021, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-outdated-customs-should-go/951958/8 "2021-10-06T03:02:11Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > > [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > > > Men wearing things not black or beige. > > Business suits, period. It is idiotic to judge someone’s professionalism based on if they are wearing a special costume with a flappy thing hanging from the neck. - That’s called a wattle. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2021, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-outdated-customs-should-go/951958/9 "2021-10-06T03:11:45Z")
Blue laws. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2021, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-outdated-customs-should-go/951958/10 "2021-10-06T04:41:33Z")
Lawns, especially without “weeds”. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2021, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-outdated-customs-should-go/951958/11 "2021-10-06T05:11:50Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Like cashiers having to stand up for hours. > [@Smapti](#): > > Retail clerks being expected to smile all the time. Americans are weird. I’ve never seen either of those situations in this country. Cashiers invariably have a chair to sit on, as far back as I can remember, and people would think they were crazy if they smiled all the time. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2021, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-outdated-customs-should-go/951958/12 "2021-10-06T05:17:24Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Lawns, especially without “weeds”. Wildflower meadows instead of lawns are a thing these days. > **[How To Turn Your Lawn Into A Wildflower Meadow (& Why You Should)](https://www.ruralsprout.com/lawn-into-wildflower-meadow/)** > > Remember when fireflies were flickering and lighting up the the night sky in the thousands, sometime around midsummer? At present, that childhood joy is but a regional occurrence. The last time I saw just a ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2021, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-outdated-customs-should-go/951958/13 "2021-10-06T08:51:17Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > Cashiers invariably have a chair to sit on, as far back as I can remember, and people would think they were crazy if they smiled all the time. Where do you live and will you adopt me so I can move there to work? I really, really, really hate the notion that cashiers NEED to be standing. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2021, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-outdated-customs-should-go/951958/14 "2021-10-06T09:10:24Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > Cashiers invariably have a chair to sit on, as far back as I can remember, and people would think they were crazy if they smiled all the time. I didn’t have a seat, when I worked cashier at Ontario’s Beer Stores back in the 1990s. Especially when we were slammed (the day before national holidays, Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, and similar), I’d typically be on my feet for eight hours. But at least I tried to smile, and usually succeeded. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2021, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-outdated-customs-should-go/951958/15 "2021-10-06T09:14:35Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Never apologizing to children instead of setting an example. I don’t know what this means. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2021, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-outdated-customs-should-go/951958/16 "2021-10-06T09:30:42Z")
It’s a cool thing, but not allowed in a lot of places. I’m assuming that’s why it was mentioned as a thing that needs to go. I would get a notice that I need to cut my “weeds” (and it would probably be at the behest of my neighbors) and if I did not comply I would be fined and have to pay for them to be cut against my will. Lawns are one of the most ridiculous things IMHO, especially the expectation of your community that you will use a certain chemical and watering regimen. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2021, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-outdated-customs-should-go/951958/17 "2021-10-06T10:11:21Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Where do you live and will you adopt me so I can move there to work? They passed a law here in 2007 saying that employers must provide workers with a seat unless they cannot perform their duties sitting down. Until then, cashiers used to stand; now they all sit on simple swiveling desk chairs. There has been no noticeable deterioration in service quality. I shudder to think what would happen to an employer who tried to force Israeli workers to smile. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2021, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-outdated-customs-should-go/951958/18 "2021-10-06T10:17:26Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#): > > It’s a cool thing, but not allowed in a lot of places. I’m assuming that’s why it was mentioned as a thing that needs to go. I would get a notice that I need to cut my “weeds” (and it would probably be at the behest of my neighbors) and if I did not comply I would be fined and have to pay for them to be cut against my will. Lawns are one of the most ridiculous things IMHO, especially the expectation of your community that you will use a certain chemical and watering regimen. Is this one of those housing association things? We don’t generally get those here (UK). If I want to re-wild my front garden, I damn well will! (and will probably get some kind of ‘good citizen’ environmental certificate from some local charity into the bargain) ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2021, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-outdated-customs-should-go/951958/19 "2021-10-06T11:51:33Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I really, really, really hate the notion that cashiers NEED to be standing. I don’t understand this at all. But I’ve never worked retail, so I have no frame of reference. Same with the “customer is always right” mindset. Nope, some customers are just cheats, or liars, or idiots. > [@SanVito](#): > > If I want to re-wild my front garden, I damn well will! I’d love to do this, but my spousal unit would have kittens. It’s a constant fight with him about bringing in topsoil and reseeding the whole yard. I figure if it’s green-ish and doesn’t sting, prick, or give me a rash, if I can mow it, it’s fine. But I would prefer a field of wildflowers. I don’t know if this is so much a custom, but the whole notion of negotiating with a salesman when buying a car is stupid. Don’t waste my time - give me the bottom line. I will accept or reject it according to my perception of its value. We can conclude business in a matter of minutes. And don’t give me that crap about having to talk to your manager - I’m not going to get desperate or change my mind because you leave me sitting in your office alone. If this isn’t a custom, then I apologize for cluttering the thread with it. But it’s still a practice that needs to go away. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2021, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-outdated-customs-should-go/951958/20 "2021-10-06T12:01:13Z")
I never liked shaking hands. I’m pretty sure I haven’t shaken a hand since the first mention of Wuhan in the news. I’ll bump your fist if I must, but really? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-outdated-customs-should-go/951958.md?page=2)