Does anyone know the correct answer to this?


when in a shop or somewhere like woolworths and the checkout person greets you with a smile and "hi how R U today?" are they expecting a reply or what? please help as I don't want to seem rude.

the problem is I live in Scotland and people behind counters usualy just look at you then if your lucky they may crack a smile and greet like this "what?"

I would say:

"I'm fine thanks, how are you?"

But then I do that to anyone who asks how I am.

Has this 'smile & greet thing' actually ever happened to you-or is this just a theoretical question? They must have been told to do this by the boss.. I would just say 'not good' and then bore them all my migration problems-that should stop it happening again

Firstly they won't say that. They will say gooddaymatehowyagarn. The correct response is good thanks.

Although whether a lot of them care about the response is a matter of conjecture. You can reply "well actually my dog just hung himself and I'm having my head amputated in the morning" and a lot of them will just asy "oh thats nice"....

EVERYBODY will greet you like this in Oz. Best response is 'Good, how are you going' (but slurred together, as described above) and then they will say 'That's good, I'm good too' and then your interaction can continue.
I work in an office where there are a lot of short phone calls made, and each one still starts with that exchange.
It's like saying 'alright?' as a greeting in the UK, which I know not everyone does but it was quite common before i left (which was only recently!). It may not be a 100% genuine enquiry in to your wellbeing, but I think it's nice! Better than shop assistants etc who don't even make eye contact and just hold their hand out for the money. I used to make a point of being super-polite and friendly to them, just to try and wake them up.

I have lived here a very long time and have always been greeted in this way ....I always say "Good thanks, and you?"...even if I'm feeling lousy . In Coles, where we do our weekly shopping, we always use the same checkout operator and we always have a good laugh and natter...without her missing a beat and not keeping anyone waiting

my response to this question is always 'grand thanks, and yourself' and if they choose to answer so be it. It doesn't happen often! most staff are RUDE!

When my (now very good friend) first moved to England from the States, she rented a room off me. I used to say 'alright?' as in hello when she came home etc. After a couple of weeks she said she was fine and she was worried that I thought she wasn't okay and had a problem...... I said no, I was just saying hello.

I usually judge it by how it is said and the expression on the persons face since being here have got to now a few of the local cashiers as once they find out we are english start bending our ear (got to say i don't mind though) i think this might be because they are mostly teenagers one kid asked me and hubby how we would describe a girl who we thought waqs really pretty so my hubby spent the whole time we were checking out teaching him english colloquisms about girls and football (or should that be soccer) now whenever we go in the store and he is on the checkout he gives a big grin as if to say come to my checkout so we go and have a chat with him.


poshrice

This is a bone of contention between my wife and I. When ever she is asked this at the checkout, her response is "How are you today?"

Now I pull her up on this and point out that she was just asked a question and answering a question with a question isn't good. She still does it, I think to p#** me off.

Whenever I'm at the checkout I try to ask them How they are first, how long have they been working today, when they finish and have they had any bad customers today. Not sure why I do it because as soon as I've walked away I've forgotten everything they said.

The checkout people in the USA are the same as the Australian ones asking questions. However I have found that the checkout person goes one step further. If you pay by credit card or provide something with your name on it, they start to call you MR. xxxxx or Mrs. YYYYYY.

Is this before or after they ask to check your bags? I must have a very dodgy look - kept getting asked if they could look in my other shopping bags! Very disconcerting.

Most shops in oz ive been to do seem to do this,

the first time i went to australia i went shopping with my friend who was living there at the time and i had a small rucksack on, the lady at the till asked to look in my bag (i didnt even buy anything - my friend did) and i was like "em no get lost!!" then the security guard insisted on seeing inside it before i left the shop!!

but apparently they all do this to see if youve nicked anything, my husband (aussie) is always amazed that they dont ask to do it in scotland and when he first arrived here was always volunteering his bags for the people at the till to look in - much to their bemusement!

Isn't the standard Aussie response 'good thanks!' to the point that you sometimes hear people say it as a repsonse to 'hello'?

I still hate it when peopl here in the states ask 'what's up' because my initial split second thought is that they are asking what's wrong. What's going on is another one that I don't know how to answer.

My experience in Australia has always been that people seem quite genuine, in America when shop assistants ask they rarely seem to be looking for an answer, but over there they've always followed up wit hmore questions about where you've been, what you've been doing etc etc.

It used to be a bit like that down here, but over the past few years, they have obviously put lots into their customer service pat and whilst not wanting to 'have a nice day' to all, they have become more hello orientated......just smile and reply hi - I'm ok (or not)...thanks Ems x