seacreature

It strikes me how un-English, England is nowadays.
Once upon a time, people were friendly, polite and courteous. In fact the English were well known for their respectibility and politeness. What the hell went wrong?

Calgal

I'd like to know that too!

Mercedes

They all left.

Depends on the generation and how people have been brought up. You look at say people in a grandparent generation often are politer etc, but generally they had it harder, and were taught self respect as well as respecting others. People who had to work and graft all their lives are often nicer people opposed to those who had it easier, and spoilt and had every thing handed on a plate. You only have to look at self made people and then their kids. Communties also have broken up with families living all over the place, and commuters move in. You often still find communties where everyone knows each other and often you will find people friendlier, politer and courtesous, mainly because if they are rude the whole town will know about it...

Rich_007

I also wonder how the modern purchasing transaction is possible without a single spoken word, goes like this:

Consumer selects goods.
Takes goods to till.
Provides payment method (cash/card).
Gives said payment method to cashier.
Cashier processes payment.
Cashier hands back card/change.
Consumer departs store.

Conversation award: nil points.
Usually accompanied by queue of quietly grumbling consumers.
Saturday spotty nose-picking teen assistant optional.
Consumer tip: store not to be revisited.

Tis bizarre, a modern retailing miracle....happens many a while. Can honestly say we were generally impressed with the politeness and helpfulness of Canadian store assistants, not perfect I'm sure, but better. They do seem to either train retail staff or at least hire people with communications skills. Not teen drone mute robots.

Rich

cov-canuck

Hear hear. I worked electrical retail for a year while at uni in Coventry, and the shocked looks I got from customers when I actually made conversation with them! Funny though...I talked to them while processing them at the till, so it didn't take any longer than if I was silent, but that customer would be happy, the ones in the queue behind would be grumbling about the fact that I was making small-talk. Then they'd get to the head of the queue and want to tell me their life story, while the people behind them grumbled! It doesn't cost anything or use any effort to say "good morning", or "did you manage to find everything ok?", or even "what's the weather like outside? Is it still raining?"...something to connect on a personal level, yet 99% of customer-facing staff in the UK don't do it.

It did make me laugh when we took my in-laws into stores in South Carolina...Southern hospitality and all that. The startled looks when a person standing near the door said good morning to them immediately on entering a store! Wouldn't happen in England.

SirTainly

I kind of like the efficiency of the scenario Rich describes, I don't really want to converse with the assistant, who is as completely disinterested in me as I in him/her.

As to conversations in shops in Canada, I felt that I was being spoken to so the stroe owner could let me know I'd been notcied entering and that he was watching me! In one store they demanded I leave my rucksack behind the counter too..presumably incase I was tempted to will it with their stuff. Sad thing is it was the dollar store, and was full of tat anyway (think QD for a UK equivalent). Since I felt quite slighted that my integrity was questioned I left my coat, bag, scarf and gloves behind the till too!

Rich_007

Oh yeah, love that "y'all having a good day" thing. N/S Carolina great ol' southern states....Asheville NC is great, up in the hills, bit of an art/hippy/vibe to the place but nicely middle class and safe, also down on the SC coast, had great times there on vacation with family. Bringing back good memories there. Some real dives and ghetto's though, Charlotte NC has some properly grim areas but downtown is very civilised, they have done a great job of revitalising the area there, safe too.

Rich.

proo

I thought the older generation would be more polite but whilst living in London I found them sometimes more aggressive! I've been elbowed by an old lady as she pushed by getting on the tube. I've held open doors and not a single one said thank you ever (in my 3 years in London!). I helped one struggling lady carry her shopping trolley up some steps only to get a dirty look. But I think that everyone gets like that in London. And it's true that a North-South divide exists. People are friendlier in the North despite the crappier weather!

Rich_007

TBH the only time you really see a difference is driving up north in deepest midwinter, say from Cornwall/Devon to the midlands or north....start to see a frostline around the midlands, then snow on't hills t'north. But even that is just a few degress of difference, not much really. The 'grim up north' thing is still a myth of convenience for those southern-centric folks who think life (and broadband, technology, society) stops at Watford.

Also, found the friendliest most pleasant laid back polite people in Devon, once you took the stressed out grockles (incomers/tourists) out of the equation. If Canada fell through we would always move back there.

Rich.

g_is_for_canada

The north south divide thing is crap. I've lived in the north and south and they're just as rude in the north. This is just a well worn and incorrect cliche

Souvenir

When we raided Futureshop to buy a fridge, cooker, TV, video, microwave, computer, kettle, toaster and iron, the assistant was falling over himself to be helpful. We thought him a terribly nice chap.

Then again, I suppose anyone would be helpful if they were on commission-based pay and someone walked in with a shopping list like that!

flashman

Isn't the north south divide economic rather than attitude? Also could the increasing rudeness be a result of the Darwinian environment created by Mrs. Thatcher?

Purley

I think it all depends on the person. The last time I was in England, I caught the bus in Maidstone and the lady standing next to me chatted about how hot it was and how she only lived in Tovil and would usually walk - except for the heat etc. etc. I very seldom get chatting to people on the bus here.

I think she was a chatty person and so am I - but I don't like to start the chat in case the other person isn't chatty. Silly me!!

SirTainly

I said this before, but it's all down to your accent. If you sound local you get good pleasant service, if you sound like someone from miles away forget it. Sad, and provincial, maybe but that's how I've found it.

snowbunny

Shaun of the Dead was a documentary.