The following is brought to you as a public service.
It was written by a former member of the Board of Directors at my office job. I think he is spot on with it and that is why I'm sharing. Found it here
Thank you, Bill Schmeer
GORDON FREIREICH
Article Launched: 07/15/2007 01:49:56 AM EDT
Jul 15, 2007 - Bill Schmeer of Thomasville has a point.
“Have you noticed lately,” he e-mailed me, “that fewer and fewer (notice I didn't use the word less and less) people do not respond to 'thank you' with the traditional, 'You're welcome'?”
Bill goes on to say that folks respond with “No problem” or “No problemo.” He also mentions: “Uh-huh,” “You got it,” “Yep,” “Yepper” and “Don't mention it.”
Bill is right - to a point.
I'd be happy if people would acknowledge an act of courtesy.
When I hold a door open for a person, I expect a “thank you” or - at the very least - a smile. That doesn't happen too often.
Allowing a motorist to enter a long line of traffic from a side street should generate some sort of acknowledgment. Rarely, if ever, do I get a friendly wave of a hand. Usually it's just a look of, “Well, that guy was dumb enough to let me in.”
Some clerks think they're being paid to be surly. If I make a purchase and the clerk doesn't say “thank you,” I respond to the silence with a loud, “You're welcome.”
Even when I put my life on the line and step into the “Yield to Pedestrians” crosswalk in the first block of West Market Street, I make a point of waving or thanking the few drivers who actually stop and don't swerve around me.
Last week, when I was at Wal-Mart, I started to place my fewer than 20 items on the express checkout counter. I noticed a young teen and - I assume - his grandfather behind me with only two items. I suggested since they only had two items, they go ahead of me. The boy just looked at me and didn't say anything. The grandfather was effusive in his “thank you” to me.
Saying “thank you” should be an automatic response, not an afterthought.
Common courtesy is something you learn at home and should be reinforced at school. Being brought up in a family that owned retail businesses, courtesy was a part of our business ethos. When we were youngsters and my older brother and I were given the job of making snow cones at the corner of Duke and Maple Streets, we were told that every snowball is handed to the customer with a “thank you.”
How ingrained is that in me?
When I turned 13 and had my bar mitzvah, I had to sit down and write a thank-you note for every gift received within two days of receiving a gift. I thought, at the time, it was drudgery writing the notes, addressing the envelopes, licking a 3-cent stamp and placing it on the envelope. Now I know it was the right thing to do and appreciated by the gift-giver.
When my wife and I were married 39 years ago, it was then etiquette for the bride to send all the thank-you notes for gifts received. My wife was so current on her notes that she was writing the notes for the gifts given at the reception while we were on the plane to our honeymoon destination. (I like the new trend of the groom sharing in the thank-you-note writing for wedding gifts. That should cut the work in half for the bride.)
In all the years that my wife and I have been married, I have never left the dinner table without saying “thank you” and giving her a kiss. (Maybe that's one of the major reasons why our marriage has lasted as long as it has.) We don't take each other for granted.
That extends to my adult children, too. Birthday or Father's Day cards and gifts are always acknowledged by me with a hand-written “thank you” note. And, I'm proud to say, they respond the same way to us when they receive gifts.
Even when someone criticizes something I've written in this column, if I have a name and address, I'll send a return note thanking the person for taking the time to write. It goes without saying that the complimentary comments are always acknowledged, too.
(Note to Larry King at CNN: When I e-mailed him the other week to say that his credibility was taking a nosedive by interviewing Paris Whatshername, it would have been nice to receive a return e-mail that the message had been received. I'm not sure ol' Larry even got the e-mail. Before you type in your message on his Web site, you have to indicate if it's a “Positive” or “Negative” comment. That's sort of self-limiting, ol' Larry.)
In today's world, a little courtesy goes a long way.
“Thank you” to Bill Schmeer for suggesting the column idea.
Gordon Freireich is a former editor of the York Sunday News. E-mail: gordon@newtongroup.com.
Thank you, Bill Schmeer
GORDON FREIREICH
Article Launched: 07/15/2007 01:49:56 AM EDT
Jul 15, 2007 - Bill Schmeer of Thomasville has a point.
“Have you noticed lately,” he e-mailed me, “that fewer and fewer (notice I didn't use the word less and less) people do not respond to 'thank you' with the traditional, 'You're welcome'?”
Bill goes on to say that folks respond with “No problem” or “No problemo.” He also mentions: “Uh-huh,” “You got it,” “Yep,” “Yepper” and “Don't mention it.”
Bill is right - to a point.
I'd be happy if people would acknowledge an act of courtesy.
When I hold a door open for a person, I expect a “thank you” or - at the very least - a smile. That doesn't happen too often.
Allowing a motorist to enter a long line of traffic from a side street should generate some sort of acknowledgment. Rarely, if ever, do I get a friendly wave of a hand. Usually it's just a look of, “Well, that guy was dumb enough to let me in.”
Some clerks think they're being paid to be surly. If I make a purchase and the clerk doesn't say “thank you,” I respond to the silence with a loud, “You're welcome.”
Even when I put my life on the line and step into the “Yield to Pedestrians” crosswalk in the first block of West Market Street, I make a point of waving or thanking the few drivers who actually stop and don't swerve around me.
Last week, when I was at Wal-Mart, I started to place my fewer than 20 items on the express checkout counter. I noticed a young teen and - I assume - his grandfather behind me with only two items. I suggested since they only had two items, they go ahead of me. The boy just looked at me and didn't say anything. The grandfather was effusive in his “thank you” to me.
Saying “thank you” should be an automatic response, not an afterthought.
Common courtesy is something you learn at home and should be reinforced at school. Being brought up in a family that owned retail businesses, courtesy was a part of our business ethos. When we were youngsters and my older brother and I were given the job of making snow cones at the corner of Duke and Maple Streets, we were told that every snowball is handed to the customer with a “thank you.”
How ingrained is that in me?
When I turned 13 and had my bar mitzvah, I had to sit down and write a thank-you note for every gift received within two days of receiving a gift. I thought, at the time, it was drudgery writing the notes, addressing the envelopes, licking a 3-cent stamp and placing it on the envelope. Now I know it was the right thing to do and appreciated by the gift-giver.
When my wife and I were married 39 years ago, it was then etiquette for the bride to send all the thank-you notes for gifts received. My wife was so current on her notes that she was writing the notes for the gifts given at the reception while we were on the plane to our honeymoon destination. (I like the new trend of the groom sharing in the thank-you-note writing for wedding gifts. That should cut the work in half for the bride.)
In all the years that my wife and I have been married, I have never left the dinner table without saying “thank you” and giving her a kiss. (Maybe that's one of the major reasons why our marriage has lasted as long as it has.) We don't take each other for granted.
That extends to my adult children, too. Birthday or Father's Day cards and gifts are always acknowledged by me with a hand-written “thank you” note. And, I'm proud to say, they respond the same way to us when they receive gifts.
Even when someone criticizes something I've written in this column, if I have a name and address, I'll send a return note thanking the person for taking the time to write. It goes without saying that the complimentary comments are always acknowledged, too.
(Note to Larry King at CNN: When I e-mailed him the other week to say that his credibility was taking a nosedive by interviewing Paris Whatshername, it would have been nice to receive a return e-mail that the message had been received. I'm not sure ol' Larry even got the e-mail. Before you type in your message on his Web site, you have to indicate if it's a “Positive” or “Negative” comment. That's sort of self-limiting, ol' Larry.)
In today's world, a little courtesy goes a long way.
“Thank you” to Bill Schmeer for suggesting the column idea.
Gordon Freireich is a former editor of the York Sunday News. E-mail: gordon@newtongroup.com.