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> Oddly only the French did understand the sentiment French culture is a rare culture where shop owners won't be afraid to tell off/talk back at customers that
by gyomu 9mo ago
> Oddly only the French did understand the sentiment
French culture is a rare culture where shop owners won't be afraid to tell off/talk back at customers that don't show a basic level of politeness. You, as a customer, are in the shopkeeper's "home", so to speak, and you should behave accordingly. Someone who doesn't use the customary "bonjour/merci/au revoir" is likely to be met with some response like "tout d'abord, bonjour" ("first of all, hello"), or "et la politesse, alors?" ("what about politeness?").
(of course, people from older generations would be likely to say that these things are going away)
I'm French/American, raised across both countries, and even as a kid it shocked me that a customer in the US could get away with "I'll have a coke" as their only utterance to a waiter - no hello, please, thank you.
I suspect this is why the French have a reputation for rudeness. It's easy to understand why tourists from cultures where "the customer is king" would be shocked when they get told off for being loud/rude/inconsiderate.
(I've lived in Japan for a few years now, and ironically enough, I find Japanese customer service culture to be closer to that of the US than France - the customer is king, and while thankfully not too common, some Japanese customers will definitely abuse that dynamic. There's been a growing awareness and pushback on カスハラ, but it's a real thing, and is very cringe to witness)
- sho_hn 9mo agoIt's very similar in German stores, at least in Berlin.
- defen 9mo ago> French culture is a rare culture where shop owners won't be afraid to tell off/talk back at customers that don't show a basic level of politeness. My favorite French shop anecdote (I'm American): Went to a bakery in Paris. Tried to order "Un croissant, s'il vous plaît". Shopkeeper responded (in very lightly accented English) with "I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're saying". I wasn't mad or offended, in fact it's one of my favorite memories from the trip.
- dfxm12 9mo agoDid you ever get your croissant in that shop?
- defen 9mo agoI did! Had to ask for it in English though.
- billforsternz 9mo agoBonjour monsieur, je voudrais une eclair chocolate s'il vous plait is my number one French phrase. I can usually sell it. Maybe you needed the prefixes?
- embedding-shape 9mo agoThe French's and their language is a funny one. We constantly get French tourists here in Spain who approach you and try to talk to you in French, assuming somehow because you live in the North of Spain of course you'd understand at least the basics of French. I'm sure it happens in a lot of places around borders though, not sure that's unique to the French.
- LM358 9mo ago>as a kid it shocked me that a customer in the US could get away with "I'll have a coke" as their only utterance to a waiter - no hello, please, thank you. As a Norwegian who's been visiting the US for quite a few times now (as we speak), I've always appreciated the "hello, please, thank you", but what really gets me are the incessant "how are you"s.
- antfarm 9mo agoI know what you mean. I once worked at a Berlin games company with many international and US colleagues. Even after three years, I still couldn't figure out why even people I barely knew greeted me with an enthusiastic "Hey [Name]! How are you?". It always felt like a very awkward handshake.
- wink 9mo agoThe first time that happened to me I went on a small rant about some minor health issues and the state of the world in general and that settled the conversation with an overseas colleague. It was later that I found out that "how are you" is a perfectly valid answer to "how are you" and it still boggles my mind 20 years later.
- antfarm 9mo agoHaha, I had that same epiphany, also too late.
- soco 9mo ago"how are you? No no, stop, I don't care"