ONCE upon a time, Malaysians prided themselves on being humble and courteous. That characterisation is being called into question with rudeness or less-than-courteous responses seemingly being the norm these days.
For instance, is saying ‘thank you’ or ‘you are welcome’ really that difficult or too much to ask, especially in the context of a retail scenario. This was the query posed by a disgruntled netizen on the Facebook page of Meanwhile in Malaysia:
The comments the post elicited seems to be divided into several categories. There were those who chided the poster for having too much time and having nothing better to do than raise such non-issues.
Azlan Qusyairi said: “It’s, simple, sis … I will always say thank you to the cashier … automatically, they will smile and say thank you back to us who are the customers … 😊😊”
Harsya Is wondered what the poster’s response would be like if she is confronted by bigger issues. “If you are so easily offended, imagine when you’re faced with more serious issues. This could lead to a world war.”
Interestingly, there were those who were quick to defend the cashiers at the outlets they visited, pointing out they were friendly and respectful. Others asked that there be greater understanding for youngsters working on minimum wage at these places.
Netizen Sante Phe noted that perhaps there should be more stringent selection process as well as better training methods, arguing: “Lack of training, HR should be selective in hiring cashier, also it depends on their personality.”
Whatever the view may be, it does seem that a polite response is no longer automatic as it once was. That staffers need training on this speaks volumes about today’s work culture.
It is neither difficult nor costly to say ‘thank you’, especially when this is part of a retail transaction. Staff who cannot understand this are unlikely to find better employment elsewhere or succeed in business on their own if such basic common courtesies are not part of their DNA. – Oct 23, 2023
