basic manners in communication- gone forever?

I'll try to keep that in mind with other than my usual servers. Still, I despise terms of endearment from people I don't know.

I understand. Sometimes I think it's weird too. There's this cashier who addresses me as "my love." I've always found it strangely intimate, but I recognize that it's well-meaning. I think.

I couldn't agree more, re your early post.

We may be of similar age (who knows?)

Store clerks - they were part of our community for years, albeit not deep colloqui. Diane and I checked out

Our grocery store just closed one day, and it was painful for us, we liked those people. We still would like to let them we miss them.
I am speaking of John Brooks Market, on Coors, western Albuquerque.

Diane and I looked into another of their stores, further away, nice but no workers we recognized.
I remember several good conversations with the manager at the now empty
Coor's site.
Evaporated.

Thanks for the link, I enjoyed it.

How to be a good server or waiter.
How to talk to customers.

I was born in 1952.

@contrex and @everybody else involved in the discussion: What an interesting discussion. I enjoyed reading both sites.

I was born in 1988 but I think that I do understand what contrex is talking about because I am German.

Germans having business ties with the US are sometimes a bit unhappy with the ways the Americans communicate because the perceived lack of respect.

To give an example. Germans typically start a letter or a speech by saying "My much honored ladies and gentlemen." This may sound funny in English but not in our language. There are other greetings if the speaker is talking to gentry, people with an academic degree, soldiers, police officers and so on or if the speaker himself is conservative gentry. In this case the greeting would be more formal and respectful.

So if Germans receive a business related starting with "hey" they sometimes think it is a bit informal. Of course that depends on the individual involved... and of course we do know it is a different culture.

I hope it was a bit helpful.

Until we write again I remain sincerely yours, Sir, with my best wishes and greetings(<--- one of the possibilities to finish a letter in Germany)

LastUnicorn