Courtesy - An Indian Shopper's Dream

"Hello" , "How do you do ?" Strange is'nt it ?? Why is this guy at the store counter greeting me all of a sudden?- If this thought just ran through your mind, I guess you got what i am trying to say. Courtesy is something we have grown up knowing the meaning but not properly recieved. In how many trips to a nearby shop,have you been greeted by a "Hello" ( i am asking for too much here.. i meant .. "vanakkam.. vaanga") by your shop keeper or a "Thank you" when you leave. Even though you get a mechanical version of "hello" and "thank you" from the bill desk at many retail chains, they are more like trained chimps acting out sign language rather than heartfelt ones. I am not saying that its obligatory on the part of the salesperson to be polite,in his point of view,all he needs to do is to say those words because he has been directed to do so in his training. But what does it take to put a smile on his face, a proper greeting, to make you the customer,feel good about shopping with him, that you feel respected. Sadly that does'nt happen. I dont see it happening in the near future either.
    What is to blame? is it the education from our kindergarten which said that we should all have good manners.. mmm.. yes.. good manners .. but it cant see to that we practise them. Maybe its us .. we adults have come to a point where we see such things as trivial matters and dont care about them. Just think, if you are given them, not a big thing, but a small moment where you just need to say "Thank you" and you are left with you and the other person with a smile on the face .
    What could we do? Maybe a one sided expression of courtesy from the part of the customer will ring some bells in the right places. I mean a "Thank you" to the guy who opens the door for you ar supermarkets , and another for the person who helps you in finding things you need, to the person who prepared your bill. Even if you dont get anything in return, you can be rest assured, you've fulfilled your side of the bargain.

    Thank you for reading :)