The most annoying expressions...

I've worked retail in both US and UK and was always confused when my British coworker would say thank you after the patron handed over his money. In the US the worker says thank you after the stuff is given to the patron. It only got annoying because I always panicked that they took their money for nothing! Then I was afraid I (the worker) was being rude or silly for saying thank you at the wrong time.

A welsh friend also told me that she thought it was weird how American retail workers say "have a nice day" at the end of the transaction.

This thread is fun!

I've worked retail in both US and UK and was always confused when my British coworker would say thank you after the patron handed over his money. In the US the worker says thank you after the stuff is given to the patron. It only got annoying because I always panicked that they took their money for nothing! Then I was afraid I (the worker) was being rude or silly for saying thank you at the wrong time.

I don't think it meant anything, to be honest - it's just us Brits being polite: you know, like an etiquette rule that if someone hands you something, you must say 'thank you' .

It's not really something you are actually taught to do as a retail worker (I worked in retail in the UK for 11 years, for 3 different companies), it's just something that seems to come out of British mouths as a reflex .

In the case of a retail transaction, it's a case of saying 'thank you (for handing me your money)'. Then from the customer: 'thank you (for handing me my shopping)', then from the worker: 'thank you (for shopping here)' .

I've run across some who will say "Thank you. Ta." at each turn of the transaction, managing to say it between 5 and 15 times in just a minute. After a while, it just doesn't feel like it means anything. What annoys me is an employee who will barge past you without so much as a 'get the hell out of my way', or make you wait while they barge past, then you get to the till, and it is the same person, with the whole 'polite' "thank you" thing. It feels as though some people pick and choose when to be polite. I'm all for please and thank you, but sometimes it just feels like an empty word when it said too often in a short time.

At our local chippy, one of the women will stand there and sing out "Thank you" to people to signal she is available to serve them. It took me a while to figure out what she was doing, and apparently the locals didn't know either. It is her version of "May I help you", or "Next please".

ETA: Funny story about the pudding. I happened to learn that one while still talking to hubby online before actually meeting. I will never forget the first time his mum came to visit and we were at a restaurant. After eating, she told the waitress "We'd like to order some pudding now". The waitress said something along the lines of "We don't have pudding, but here is the dessert menu."

That's just bad English, nothing to do with being English. I'm English and hear that and it annoys me. For instance I'll be on my local football clubs message board and someone will put "We won Leeds", and I'll reply something like "I've no idea where we are going to put it, we've no room!"

hahaha
Yes It scares me because DH and the DSD's all do it! I always correct them because as I explained to the kids, you can't speak like that in a real job.  No text type emails - you have to use FULL words...No hve and forgetting the "a"

;-)

I've lived in the UK for 10 years and I remember my confusion and irritation at a lot of these, but now I use nearly all of them, or at least the ones heard in the Midlands, where I live. It's basic survival. (Thankfully, I left East London, or else I'd be ending all my sentences with 'innit'. Blurgh.) I do still detest 'at the end of the day'. I don't use it.

I've lived in the UK for 10 years and I remember my confusion and irritation at a lot of these, but now I use nearly all of them, or at least the ones heard in the Midlands, where I live. It's basic survival. (Thankfully, I left East London, or else I'd be ending all my sentences with 'innit'. Blurgh.) I do still detest 'at the end of the day'. I don't use it.

I have seen graffiti on a ladies' room stall door in a pub that said 'some name' loves 'some name' 4 eva an eva innit. I forget the names, but it amused me that someone would be so used to saying it, they would write it. I can't remember the names of the people.

I have not missed the following whilst being in the US...

"tell him I am asking for him" Tell him I said hi
"innit" isn't it
"cheers" thanks
"chuffed" pleased
"fit" to mean hot
any cockney rhyming slang (used in Scotland it comes off try hard to me)

I do miss our rather colourful and vast selection of insults... explaining what they mean when they slip out in the US is kinda fun though.

I would not miss "awesome" or "good job" -- even if said to tiny tots.

I would not miss "awesome" or "good job" -- even if said to tiny tots.

I say awesome. I can't help it. I'm a child of the 90s. Don't judge me. 

I say awesome. I can't help it. I'm a child of the 90s. Don't judge me. 

Yeah, same here! I say "Good job!" as well! LOL! My coworkers make fun of me because sometimes I will say "I'm good to go!" they will come up and ask me (in their best American Accent) "Amber, are you good to go??" It's cute! I just laugh and say I'm good to go! 

On the bus home, we often have a number of foreigners getting on and the bus driver just rattles off "you're all set" to each one. They just stand there looking dumb-founded 

On the bus home, we often have a number of foreigners getting on and the bus driver just rattles off "you're all set" to each one. They just stand there looking dumb-founded 

When DF and I are eating out and the waiter/waitress comes to see if they can clear the plates, I'm often met with a puzzled look after I inform them that "I'm all set."  DF still isn't sure how to respond when I say "all set" when I'm seeing if he's ready to leave when we're going somewhere.

I don't like it when they say dinner for lunch either! I have a few guys at work that say that and I have to have them clarify if they mean after 5 or noon. They seem to be ok with it though!

It really grates when people say 'anyways' instead of 'anyway'. 

Can anyone explain to me why some people say "fifty pound" instead of "fifty pounds?" It really bothers me because surely there are multiple pounds. On the flip side, it always bothered me when people would say "twenty cent" instead of "twenty cents."