Observations of a former service worker:

People don’t say please anymore. We drill and drill this into children when growing up: say ‘thank you’ and ‘please.’ It’s certainly not instinctual or ingrained to use those niceties. It wasn’t until I was in the service industry that I realized how important it is to hear the words ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’ When leaving the industry of tips, aprons, and customers I made a mental note to always treat service people fairly and with the same degree of politeness I expected when I was behind the counter. This means not starting a phrase with “I want” or “Get me a” unless I plan on tacking a ‘please’ to the end.

The spice store I buy my curry blend from has their customers write what they want on little note pads. The other day I wrote “2 oz Traditional Curry, please” on my note pad and turned it in. The guy behind the counter was really impressed that I had written ‘please’ down along with my order. He mentioned it repeatedly. It’s sort of the same thing with bagging groceries at TJ’s. You don’t have to do it, but if you remember your own days ripping your cuticles on paper bags you certainly feel the the urge to help the checker out.