Now that’s good to hear, Natasha.
Alan
You’re absolutely right, Esl_Expert
‘What do you want?’ is rude. If I were in a shop, browsing, and a salesperson asked me: ‘What do you want?’ It would sound to me like ‘hurry up, make your choice, because I want to go home! or it’s almost time for my lunch break!’ In that case I’d be equally rude and walk out of the shop without saying a word. However, I heard the appellation ‘madam’ in the British comedy series ‘Are you being served?’ several times:
Ex: ‘Oh, that really does suit madam’
Ex: ‘What is madam looking for?’
Mr. Peacock always used to say: ‘Are you being served, sir?’
Since the show was aired in the 70’s, it might have become somewhat old fashioned.
Now ‘madam’ would perhaps seem strange indeed, because it has another meaning, which I dare not write down.
Detlef
Hello Alan,
I wonder whether Natasha, who unfortunately hasn’t posted in quite a while, will be heartened by your efforts to explain why you think “What do you want” is a good way to greet a customer. I wonder whether she found it “interesting” that you turned her suggested appropriate greeting into an inappropriate one after your “Are you joking?” comment – a comment which many might not consider to be the epitome of respectful politeness. 
Though I wouldn’t categorize her suggestion of “What is going on?” as a typical polite greeting to use with a customer, I would agree with her that it is an informal greeting, and that if used with a customer, it should be used with care (e.g. perhaps with a customer that the sales person is already quite friendly and familiar with, for example).
I’d also agree with her that “How are you” is timeless, and that that would be an acceptable greeting to use with most any customer.
Finally, though I agree with her that store managers discourage their sales people from using “Can I help you”, that phrase is in fact still widely used when a sales person greets a customer. However, it probably would not be used as a greeting by talented, well-trained sales people.
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[size=75]“I am the American Dream. I am the epitome of what the American Dream basically said. It said, you could come from anywhere and be anything you want in this country. That’s exactly what I’ve done.” ~ Whoopi Goldberg [/size]
Hi Amy,
You are so convoluted in your comments! But I suppose I should be flattered that you hang on my every word.
Alan
Whenever you greet a customer you should always bear in mind that you are representing your company before the customer. Accordingly you should always speak in a polite and formal manner. If the customer appears ill-at-ease with your formality, then you may relax the tone a little, but always be polite.
Well Kitosdad, finally something you haven’t misread or misunderstood as an ‘Englishman’? Or is it, that you’ve stopped writing essays for people in return for a voice message? By the way, is ‘ein Englander’ the only German word you know? Good Lord! No wonder you want to keep it simple, however, I doubt if you want to keep it ‘interesting’.
Alan, I used to find the site interesting, now it has become boring. I won’t waste my time here anymore, especially since I’ve come into contact with a true Englishman, a university professor, born, raised and living in Kent, who can teach me more English than all of you so-called moderators.
This message is not meant for all the talented people who have always helped me here! I’d like to thank them all. Goodbye, I will not return.
Detlef
Goodbye dear Detlef. You will be sadly missed … not!
No doubt we all have to move on sooner or later & everybody here just temporarily but … that sure was such an arrogant emotional outpouring. What for?
I’ve really no idea! Perhaps he was drunk, or his wife has kicked him out. People react in strange ways to pressure. I’m also sure he will continue to read our Forum posts.
Kitos.
Well Detlef/Marc, you had been with us for almost 7 years so it’s only natural that you ran out of interesting questions and became bored. You made your debut on our forum as “Marc” back in November 2003: english-test.net/forum/searc … uthor=Marc
At any rate we wish and your students all the best.[YSaerTTEW443543]
TOEFL listening lectures: Why is herring healthier for us than tuna?[YSaerTTEW443543]