this post was submitted on 03 Oct 2024
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Another Canadian.
All-green money is weird, about as weird for us as ours is for you. Once I knocked over some products in a store and then picked them up. The staff acted like that was saintly, so I guess other people just make a mess and move on? Drive through liquor stores are weird, and seem like an invitation to drink and drive. Paying at a hospital is weird just in concept, although thank god I've never had to deal with it down there.
Uhh, other than that it's been pretty similar in the places I've been. Etiquette around "sorry" is famously different, but aside from giving me away as Canadian it has little impact.
Edit, to add a couple positive things: Amazing Mexican food and barbecue not only exists but are ubiquitous. Coding jobs pay good money.
Everyone has an air conditioner, although Canada might be the weird one there.
In Australia it's customary to thank the staff members attending your table. So when they top up your water, or lay out cutlery for the next course, or clear plates, you say 'thanks/thank you'. Same for people clearing glasses in bars. It's like a millisecond pause in your conversation to thank the staff member; it's basically cell memory, you don't think about it. They may or may not acknowledge it with a smile or 'you're welcome/no worries'. . It's just a basic manners thing.
I and my partner were doing it in the states and it was clearly unnerving the staff. Lots of puzzled looks or 'thats ok hun' like they had to reassure me that it was part of the service.
Do people just ignore staff there? Is paying a tip at the end the only acknowledgment that they exist?
I'm really curious where you were that you had that experience? I was brought up with the thank you reflex and have lived all over the states and have never had a situation of note arise from saying thank you too much.