Why am I the one saying “thank you”?

Now that we have (mostly) survived the holiday shopping season, let?s reflect on our experiences, shall we?

As a customer, did you feel appreciated when you chose to spend your money in certain stores?

As a business owner, did your team show appreciation to your customers?

Sure, there might have been exchanges of ?have a nice day? or even ?happy holidays,? but how many times did you hear or did you say ? ?thank you??

How often were the words ?there you go? uttered instead, when a receipt or shopping bag was handed over?

Is it easier to say ?there you go? than ?thank you??

There you go ? 3 syllables

Thank you ? 2 syllables

Maybe my math is off, but doesn?t ?thank you? take less effort? It certainly carries greater weight! Think about the warm fuzzy feeling you get when you hear those words. That?s the feeling your customers want too!

So why, when I say ?thank you? to a cashier, do I get that proverbial deer-in-the-headlight look like I?m speaking a foreign language that they don?t understand?

And ? why am I ? the customer ? the one saying ?thank you??

Here?s a fun little game. Go to a store. Purchase something. Wait for the cashier to say ?there you go? while giving you a receipt. Look at the cashier. Say ?thank you.? Watch what happens.

My guess is that the cashier will stumble through a confused ?you?re welcome? and then?move on to the next customer.

When did customer communication move into backward land? Why am I, the customer, thanking the business for allowing me to spend my money there? And when did ?there you go? become an acceptable replacement for ?thank you??

Here?s a very doable resolution for businesses in 2018. Train your team to?say the words ?thank you.?

Seriously. 2 little syllables. They carry tremendous power in your customer communications.

Try it. Let me know how it works.

Thank you for reading.