First a disclaimer, yes, I do have a store on Cafe Press called the Politeness Place, but that's not why I'm writing this post, actually the store was part of my answer to a question I asked myself a while back:

What happened to simple politeness?

Check-out lines, drive throughs, email interactions...what happened to please and thank you? What happened to holding the door for someone who's coming behind you? Why does it seem to be such a horrible thing to let someone merge into your lane?

Have we become so busy and self absorbed that we can only think of ourselves and our own time-lines? Have we forgotten simple respect for each other?

Months ago I decided to try my own little personal "experiment"...I would do my best to always say Please and Thank You. I know, I shouldn't have to think about it, but in this time of over-connectedness and too much to do...NOW, I think I might have.

I (re)discovered two things when I started to do this: First, people were often taken aback...say Please/Thank You to a drive-thru person at McDonald's, etc. I think you'll hear general shock in their response (well, if they respond); Second, P/TY seemed to having a calming effect on those I said it to.

While working in Customer Servitude (yes, not Customer Service), I doubt that there's any expectation of courtesy...after not getting any, I would imagine it gets increasingly difficult to give any.

So not a demand, but won't you please try a Please and Thank You today?  

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bsg7c - Riding the bus... Author | 2008-04-23 13:47:58 I spend a fair amount of time on the campus busses and recently found myself noticing a strong decline in the number of students who upon departure from the vehicle thanked the driver. Furthermore, the students who did thank the driver overwhelmingly were female. On the upside, if the person in front of a disembarking rider thanked the bus driver, the person behind them was significantly more likely to also express their thanks. I admit, sometimes I forget, but I try to routinely thank my drivers. Perhaps this specific situation occurs when riders begin to see the driver as an automated extension in the service of their transportation; instead of a person doing a job for a paycheck. Depersonalization as an impetus for a reduction of courtesy. Maybe.

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