To the Editor:
Can anyone tell me why everywhere you go now-a-days the simple two words “thank you” are very rarely ever used? If it was just an isolated incident I could say, well the guy/gal is just having a bad day and let it go at that. But instead, it’s become an epidemic and an absolute disgrace. Whether you are speaking to someone on the phone, in the workplace or shopping in many of our stores today, this common courtesy has become almost non existent.
Are we not teaching this in the home anymore when kids are first learning to talk? Why are business owners not making it a mandatory requirement with their employees that the customer deserves at least this much? Whether it’s the person working in the deli who does not think the effort to say thank you is important after I just purchased $38 in food, or a pizza delivery man not saying thanks after I just gave him a $5 tip for walking up 12 stairs, or the gas station attendant who took all of five minutes to charge me $46 to fill up my tank. Am I asking too much for a simple thank you?
From the time I was a little boy growing up, I was taught these few simple words. Whether it was my mom or dad helping me with my homework or after they gave me an allowance, thanks mom/dad. A stranger buying a cup of lemonade at my first lemonade stand, thank you sir. My old baseball coach giving his time and making it fun, thanks coach. To Mrs. Smith who I delivered newspapers to when I was 10 years old and she gave me only a 25 cent tip, thank you Mrs. Smith. To Mr. Jones who I delivered groceries to as a young man and he told me to keep the change, thanks so much Mr. Jones. To my neighbor Paul helping me with my car when it was stuck in the snow, thanks a lot Paul. To the young lady who I held the elevator door open, to let her enter first, thanks to you too.
Today in society many of the so called movie stars or prima dona athletes have incentives in their contracts to do this or to do that, so maybe its come to a point in time where we give people incentives for being kind.
Like Elvis would say, “Thank you very much.”
MIKE MISELIS