Is "thank you" disappearing? Or is it long gone?

Wes said:
It may be just me. I may be disappearing from sight as old people gradually do, it seems. i gave five adults and two children who are neighbors Christmas presents this year. I've seen these people many times since Christmas. None have said 'thank you' or 'how thoughtful of you...'. Has that habit or behavior disappeared? Or am I gradually disappearing from others' sight where anything I do is irrelevant to others?
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Nope it's not you. It's disappearing and I hate it.
Exception was my DIL's 15 yr old son. He sent me a nice note by text. Kudos to him.
 

Paladin1950 said:
Absolutely not! I use the phrase almost every day. I hear it from other people every day. Thank you, is probably the most used phrase every day in the world. I have never stopped hearing that. I hear it in stores from fellow customers. I say it to the cashiers. I hear it in the nursing homes that I have worked in. My family members say it to each other.
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I hear it out and about and from family.
Maybe the OP is talking mainly about gift giving. Family, grandchildren think it's old fashioned to acknowledge and thank you for a gift if it wasn't given in person. I sometimes have to ask if they received it because I have no idea.
 
horseless carriage said:
From the time that I had learned to read and write, and still just a small boy, my mother would insist that I write a thank you note for gifts received. What you do in childhood stays with you for life.

The lack of good manners is part of the endemic that makes up what seems to be acceptable today. Previously on another thread, I mentioned that complete strangers will start a letter, Hi and your first name. Dear Mr. or Dear Sir, has long been forgotten. It seems that please and thank you have dropped out of use too.
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Just last Christmas I sent out a hand painted card with a letter and a dozen decorated gingerbreads to a family member. Nothing. Not one thank you. Itā€™s disappointing. How long does it take to send a ā€˜thanks for the cookies/ giftsā€™ text?
 
timoc said:
I'll tell you what though.... when I'm getting my receipt from the lady at the checkout, I always say, "Thank you for your help, pretty girl and do keep smiling, you have a lovely smile." 99 times out of 100, I do get a smile off them.
It costs me nothing to be polite and the girl is happy to be thanked and noticed. šŸ˜Š
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Wow, if I tried all of that, I would probably get slapped! OMG!
 
againstthegrain said:
The reply to thank you - "de nada" - kind of bugs me, but I'm not a native Spanish speaker so who maybe taking it literally is my own problem.
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I think it is...because in Spain it's absolutely second nature to say de Nada when someone thanks you for something... meaning of course.. ''no problem''... it's when people say No problem instead of thank you...then that's irritating...
 
No. Thank you and you're welcome are so alive and well in my world. You people must be going to the wrong places if you never hear these phrases anymore because they do exist. Go places where you're more likely to hear them and enjoy it when you do.
 
Wes said:
It may be just me. I may be disappearing from sight as old people gradually do, it seems. i gave five adults and two children who are neighbors Christmas presents this year. I've seen these people many times since Christmas. None have said 'thank you' or 'how thoughtful of you...'. Has that habit or behavior disappeared? Or am I gradually disappearing from others' sight where anything I do is irrelevant to others?
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Didn't they say thank you when you first handed them their gifts?

PeppermintPatty said:
Not for me! Thank you, sorry and love are some of my most used words. That sounds so wrong. I must be tired.
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I say please, thank you, you're welcome, excuse me, every day too. Comes naturally.
Paladin1950 said:
Absolutely not! I use the phrase almost every day. I hear it from other people every day. Thank you, is probably the most used phrase every day in the world. I have never stopped hearing that. I hear it in stores from fellow customers. I say it to the cashiers. I hear it in the nursing homes that I have worked in. My family members say it to each other.
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I've had very positive interactions with people, complete strangers. Yesterday I went to the post office, held the door for someone and they said thank you, I replied you're welcome. If someone holds the door for me, I always thank them, it's automatic.

At the supermarket I thank the cashier and the person who bagged the groceries, they usually do the same, and we also wish each other a good day. If the worker behind the seafood counter hands me my salmon, we always exchange thank you and have a good one. Easy for me to smile in a friendly way, and I find there are many others like that, they're not all seniors either.
JustBonee said:
'Thank you' hasn't gone out of style where I live.

I probably use it everyday, for any deliveries, and people that come to my door .... they like their tips, but a thank you is welcomed too.
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I've been getting a lot of deliveries and whether it's UPS, Amazon Prime, FedEx, the mailman or a restaurant food delivery, I make it a point to thank them if I can. They always respond with a smile, you're welcome, and be both wish each other a good day.
 
C50 said:
I hear thank you often but what I have noticed is hardly anyone says "you're welcome" any longer. What you get now is a yup, or no problem, maybe a you bet.
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It doesn't bother me if they say no problem or you bet. It's their way of acknowledging your thank you. This is 2024, I embrace any act of civility or kindness. There's a lot of good folks in this world, we just hear too much about the bad.
 
@SeaBreeze - the gifts were mailed to them 2 weeks apart from each other. This relative recently told us he was engaged and that he and his new family were going to drop by but didnā€™t. They then told us they were getting married and we were invited.

I sent a hand painted picture done by me and a sincere letter stating why I wonā€™t be attending the wedding but my husband would be. . I congratulated them both.

Two weeks later I sent the cookies to this relative with a small card inside saying Merry Christmas and who it was from.

I havenā€™t heard a thing. This person has recently gotten divorced and his wife and I were good friends or so I thought. Itā€™s been tense lately.

Itā€™s really not a big deal. The main thing is that I tried to build a bond. If they donā€™t accept, thatā€™s up to them. It can sting a bit though.
 
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