“Sometimes I get annoyed by Zoomers, for example, salespeople — neither hello nor please, complete silence.” The post quickly gathered dozens of comments, and opinions were divided. While some criticize the younger generation for a lack of politeness and empathy, others rush to defend young workers, pointing out that rudeness depends not on age but on the individual's attitude. Many participants in the discussion emphasized that silence or impolite behavior at the checkout is not a trait of any one specific generation. On the contrary, some users pointed out that representatives of older generations in customer service can also often be unfriendly. One user shares her experience: “From my experience, it’s the cashiers aged 40+ who are the ones who neither say hello nor please, complete silence, and that dissatisfied look as if someone forced her to work there. God forbid you ask something — her face is twisted, and she snaps back something.” Another participant in the discussion expresses a similar opinion: “Cashiers 40+ in my situations have been more rude than Zoomers.” Some defend young workers: “On the contrary, I’ve encountered some really great young people in customer service. They don’t say much, but they are very polite, smiling, and responsive if help is needed. Just yesterday, I was pleased: I was with my son in a restaurant, and we were served by a fantastic young man (maximum 20 years old). Polite, smiling, we even joked.” The discussion also included the opinion that the behavior of workers is often influenced by the behavior of the customers themselves. People with experience in retail remind us: customers also do not always behave respectfully. “You, customers, are not saints either.” “Working in a pharmacy, I also encounter others who don’t greet, just: I need medicine — and throw their passport/ID.” “I always greet the seller FIRST. If they respond — great, if not — that’s fine too. And I always say THANK YOU. I once worked in a store and know what customers can be like. This forced greeting is unnecessary for anyone.” An interesting aspect in the discussion is noted by those who believe that not all silence means poor service. For some people, calm, unobtrusive service even seems pleasant. One user writes: “This plague of mandatory greetings has taken over everyone. Workers should greet only if it’s stipulated in their employment contract… In fact, these greetings are a big hypocrisy. If they don’t greet, wild aggression begins.” “Great, you can enter a store, and no one bothers you.” However, those who find silence at the checkout unpleasant have their own solutions. One user writes: “I get offended if I’m not responded to in kind. So I mostly use the self-checkout.”