I have a question for you. Please respond with your gut answer only. You can email me your response. Winners are chosen at random. Prizes range from cash to a new car or house. First 100 responders are entered into the grand prize, which is an all-inclusive paid trip around the world.
Well, not really. There are no prizes whatsoever, but I will personally read each and every email. How's that for incentive?
Are you ready? There's only one question. When someone says "Thank you" to you, what is your response?
Choices:
A) You respond with nothing. Dead air hangs uncomfortably. You say nada.
B) You respond with "You're Welcome"
C) You respond with "No Problem"
D) No one ever thanks you
If you answered B, you are well mannered. I am guessing that Miss Manners would encourage all communicators to use this old-fashioned, yet polite retort. "You're welcome" is gracious and respectful. I'm a far cry from Miss Manners because sometimes impolite words come flying out of my mouth; utterances that Miss Manners would never, ever say. I am going to assume, however, that she would agree with me in saying "You're welcome" is the classy response.
If you answered C, "no problem," you are in-the-know regarding recent and popular phrases. Unfortunately the ever-so-popular "no problem" reply to "thank you" seems like it's the catch-all phrase to everything.
The Potocko family recently went out to lunch one Saturday. We noticed that the server answered "no problem" every time we thanked him. My 15-year old son, Alex, started thanking him for absolutely everything, even if the action didn't warrant a thank-you. The server must have said "no problem" 20 times. All I could think was that being a server was a huge problem for this young man.
"Could you please bring me some extra lemon for my water?" I asked.
"No problem," said the server.
"Thank you," I said.
"No problem."
It's just as annoying to me as dog walkers who don't pick up their dog's poop or people who don't share the sidewalk. Fingernails on the chalkboard is child's play, baby.
I hear "no problem" daily and it is the most ridiculous phrase known to mankind. "No problem" implies problem. Initially I thought it was a generational response as I was hearing it from younger people. Not the case, apparently, as my non-scientific experiment came to a screeching halt when I pulled into the gas station.
I had targeted an empty gas pump and as I was making my way to it another car pulled in and pulled forward stopping at the pump I was driving toward. I had to stop in order not to hit the guy and then motioned with my hand, asking him to move back. I'm waving as well muttering words such as, "please move back mister, this is my pump" accompanied by other mumblings such as "you're killin' me here, buddy," but all he saw was a smiling, waving lady. Fortunately he backed up and I moved forward. I smiled and waved "thank you."
When I got out to pump my gas, I said to him, "thank you for backing up." He replied, "no problem," which was not the answer I expected from this middle-aged man. I expected "you're welcome." Yes, that is a prejudiced comment because I thought only the younger generations were using this kitschy little phrase, but per usual, I'm wrong. Everyone is saying it — everyone, that is, but me.
When someone says, "no problem," they are, in my non-professional opinion, stating that it is a problem even though they are putting the word "no" ahead of the actual word. If nothing else, the word "problem" is negative. Was backing up for me really a problem? Really?
Pulling into the gas station with a flat tire on the way to an early morning meeting before the service station is even open is a problem; backing up 10 feet is not. And yes, I'm aware that it's a throwaway phrase that I have placed way too much emphasis on, but I consider it a very important phrase.
In order to check my sanity — which I think is long gone — I ran this issue by my beloved husband, John, who said that the phrase is noticeable, but not bothersome to him.
Alas, it's my burden and my burden alone, to carry. I feel a sense of obligation to the words, "you're welcome," to do my best to keep the phrase alive. Let me say "thank you" for reading my column this month. And to that you reply…..