Lets start with the first obvious but seemingly so difficult thing.

Please and Thank You

So there you have it, the biggest bug, Please and Thank you, the first and most simple idea of politeness that the majority of us are taught by our parents before we are even capable of saying them. Not that you would believe it. Daily Parents stand before us instructing their children to say please and thank you to us, words that a large percentage of adults just cannot be bothered to utter.

It doesn't matter which shop you work in their is an item you get asked for most, in the convenience store  sugar, in the department store lingerie and in the bookstore maps. Dozens of people walking round the corner and saying "Maps?" just that, nothing else, obviously what I am paid for is to show them to the maps so that's what I do resisting the urge to just say "what about them?" and see if  they will actually ask properly.  - one of my colleagues used to  say "please" like they are a young child who has forgotten to be polite.

"Maps?" "Sugar?" and "Lingerie?" are not questions they aren't even a sentence, "Maps please?" will do "Can you tell me where the maps are please?" is what we want to hear, and in our store at least you'd be amazed at the difference in the service you get and it is so simple. Try it sometime and be amazed!

A please at the start of a conversation can wipe out the bad mood caused by last customer not saying thank you. I know it should not be up to you to correct their mistakes, but is up to you not to repeat them.

I counted and if I am on the tills at work I say Please as least twice and thank you three times to every customer I serve, this can be to hundreds of people a week, All I ask is One please and one Thank you from each of you in return.

If a sales assistant has been particularly helpful you can lift their whole mood by just saying, "thank you so much for all your help" which in turn makes the next transaction go better and so on, we all win. One person not saying these magic words can't ruin a day but it can feel like crap especially when you feel you have gone above and beyond to help them. If you have already had an awkward customer the next one just using basic etiquette can either renew or bugger up the day for everyone concerned!