Actually, not rude, but for as little as I've been there, and how short a time I shopped, I sure hit multiples of really poor sales/service people in NYC. Not in the restaurants as much as in the shops and department stores. They wouldn't be kept on re employment at the same job in Chicago, in my experience.

My husband and I were in NYC last weekend, and were amazed at how helpful and friendly people were. It was my first trip there in many years, and it definitely seemed like a huge difference from previous trips.

I was also really surprised that they said cashiers and salespeople were polite. That is not my experience at all. I just bought a shirt at lunch and none of the employees spoke a word to me including the cashier. I find that most NYers will always help people with directions, etc. But if you do stop in the middle of the sidewalk between 11:30 and 1:30, all bets are off!

I don't think Starbucks is really representative of the typical retail store. From what I understand (please correct me), employees are compensated higher and receive medical benefits. These employees are probably more invested in building their careers than other employees at different retail locations. It's very hard to movitate someone to give "service with a smile" on minimum wage and minimal benefits.

The people in our department stores in Chicago do not work for minimum wage and most get benefits, all the ones I know do- and I know bunches. I think even Sears had to cave and give many more benefits.

Macy's in Herald Square has some of the most unpleasant salespeople I've ever encountered.

At the other end of the spectrum, the staff at Lord & Taylor are so nice I actually wrote a letter to the store to compliment them.

I've lived in NYC for 15 years (and in the metro area my whole life), and I don't think we're a terribly polite people. But maybe I just ride the subway during rush hour too much.

I'm talking more about Duane Reade, fast food restaurants, etc. Places with high turnover and little potential for upward movement.

Those were not the kinds of places where the staff was sour, in fact Macy's was one where the staff were non-responsive and moved like Illinois Dept.of Motor Vehicle clerks (or maybe not that bad, they are slow motion experts).

I sure hope they don't make our Field's into that mode. And many jobs require communication and a smile, despite the lack of "upward" mobility. I don't get how they compete having workers in the zombie mode. Maybe they do because the audience is "captured" so to speak.

If I were to ever encounter a polite and friendly Duane Reade employee, I think I would die of shock. They are talking about potentially opening a Nordstrom in NYC, which would be amazing. I would definitely exclusively shop there for the customer service.

Agree about the Illinois DMV - they are outrageous!

There are certain stores where I would be shocked if someone actually roused enough energy to smile or say anything more than grunt...
Video stores
Drug stores
Gas stations ( never mind, I cannot understand the language of that grunt anyway)
Starbucks
Any discount stores ( Marshalls etc)

It is just not gonna happen. If it does, I know that person, is not going to be smiling for long or will move upwards in their career..

Turns out that NYC was the only US city on the list. No indication as to where it stands on the politeness scale in the US.

My first time in New York with my husband, daughter and 76-year-old mom - mom was having a hard time with the stairs in the subway so we decided to try using the bus. We were waiting at what we thought was a public bus stop and along came a bus. Apparently the bus was some sort of a tour bus, but the driver was really nice, told us it would be faster to use the subway to get from Battery Park to the Empire State Builing. We explained about mom having trouble with the stairs, so he said he was almost off duty, headed in that direction and gave us a free ride to the Empire State Building. After that I was really really impressed with New Yorkers!

Scarlett, those categories you mention, by me in both Chicago Southside proper and in my suburb, you get excellent, smiling and personal care. Most of these categories (and I can actually name the person at one of my gas stations and at my video store) are owner operated. In fact, I would bet that ALL those categories you mention, except the Starbucks (which I don't go to nor do I know anything about) are owner operated or family operated with several good and loyal employees. The Marshalls by me is not family owned but I think they are extremely nice, although extremely busy. They even take back your rejects in the changing rooms and rehang them and replace for you.

I am surprised at this. Are they really non-smiling by you?

In my town in Michigan at drug store, video store, and gas station they will actually remember your name and use it. This town only has 15,000 residents, but even when I was a stranger they were great to me even when I was foreign. They carry the groceries to the car for you, as well.

These are not considered the peon jobs that they seem to be considered elsewhere. People BUY franchises, or owner operate almost all these venues here and we do have service attitudes almost across the boards.

In fact, I bet every gas station within 20 miles of me in every direction has a cup for pennies so you need not make change but can take/leave change at will. And if I have had not exact, they mostly tell you to go and forget the difference.

And you always get a "have a nice day" or something else at the end of the buying or shopping process. Our Target is like that, our Jewel they will even go to the shelves for you and find something if you have forgotten and are already in check out.

This really surprises me. Maybe we don't know what we have, until we lose it. We may have language differences, and as such the words can be hard to understand, but the service person is almost universally cheerful and pro-actively helpful. And I can understand almost any kind of accent, if the word is close to the English sound.

How timely - New York Magazine's article on urban etiquette was just published this week:

http://tinyurl.com/jhwol

Actully, JJ5, it was a list made up over time spent in more than one City , and might have included an occasional exception to the rule.
Of course, I don't know the names of the gas station attendants, but there may have been sweetly smiling gents and surly ones. Surly seems to stand out in my mind more though..Florida for one
Video stores?
I always blamed it on the boredom and waste of time that these kids are going through-they have no interest in public relations lol ~ Here in Portland, they are the multi-tatooed,pierced,sullen types. No actual scowls or objects thrown, but certainly no smiles..although they did give pup a treat one day ((&)) so he might disagree with me too.
All Marshalls that I have been to take back returns, that would be store policy, but they don't actually seem to smile and be cheerful as a rule. One here in Portland required multiple thumps on the head before he came out of his daze to ring up a sale. lol


I am surprised at this. Are they really non-smiling by you?
Don't be surprised, be happy that you have such cheerful saleshelp where you live. Out in the rest of the country, you might encounter something different. (I will spare us all the details of driving across country and meeting sales help)

In my town in Michigan at drug store, video store, and gas station they will actually remember your name and use it. This town only has 15,000 residents, but even when I was a stranger they were great to me even when I was foreign. They carry the groceries to the car for you, as well.
Charming! I remember when I lived in NC as a child, the kid that bagged my moms groceries would carry them out. They will do it anywhere, still, if they are asked.
Of course, there are friendly and pleasant people everywhere, we were discussing rude or "happy saleshelp"... Portland is full of them, just like there are many of the Others..it isn't really that unusual.

Interesting comments about sales people and clerks not having a smile. So many times while traveling in Europe I heard comments from locals who have traveled in America and told me that sales people in America have a fake smile, have a nice day attitude which they did not like. Maybe they didn't go to New York.

Dohlice, too bad the founding planners of NYC didn't design the streets to be twice as wide. Wider sidewalks, more traffic lanes and a tree lined blvd. down the middle. Not to mention more light in those canyons of buildings. The small towns around here have only a few thousand people and the streets and sidewalks are much wider. One has a tree lined blvd. down the middle of the downtown street and it looks beautiful.

jorr, the streets and sidewalks are so narrow because space is at a premium here - we need space for buildings! Manhattan is a tiny island, but there is more room the farther out you go in the boroughs. It makes sense that in small towns surrounded by open spaces, developers have more room to spread out.

I do agree with you about wanting to see where NYC compares with the rest of the country in terms of politeness.

"Fake" smile! How can Europeans know if a stranger in another country and culture has a "fake" smile? Isn't their subjective judgment when they don't even have context. Maybe we smile more. Period. Actually by observation at trials, we do.

Give me a smile anyday and a kind word, rather than an arrogant- "I will dane to hand you what you want, but don't dare puncture my personal shell" attitude that I see in big city or in some "high" end areas elsewhere. You know that article said Sarasota (rudest), and the stores in St. Armand's are exactly like that to a T. Very distance sales help, no smile, just pay the money, Mam.

I just don't see that "distance" attitude here in the Midwest, and particularly not in St. Louis, Chicago, Milwaukee- and I don't see "fake" smiling much either. When I think of fake smiling I think of kids hamming for a camera. Believe me, I've worked enough service jobs when young to know, it is not often forced, but comes from a lighter nature or temperament.

Maybe we are more easily pleased not having "perfect" weather and being generally ignored re time zone or media news. Regardless, I'm thankful.

JJ5--I didn't know that Sarasota was rated "rudest" but can tell you that having grown up here it used to be a very friendly town. I guess I'll just blame the transition on the transplants. We were given a low rating by a publication recently with regard to homeless people but that has a lot to do with the fact that there is a low level of tolerence for pan handling and those types of activities.
As far as St. Armands is concerned, I'm not sure I agree. My wife and I shop and dine there frequently and find that most of the sales and service people there are quite friendly.

The article said rudest, not I. And I myself don't think they are rude, just more distant and less personal than where I live in the Midwest.

But that's exactly what I am posting, and badly by the way- is that the "interpretation" of rude is subjective, very subjective. I've had to study this for thesis work in trials.

Distance may be "polite" to you and not to me. To you genuine friendliness and ease may be "fake". Capice!