Ditto in my little backwater of Spokane, WA. I hadn't thought of it before but I have had fairly in-depth conversations with cashiers at the store, probably much to the annoyance of the people behind me. A few months ago I got into a discussion about travel with a 20-something TJs cashier as she bagged my groceries. She told me about her volunteer work in Europe to help the Roma. I asked about all the Roma scammers I'd encountered in tourist spots in .de, and she gave me some political/cultural background about that. Now that you mention it I wouldn't be surprised to find that all the chatting adds a bit of pleasure to the shopping experience that encourages people to shop there again, and that management encourages it. I have to believe that the propeller-heads back at HQ have this all figured out.
One striking difference between American and German shopping is that in the latter, the staff would rather die than help you shop. I've never been approached by an employee asking "Are you finding everything OK?" for example. Nichts when cashing-out either, you'll be lucky to get a "hallo". I wonder if there's a "don't talk to strangers" principle at work with that? Maybe they simply don't care - not their job - or think you should be able to find stuff on your own if you're not an idiot?
It depends, I think on the whole it probably is a positive bit depending on the store can be off putting to certain people. For example with clothes shopping I have avoided shops which in the past have tried to be overly helpful. I much prefer to browse and try things on on my own and then if I do need help have someone to ask.
I can see two different types of scenario where this would happen. One is where the staff actually are interested in what you want to buy for a reason, the other where they have been told to make conversation.
I go to a kayak shop and I can have a genuinely interesting conversation with the guy over designs and why certain ones would suit certain types of paddler, or river. Someone I have never met before, but we share a common passion.
Then again, when I have visited the States, then it seems to be the opposite. You go to any restaurant, the waiter wants to know your name, tell you his, asks if you are having a nice day. It just comes across as false / and fishing for tips (IMHO its crazy that a rich country like the States has such a backward system for compensating employees baked into its culture).
Yeah true, I guess it is more that I have no interest in having a conversation about clothing, whereas talking about a hobby to someone who actually has an interest in it is very different.
I also feel awkward where anyone is coming across as fake in their customer service interactions, I feel much more comfortable if they just don't do any routine. I would note though that there are places where people have a script but still implement it in a way that shows they genuinely care, which is nice.
One striking difference between American and German shopping is that in the latter, the staff would rather die than help you shop. I've never been approached by an employee asking "Are you finding everything OK?" for example. Nichts when cashing-out either, you'll be lucky to get a "hallo". I wonder if there's a "don't talk to strangers" principle at work with that? Maybe they simply don't care - not their job - or think you should be able to find stuff on your own if you're not an idiot?