So I managed to find this quaint Japanese shop in the city and to be honest it was kind of a shock because outside of class I don't really get much exposure to actual Japanese being spoken outside of shows, movies, and what I find on the Internet. It was really cute because there were these little girls who kept saying "大根だよ！大根だよ！” to their younger brother. Anyway, I digress.

As I was checking out my bentou, I asked the clerk "元気ですか？” She kind of gave me a funny look and answered ”はい元気です” and then proceeded to charge everything up.

It was in this moment that I realized that in my excitement to get to speak Japanese, I kind of forgot that this kind of question may not be something a Japanese person would typically ask their store clerk.

Have you experienced any situations like this?

Can't say I conversed with any shop staff in Japan, apart from continually telling them.."no. I don't have a point card.. no I don't want one.. " but then I don't speak to the shop staff in England in English either.

I can't think of any situations I've had like that, I half apologised to someone in the street that I bumped into not long after I came back from Japan in Japanese until I realised where I was. "ああ　ごめ.. sorry"

Is this in Japan?

I speak to the staff in shops fairly often, or they speak to me, especially in small shops. But I wouldn't say 元気ですか？ Usually something about the shop or area or a product. I think saying a question like 'How are you?' to staff in most countries would get a confused look..!

Nah, in America saying "How are you" to staff isn't too uncommon.

I think it's probably fine. She was probably just surprised that you were addressing her in Japanese. But you should definitely have said お元気ですか instead. Maybe that was another part of the reason you got a weird look.

That would be weird in the UK too.

One other point to note is that Japanese convenience store and supermarket customers usually barely acknowledge their clerks' existance. They almost never say thank you, and "how are you" would be even more unusual. So if this lady is used to dealing with Japanese customers most of the time, that would be yet another reason for her surprise.

I thought it was going to be something more shocking from the title of the thread. I don't live in Japan but where I do live has a Japanese community (English studying working holiday makers) and because it's kinda rare, I developed a tendency to talk to random strangers. Sometimes when I'm drunk or in too much of a playful mood however this goes really bad... Like most of the time it's cool n ppl are like wtf? In a cool way. Im afraid doing this will give an impression I have terrible manners... Though I do make a lot of friends haha. Dunno, maybe I should just tone it down a notch.

When it's a shop you frequent and you become familiar with the clerk, it's not so strange.

I became pretty friendly with staff in conbini near my old place. And the staff at mcdonalds, come to think of it.

If you really want to throw them off drop a もうかりまっか on them

JimmySeal Wrote:I think it's probably fine. She was probably just surprised that you were addressing her in Japanese. But you should definitely have said お元気ですか instead. Maybe that was another part of the reason you got a weird look.

Even with an honorific, you don't generally ask about someone's health if you don't know them at least as an acquaintance (even if it's a set greeting it still has a meaning). That goes double for store clerks which are treated as inanimate objects like you mention in your next post. If a Japanese person asked it to the clerk they probably would have gotten the same reaction due to it being なれなれしい.

Other beginner level greetings like はじめまして would also be out of place since you are not starting a relationship by buying a bento. If you really want to chat up the cashier, the natural way is to make a comment about the weather/product you're buying/how busy the shop is/etc.

mezbup Wrote:I thought it was going to be something more shocking from the title of the thread. I don't live in Japan but where I do live has a Japanese community (English studying working holiday makers) and because it's kinda rare, I developed a tendency to talk to random strangers. Sometimes when I'm drunk or in too much of a playful mood however this goes really bad... Like most of the time it's cool n ppl are like wtf? In a cool way. Im afraid doing this will give an impression I have terrible manners... Though I do make a lot of friends haha. Dunno, maybe I should just tone it down a notch.

In Japan, if you're drunk, (almost) anything goes!

tnall Wrote:...this kind of question may not be something a Japanese person would typically ask their store clerk.

Doing what Japanese people typically do is more often than not boring. Change it up. Give people something to talk about besides work. Yeah for generalizations

Jarvik7 Wrote:

JimmySeal Wrote:I think it's probably fine. She was probably just surprised that you were addressing her in Japanese. But you should definitely have said お元気ですか instead. Maybe that was another part of the reason you got a weird look.

Even with an honorific, you don't generally ask about someone's health if you don't know them at least as an acquaintance (even if it's a set greeting it still has a meaning). That goes double for store clerks which are treated as inanimate objects like you mention in your next post. If a Japanese person asked it to the clerk they probably would have gotten the same reaction due to it being なれなれしい.

Other beginner level greetings like はじめまして would also be out of place since you are not starting a relationship by buying a bento. If you really want to chat up the cashier, the natural way is to make a comment about the weather/product you're buying/how busy the shop is/etc.

This is good to know, but also real sad. I couldn't imagine not to acknowledge a shop clerk. Just walking by as if they don't exist, without even saying things as simple as "good morning," "how are you," or in case I know them a better, to have a small-talk with them. I would consider it being very rude. Likewise when the other person wouldn't greet customers, no matter what they are doing right at the moment, is a no go. Or just standing there, looking around, as if I don't exist. Respect goes both ways. I wonder how the cleaners in shops are treated when not even clerks are acknowledge to exist, other than from those who know them personally, and go to the shop on a regular basis.

Jarvik7 Wrote:

JimmySeal Wrote:I think it's probably fine. She was probably just surprised that you were addressing her in Japanese. But you should definitely have said お元気ですか instead. Maybe that was another part of the reason you got a weird look.

Even with an honorific, you don't generally ask about someone's health if you don't know them at least as an acquaintance (even if it's a set greeting it still has a meaning). That goes double for store clerks which are treated as inanimate objects like you mention in your next post. If a Japanese person asked it to the clerk they probably would have gotten the same reaction due to it being なれなれしい.

Other beginner level greetings like はじめまして would also be out of place since you are not starting a relationship by buying a bento. If you really want to chat up the cashier, the natural way is to make a comment about the weather/product you're buying/how busy the shop is/etc.

Correct. お元気ですか is more appropriate to greet someone you know, but haven't seen for a few days. Try commenting on the food next time ...

うわ～、寒いですね！・うわ～暑いですね！

Weather always works.

a friend of mine wrote about this on lang-8... she said that generally people at the counter don't talk and was surprised when americans did and talked about recipes and stuff.

she also said that if it were japan the people waiting in line would probably get annoyed and that the clerk reads out the price and name of each product to avoid any conversation.

in every supermarket i've been to in the US, they always ask me if i found everything i was looking for. also, the filipino clerks will talk to me if they recognize that i'm filipino. =)

Can I ask if there's other ways to make small talk to cashiers and shop assistants without reverting to the weather? (Weather-talk is okay I guess, but feels a little out-of-place to say to people who probably haven't even looked outside for many hours.)

I too was at first dismayed to find that (お)元気ですか availed nothing but confused looks, and even when I say it to my Japanese in-laws they seem to be a little taken aback or something. It's about the first phrase I learned, but now that I'm here in Tokyo I can barely use it...!

I mostly stress at my local supermarket, where I recognise everyone and they recognise me, but I can only offer a こんにちは and then stand there like a stunned mullet. Someone, help me talk to the nice ladies!

well, what would you do in english?

it's my experience that in the initial phases of meeting someone you have to contribute to 80% of the conversation in the beginning.

talk about weather, talk about products, ask questions about products, talk about the news, etc.

You probably won't have so much luck in supermarkets, but if you go to small specialist shops instead people often talk to you. For example a greengrocer, a butcher, a tofu shop, a coffee beans shop. Also because these are specialist shops there are pretty obvious meaningful questions, what coffee do you recommend? How am I supposed to store this tofu? etc

Saying that when I used to go to a small supermarket near my house the clerks used to talk to me all the time so I guess it depends on the place but def small shops are better, plus you're supporting small local businesses.

kainzero Wrote:well, what would you do in english?

Ah well, I guess I haven't done it much in English outside Japan either. So my problem may run deeper than the level of my Japanese conversational skills.

kainzero Wrote:the clerk reads out the price and name of each product to avoid any conversation.

That annoyed me no end.. I don't need you to tell me how much the stuff costs, I can see it on the register, and I saw it when I picked it up.
It's even worse in 100yen shops..
いってん　にてん　... argh!

While we're on the topic, I hit on an employee for the first time the other day. It was an at izakaya, and when we were all leaving I just stopped the female chef and asked: "Yukari, wanna go drinking after you get off?" (she had a name tag). Naturally she was embarrassed at this sudden invitation from an unknown customer, so I just persisted until she gave me her number; it was a fake number. Aah, good times :p

gavin.schultz-ohkubo Wrote:Can I ask if there's other ways to make small talk to cashiers and shop assistants without reverting to the weather? (Weather-talk is okay I guess, but feels a little out-of-place to say to people who probably haven't even looked outside for many hours.)

I too was at first dismayed to find that (お)元気ですか availed nothing but confused looks, and even when I say it to my Japanese in-laws they seem to be a little taken aback or something. It's about the first phrase I learned, but now that I'm here in Tokyo I can barely use it...!

I mostly stress at my local supermarket, where I recognise everyone and they recognise me, but I can only offer a こんにちは and then stand there like a stunned mullet. Someone, help me talk to the nice ladies!

Why would you want to do that? Save your small talk for people you meet in bars and shit.