"Thanks, man."
Maybe he said "chief." Or "boss."
It wasn't "pal" or "bud" or "dude." But it might just as well have been for the casual way it was tossed. At least it wasn't "ace" or "bro."
This column will fall in the category of unsolicited advice (from me) and other stuff (from elsewhere).
Before I get to the advice, let me say that I'm well aware of the pitfalls surrounding that activity. But I'm also creeping up on 85 years old and have been labeled a curmudgeon by my former newspaper colleagues years ago. I choose to look upon it as a recognition of experience and a license to, if not kill, be truthful and possibly helpful because please don't waste my time and maybe what I have to say will prove useful to you in the future.
Dude.
So I took care of some personal stuff the other day that was long overdue in that category. The young man who helped me was maybe 20. Could've been older, but looked young and talked a lot about super heroes and video games. I take those as clues.
He did a nice job but he saved me some money and cheated himself out of a bigger tip by not offering some extra available services that I would have been happy to receive. When it came time to pay, I handed him the cash and signaled to keep the extra as a tip.
"Thanks, boss."
No. (Here comes the advice.) I'm at least 60 years older than you. I was not insulted or offended by what you said. More surprised than anything else. I am not your "man." Or "boss." Or pal, dude, ace, bro, chief or bud. Seriously. Haven't you ever heard the phrase, "Thank you, sir?" Especially since you work in a service job where it literally pays to be polite to older clients? Age has its limits, but it also merits some recognition, unless you're a serial killer or delusional politician.
Since it's more likely that the parents of young men who talk about super heroes movies will be reading this than they will, maybe you can try to pass on some useful advice to your sons (for some reason, I think the daughters get this) on how to interact with clients who are significantly older than they are. I know it can sometimes be challenging, but somebody's got to do it.
And finally, young man, when it comes to accepting the tip, there's an old newspaper saying that may be useful: When in doubt, leave it out. Drop the "chief" or "man" or "boss." You can even drop the "sir."
"Thank you" is a complete sentence. It always works and it never gets old.
Alright, getting the ego in check. That's it for curmudgeoning, bros.
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