this post was submitted on 09 Jun 2026
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me_irl
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๐คฃ๐คฃ๐คฃ yeah ok, lololol. If you can't see the benefit in the person in charge of all the money knowing who they're dealing with, you'll never grasp the benefit of small talk. Have a good day!
If you think a cashier is going to scam you because you don't talk to them then I think you have some serious trust issues.
If you think I think a cashier is going to scam me because I didn't talk to them then you completely misunderstood what I was talking about, just like I predicted.
What "benefit" does "someone in charge of all the money" being able to "evaluate your mental and emotional state" give you? And how would you expect me to take such a line of reasoning other than you having a paranoia about someone scamming you?
I was describing ways in which being nice to strangers by default can benefit me, because you couldn't understand it. You obviously still don't. How about this one: Treat others like you want to be treated. When I've done a customer-facing service job in the past, I liked it when the customers recognized my existence and were kind to me. So that's what I do for them. ๐คทโโ๏ธ๐คทโโ๏ธ๐คทโโ๏ธ Sue me.
When did I "make a big deal about hating small talk"? All I said was I don't care what is said, which is the definition of small talk. Don't tell me you've been responding to the wrong person this whole time ๐๐คฃ๐๐คฃ๐๐คฃ
It puts them at ease so they can do their job accurately and efficiently. Maybe there's a bag fee and I don't have my reusable bags and they say don't worry about it. Maybe they make sure to bag my groceries without putting a gallon of milk on top of a loaf of bread. Maybe it's a restaurant I get food at periodically and they remember me being nice to them and they throw me a coupon or a free dessert. Maybe they were having a shitty day and just needed someone to look them in the eyes and see that they existed and making them feel better makes me feel better. Maybe they're really Morgan Freeman God in disguise and they're going to make me a deity for a day. I don't know man, it's just fucking nice. I don't need another reason.
Do you really ignore blue collar workers who are doing a job for you and just refuse to speak to them for no reason?
Talking to someone about a topic you specifically say you don't enjoy talking about only for the hopes that they'll give you freebies isn't nice, it's actually pretty shitty. Like you view the purpose of a social interaction as a gamble to win a prize. Mind you, if you didn't make such a fuss about hating the process of small talk, I wouldn't think that, but because you say it's something you don't want to be engaging in, I don't see how else to view what you're saying as some strange transactional thing instead of human to human connection.
And no, I don't refuse to speak to cashiers. If they talk to me, I answer. If there's something I actually want to say, then I say it. I follow blue collar workers around my house so I can learn about what they're doing because I'm curious. Don't frame this as some sort of elitist snobbery when all I said was that if you don't want to talk to someone about something that you either shouldn't talk at all or choose a different topic you actually want to talk about.