Are people getting ruder and unfriendlier or am I just getting old and grumpy?

@the80sweregreat it's a car park for staff and patients and she was parked on the staff side the other day but the little madam isn't fussy where she parks and she is not alone either. Management are too afraid that a genuine patient could get a ticket but discussions are ongoing for bespoke services. Fingers crossed.

Troy's mammy
I'm surprised that your GP surgery hasn't tackled this illegal parking problem as obviously people are taking advantage and it sounds as if they are not paying any parking fees either ?
Our surgery has a small area for GPs and staff that only has one way in and out , but the council put those collapsible barriers at one end which ( I assume) the ones working there have key fobs for to get them up and down ( or some kind of way of getting them down )
That works really well, but it is in a side road area behind the shops and easy for them to do without disrupting any other parking areas. Before this they might have had the same problem with people parking for free.
It must be a nightmare for you and I know I wouldn't dream of doing anything like this for fear of being towed away or huge fines.
I got a fine for my parking ticket being upside down once in the windscreen ( but perfectly legal and readable ) I had to fight for the fine to be redacted. Which they did ( reluctantly)
( gust of wind has turned it around before I shut the door and I didn't notice!)

Why is it sexist to expect people to acknowledge your existence? The poster isn’t asking to be entertained but a response to Hello or eye contact. We are social animals. I appreciate some people may find such interaction overwhelming but for the majority of people it’s not a huge expectation. It is a sad world if you expect everyone to go around without any interaction from those around them.

Yes possibly. I most of the time am polite and courteous to but I hate to admit I've caught myself being a bit short with others in day to day life. Often because I've had a testing day. It's not an excuse but you can just never be sure what's going on with a person from brief interactions.

Definitely ruder but then people are a lot more appreciative of people who are friendly/ welcoming too, I make sure to say hi to people, I let people out when I’m driving, and then see them pay that forward and let other people out, I say please and thank you and compliment on good customer service and people are lovely back. I don’t think it’s just lockdown, although it really helped, I think we’re living in a more insular and introverted society (I’m blaming screens just from my kids😅) and people are feeling stuff more due to cost of living etc

It's not you.

I work in a GP surgery and the entitlement, rudeness and demanding can be breathtaking. The other day a young, can't say lady, parked her car in the surgery car park to use it for free parking whilst she went off shopping or the gym in the city centre It's not the first time she's done it and it's been left for hours. I challenged her when she got back and she jumped in her car and gave me the finger and was mouthing la, la, la when I was telling her not to park there again. The absolute cheek of it. Unfortunately we don't have parking wardens but the parking problem is being discussed and I hope that if we do use a company, madam in her haste to bugger off doesn't see the signs and she gets fined.

Another person, also not a patient when told he can't park in the car park whilst he goes to the his place of worship called my colleague racist!

Tolerance is low, and people think it's okay to be rude. A thank you and a bit of empthy and understanding would go a long way.

Generally we've been very lucky where we live - another city centre (not London). I'm usually out with either a baby or a dog and people couldn't be friendlier, often stopping to compliment one or the other (both baby and dog very good at getting attention!). The local baby and toddler groups are very friendly and everyone is chatty. Like a pp, we have lots of choice with cafes, restaurants and shops, so we've not really noticed any bad customer service. Doors tend to be held open, people move out of the way for the pram, bus drivers are thanked etc.

However, we've definitely noticed a very steep increase in very bad and often downright dangerous driving and lots of phone use at the wheel. Also lots of illegal parking blocking wheelchair access, usually by tradespeople or delivery drivers who become quickly quite hostile when this is pointed out as they're "just trying to make a living." People seem generally busy and stressed and subsequently less aware of their surroundings. When I was using public transport when pregnant, it wasn't uncommon for someone to shove past me with headphones in / hood up (but then be very apologetic if they did notice me).

Exactly all these!!!! Grabby me me me first behaviour l. I hate it!

Oh the irony. You sound exactly like the people OP is describing.

Completely agree. Myself and my husband were talking about this yesterday, no one seems to open doors for each other or hand in a wallet they find etc it's all the 'I'm alright Jack' mentality

Agree..i was just saying what OP has said yesterday. Me me me attitudes especially since pandemic ive noticed..people queue pushing with no concern, walking straight for you so you have to move, not giving disabled seats to elderly or disabled, i could go on..i hate it

Some of us like and are interested in hearing from people in other countries. How incredibly rude to dismiss them as 'irrelevant'.

That's not friendliness though, that's politeness and basic courtesy. What the North East call 'friendliness' is mostly what made me move to London.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5059114-since-when-did-playing-music-through-speakers-be-ok-on-a-hospital-ward?page=1

My hospital speakers thread

People are so entitled these days. It's so me me me and stuff everyone else!

What an odd thing to brag about, it was years ago. What happened in your mystery country is irrelevant to a lot of us, most of us are in the UK and Ireland.

When my son started in reception, everyone was friendly and chatty and I made new friends with the other school mums. I was hoping the same would happen when my daughter started too. She's now in Y1 and I've given up trying to get a "Hello" or even eye contact out of anyone.

Those mums don’t owe you friendliness and chattiness though. Calling them rude for not wanting to entertain you is pretty sexist.

And no, people aren’t ruder, they’re the same as they’ve always been. Some are rude, some are friendly, some just want to go about their day without wanting to chat small talk with you. For some people talking to strangers is excruciating, have some sympathy.

I haven’t noticed it.

I’m so greatful for living in a country that pretty much continued everything like normal during covid! No lockdown, schools were open and I worked.. Media abroad pointed finger at us, but in the end it turned out pretty well.

I've just been for a walk, everyone said morning, people with dogs put them back on leads/called them out the way, cyclists said thanks when we moved to one side - north east, where we are known to be friendly though!

I think there's been a very welcome trend towards understanding your needs are as valid as anyone else's. Shop staff have the right not to be abused, staff have the right not to be bullied, and so on. But as happens with any shift like this, it takes a while to settle, and meanwhile there are people who take it to mean "my needs are more important than anyone else's" "why should I say please and thank-you when you're just doing your job", "why shouldn't I play my choice of music as loud as I want, if you don't like it, get some ear plugs" "why should your desire to walk in the countryside and listen to the birdsong interfere with my desire to race across the hills on my cross-country motorbike?"

@SocksAndTheCity yes i agree with you - Central London is very competitive and the service tends to be a bit better as a result. They at least try!

In the ‘burbs is a whole different drama - people can be SO rude. As someone said above, I have to “coach” my children - thats not what we do, thats not how we speak to people etc etc. Exhausting. And depressing.

I totally agree about how shabby everything looks. I was walking along Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow the other day and was appalled by the state of it.

I haven't noticed it especially, no. I think that the lockdown was to blame for a lot of ill feeling, though. It should never have been allowed to go on for as long as it did, we were locked down for getting on for two years. Ludicrous and I would be more surprised if there were no effects from that.

For me it’s less about customer service in shops but more a sense that we are a very crowded nation competing for the same things - school places, drs appointments, attractions or even hiking in a national park (see Yr Wyddfa videos for mad queues on a bank holiday)
You go anywhere and there’s often queues for car parks, queues to pay in the shops. You often can’t just turn up ant a restaurant these days, it has to be booked weeks in advance so everything has to be planned ahead which takes the joy out of a spontaneous decision to do things. Everything feels expensive and a bit exploitative.

I think people are finding it harder to be nicer and polite when going anywhere or doing anything feels like a hassle. Many parts of the U.K are starting to look run down and shabby, with lots of litter about and I think that’s making people care less about society in general.