Male staff member in store

Odd post. You have two options. 1). Say Hi back. This will take up 0.5 seconds of your day. 2). Totally ignore him. This will take up zero seconds.

How can someone saying Hello, upset you so much? Mad.

It’s just a tiny human interaction. Don’t move to a small village, I live in one where most people of both sexes at least smile and nod when you meet them in the street. Some might even, shock horror, mention the weather in passing.

I don’t know why you feel forced to interact. A slight nod of acknowledgement is probably more than he gets from most people tbh.

I used to work in a school. Do you know how many children never say good morning?

Basic manners.

Get over yourself and be polite.

My kids were taught to speak to people, say hello, smile, they were given pennies to pay - look at shops now, so little interaction, what will society become if we can’t even extend a good morning?

What annoys me more are the hostile staff that eye you up and have you feeling like a criminal for innocently doing your shop.

It's mildly irksome, but I can see the reason for it. A major supermarket chain has one of its convenience outlets near us. It's near the buses and very handy if you want something on your way home. It also has a big shoplifting problem and once out of the front doors, a miscreant could be anywhere, even on a bus to somewhere miles away. Because it's a small shop, putting an official, uniformed security person on the doors might be a bit OTT (and costly) so the shop uses regular staff instead. They are OK. I smile nicely on my way in and say thank you on my way out - they are helping to keep a very useful outlet going, after all.

It's particularly annoying because it's never genuine and one comes across as rude if not joining in.

The poor guy probably doesn't want to be there saying hello to every single person crossing the threshold anymore than you want him there.

Retail work is hard enough, just smile or say a quick hello.

Maybe don't go to shops in the USA , they tend to be so hot on the Meet and Greet , you'll combust

Yep, just another opportunity for drama to be created over absolutely nothing at all. This is such a non-event that it doesn’t even warrant mentioning. I come on Mumsnet a lot and increasingly find myself thinking about the people that get uptight about this sort of thing - how do they operate in the real world?

We have that in our Asda. The security guy sitting at a desk saying hello and bye as you enter and leave. It doesn't bother me in the slightest. I say hi and walk past, there's no obligation to stand and chat.

You're being weird.

I find it more annoying when there's people trying to sell you a new energy deal or such like, outside stores. We've had Scottish Power outside our local Asda all last week; absolute pain in the arse - try to engage as people enter and exit the store, standing in the way. One actually asked my son when he was walking passed the store - he's 14 and was wearing his school uniform!!! 🤣 He told me he looked at the person and said 'I'm 14, in my school uniform, do I look like I pay the energy bill'!!! 🤣🤣

This is a very over the top reaction. He’s there to greet people, let the man get on with his day for god sake.
If a man being paid to be polite to the general public in a shop makes you uncomfortable that’s your own issue.

Strange reaction. It’s a simple hello and goodbye as you walk past. You are not forced to stop and chit chat and surely doesn’t affect your actual shop whatsoever.
confused why you feel the need to highlight it’s a male doing this also

also sad to think that a cheerful thing like a hello and goodbye can be seen as something negative

He could well be security, would you feel the same if there was a female member of staff on the door?

Either brief nod, or if you really don't want to engage, don't make eye contact.

With the ones who stop you in the street and hassle you I just stare them out and keep walking, but that's not for everyone

I get it, I hate forced interaction. I don't need someone to greet me on my way in, I just need helpful and knowledgeable staff who ate treated well by their employers. I'd be inclined to ignore, ignore, ignore. Alternatively find somewhere else to shop if it's an option.

You are annoyed by seeing a man being friendly as part of his job? YABVU poor bloke probably doesn’t want to stand there!

He's just doing his job! Saying hello to every customer means that the shoplifters are aware of a security presence as they like to go unnoticed, he may not be an actual security guard but it's a deterrent all the same.
Shoplifters are an epidemic right now and forcing the costs up more and more to cover stolen goods so a simple solution like this shouldn't be a worry to those genuine customers.

bizarre to feel harassed by it - just ignore if you don't want to engage.

I say hello to the guy on the door of my local Waitrose even if I just walk past and don't go in. When I do go in, if it's to collect a parcel he always makes sure that a staff member (sorry, "partner", it's Waitrose) comes over to sort it out promptly.

Unless you are a shoplifter why are you so bothered? He's there to provide Security - for the shop and genuine customers.

Especially when they say “Do you want to help poorly children”, which I find extremely manipulative. I always so “no thanks”.

The Greeter couldn’t care less about you as an individual. He doesn’t want to engage in depth with you. His role is to say Hi. Surely you can say Hi as you walk past?
They are there so that those with more nefarious intentions realise that that have been clocked. Innocent shoppers won’t worry.
And he can’t help being male!
So yes, YABVU.

Ffs. Say hello or ignore him. Enough people must like the greeting or there must be another purpose. No idea why being male makes a difference either.