I have a few pet peeves. (Only a few??? Well, only a few I'll admit having, anyway.) One of them is the phrase "How you doing?"
When did "How you doing?" become an acceptable substitute for "May I help you?" I hate trying to figure out if the kid working the drive thru is ready to take my order or attempting to stall me while trying to figure out how to work the register. If I go ahead with my order, the kid asks me to repeat it. If I wait, I get a huffy sigh and "Go ahead with your order" in a snotty tone.
The other most common usage of "How you doing?" seems to be in response to "May I help you?" If someone walks in the bookstore, I usually say "Hi, is there something I can help you find?" Most common response is "How you doing?" AAAAGGGHHH! I hate it. I was taught that it was extremely rude to respond to a question with a question, unless clarification was needed. And I really don't think these people actually care about how I'm doing, they just seem to feel the need to speak without thinking.
I usually ignore the question when I'm having a bad day. Since I don't like to lie, giving a truthful answer isn't a good idea. If you don't care, don't ask. If I don't answer, move on. Don't repeat the question at increasing volume.
I'm not even going to comment on rules of grammar and how they apply.
The only time I ever ask someone how they are doing is when I actually care about the answer. In other words, I have to like you or be concerned about you to ask. The rest of the time, I don't ask because, frankly, my dear I don't give a damn.
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That IS annoying. Nothing like saying, "I wasn't listening to a damn thing you just said, lady." I rarely go through the drive-thru, so next time it happens, I'll be listening for a "how you doing?"
ReplyDeleteI don't here that a lot up here, it might be a regional thing. It is truly annoying, though, when you ask someone a question and they respond with a nothing, throw-away answer. Like you're not worthwile to actually listening to. I get that at work all the time. Grrr!
ReplyDeletethe woman who inspired this post walked in, ignored me for 10 minutes, then YELLED how you doin' at me. More than once. i guess she didn't like me not responding to her even though i spoke to her several times and didn't receive a response. my other favorite is a complete stranger saying "what, you can't speak?" i can, i just don't want to speak to YOU!
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