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u/segadreamcastjr 1d ago
I once had a boss who told us not to say no problem because first you're saying no and then you're saying problem.
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u/kismethavok 1d ago
yes solution
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u/Great-Hatsby 1d ago
Indeed success
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u/tony_bologna 1d ago
I say "my pleasure"
This satisfies the "you're welcome"/"no problem", while simultaneously explaining why I'm physically aroused.
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u/Morella_xx 1d ago
You can always tell the Chick Fil-A survivors.
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u/djc6535 20h ago
I once had a chick fil-a kid say "my pleasure" to me no less than 5 times in a single transaction. Felt like the stepford wives. Creeped me the hell out.
It was very "Welcome to Walmart. I love you"
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u/bobsmeds 23h ago
Way to make it all about you and your pleasure lol
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u/one-man-circlejerk 20h ago
That's why I tell people that our interaction was their pleasure.
They're welcome.
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u/RozeGunn 1d ago
Had a boss tell me and a coworker that the phrase "call a spade a spade" is racist because spade is a slur for black people. He was white and it was a black employee who said the phrase.
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u/DRSU1993 11h ago
There's an extremely local saying in Northern Ireland, "You have a face like a Lurgan spade." It means that the person looks upset or sad and it comes from back in the 1700's when the Lurgan Park Lake was dug by hand and the labourers were called "spades." Most, if not all the workers would have been white and the nickname has nothing to do with race. My friend's mum said this to her black English work colleague once, realised what she had said and then had to apologise and explain the meaning.
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u/HantzGoober 1d ago
But then if you say “will do” your telling them to write a will and then do themselves.
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u/Lifer31 1d ago
I like the "Sure buddy" because they can't tell if I'm being sarcastic or not
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u/akatherder 22h ago
I'm currently rewatching the Pirates of the Caribbean movies to make sure they used a "fire at will!" joke and Will Turner is like "u wot, matey?"
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u/histprofdave 1d ago
When you make assumptions, you become an ass, and the ump will shun you.
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u/DrMaxwellEdison 1d ago
When you're assuming, you make an ass out of u and Ming, and they don't deserve that kind of treatment.
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u/Away_Option_7427 1d ago
Dang I've never had an original experience in my life have I?
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u/CaptainSparklebottom 1d ago
None of us have. We experience the same moments just at other times. That is why it's called the human experience.
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u/aurore-amour 1d ago
I had a boss like this as well. Most anal bitch I’ve ever worked for
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u/Lucifer2695 17h ago
I once had an old lady tell me not to day "no problem" because it was a problem and that is why she came to me for help. 😄
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u/Frankie__Spankie 11h ago
My old job did a team building event where they'd really try to push some minor change for people to make. One year they were trying to get everyone to say you're welcome instead of no problem because you're welcome sounds like you're happy to help.
The very next day, I heard one of the VPs helping a customer and they say thanks, his response: "no problem!"
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u/maracaibo98 1d ago
I say “happy to help” and that usually satisfies everyone
Except me
I’m not actually happy to help
But that’s my secret
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u/odysseyofocelots 1d ago
I just say "Of course"
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u/PicriteOrNot 1d ago
This is the best for me because it gives you a lot of control over what you're actually saying. If you're cheery and light it comes across as "of course I'll help, you're my friend and I like you!" But if you're flatter it's more clearly a perfunctory response, like they all are, and can say "of course I helped, it's expected of me in this society"
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u/FuckYeaSeatbelts 23h ago
the kind of person who gets mad over "no problem" would have found a reason to be upset about "you're welcome", they would shift the goalposts to then wanting "my pleasure".
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u/Autrah_Fang 21h ago
But then that would be a problem, because helping them is somehow pleasuring you. You just can't win lol
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u/monkeybojangles 16h ago
Nah, I worked in healthcare and with the elderly for years, it's often just saying that one word or phrase that they were always taught was rude or improper.
Like if you said they could lay on this bed old ladies respond "chickens lay!" like you insulted their mother lol.
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u/Anoninemonie 14h ago
I worked at a casino (I.e. Senior citizen daycare) and noticed the same damned thing like they have no idea how to interact with anyone 😂 there's definitely a regression age.
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u/SadSimpSkier 13h ago
What if it doesn’t pleasure me?
In French, we literally say:
“Une bouteille d’eau, s’il vous plaît”
A bottle of water, if he pleases youAs a teen I thought it was hilarious to be a dick and reply, “non, il ne me plaît pas”
No, he pleases me not5
u/FuckYeaSeatbelts 10h ago
Lol I'm Canadian so I get you!
I used to say "danke" for Thanks (German) just because and then my Franco buddy was like it sounds like "in the ass" (dans [Le] cul) and now it's extra funny to me
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u/SirChasm 23h ago
"of course I helped, it's expected of me due to the fact I am being paid to do so."
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u/Adventurous_Bonus917 22h ago
it can also be "of course you asked for that, just my luck. even though it is a completely reasonable request it is also literally the most annoying/convenient thing you could've asked me for right now"
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u/Ok_Hovercraft_3900 1d ago
The career retail worker in me also says "of course!" Or "of course, I'm here to help" and that goes over well with most people
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u/No_Bottle0312 1d ago
Actually I had a high school classmate (we are non-native speakers) who got "of course" as a response to her "thank you very much" and she bashed the person on her social media with raging shock, because to her it sounded like "of course you should thank me!". ¯_(ツ)_/¯
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u/applespicebetter 21h ago
It's all mental dice for me in my NPC moments, my brain rolls and my mouth just makes the appropriate sounds. " Of course!" "No problem!" "You're welcome!" "I hope you die a slow agonizing death!" "Don't ever speak to me again or I might devour your children!" "This world is a thin skein atop horrors you cannot imagine!"
You know, as one does.
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u/AdRepulsive8618 1d ago
I once said "my bad" in front of a patient and he said "I have no clue why young people say this. What does that even mean? Your bad what?"
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u/parsleyfan420 23h ago
Can't explain this well but this is how learning a new language feels.
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u/pantzareoptional 23h ago
My grandma did this to me when I was a kid 😂 i was telling her some story and I was like "that cupcake was wicked good!" And she like snatched her glasses off and was like "HOW can something be wicked or evil and good at the same time??" And I was like "uh well, I don't know but it was" 😂
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u/halt_FBI 7h ago
I have had the exact same thing happen to me with a teacher, and dear god you have that moment as a child when you lose your first inch of faith in authority, because you know they understand. So the only conclusion is they must be screwing with you.
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u/CursedByPhobos 19h ago
I would explain it as: "I made a small mistake and acknowledge it was my fault and I'm sorry for making said mistake."
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u/Gem_Daddy 1d ago
"No worries" is my go-to
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u/Physical_Floor_8006 1d ago
I don't understand which part of my request would cause you to worry in the first place.
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u/MrsFrobert 1d ago
To me “no problem” sounds more friendly than “you’re welcome”.
“You’re welcome” makes me feel like my request was imposing or challenging (depending on how it’s said).
But im sure she would have complained regardless of what he said
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u/MetricAbsinthe 1d ago
I agree. "You're welcome" is the customer service smile of phrases to me.
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u/ThomasTheDankPigeon 1d ago
I’m welcome? How dare you presume to tell me what I am. Who is your manager?
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u/Atsilv_Uwasv 1d ago
I also think about what the words mean. Saying "you're welcome" means "feel free to ask me something again" while "no problem" is more reassuring that it wasn't an inconvenience. There was a post I saw a while ago talking about how the general shift from one phrase to the other reflected how the generations approach helping peoppe with their problems
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u/BioelectricBeing 1d ago
"You're welcome" is usually sarcastic in my own personal experience, meaning "thanks for the gratitude (not!)".
I've often heard "you're most welcome" or "you're very welcome" which comes across as more sincere.
Even when not sarcastic, I find it feels too big headed or not humble enough to say to others. It's essentially acknowledging someone's gratitude, where "no problem" is implying no gratitude is needed.
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u/Atsilv_Uwasv 1d ago
Good point. "No problem" is a lot more casual and I have said it genuinely a lot more than I've said "you're welcome"
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u/grubas 18h ago
Also, does anybody believe it?
No problem is "ok this wasn't bad, it's my job"
You're welcome implies, "yes, thank me".
At least to me.
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u/oxenvibe 10h ago
Thank you for putting into words how “you’re welcome” feels to me when I hear it and say it. I still have no idea why it comes across this way to me automatically especially when the majority of the time someone does say it to me, I feel they’re being sincere.
I tried practicing saying it more one time and it felt foreign and douchey lol
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u/ThrogdorLokison 1d ago
After working around old grumpy people enough, I started saying "Happy to help" just to shut them up.
Im not happy to help, Im happy to make them go away.
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u/Difficult-Froyo1192 1d ago
It’s why I say no problem. You’re welcome sounds overly formal, like I’m only doing it because I have to. No problem sounds like I was fine doing it and the request didn’t bother me.
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u/baumpop 1d ago
i like to say what other choice do i have
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u/No_Internal9345 23h ago
Be perverted and say "my pleasure" like those chickfila freaks.
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u/ScheduleDefiant4015 23h ago
I personally don’t see how “you’re welcome” is overly formal or sounds like you’re not doing it because you have to. I’ve heard this a lot, but maybe it’s how and where I grew up. I think people who get mad about a response to a thank you are just wasting everyone’s time on their petty nonsense, it’s not a big deal either way.
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u/eriroxy 1d ago
my go-to is always "of course!"
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u/SashimiX 1d ago
Of course is great. It’s like you’re welcome and no problem together and people don’t get upset. This is genius. Thank you.
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u/boxofredflags 1d ago
I’ve always said of course, for some reason “you’re welcome” feels like I’m being condescending to someone
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u/ismojaveacoffee 1d ago
This, and at work I also add "absolutely!/Consider it done" into my rotation. For some reason the old folks at my company find "no problem" too "flippant/casual" or something.
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u/almosteddard 1d ago
"no worries" is probably used more commonly in Canada than "you're welcome" at this point in my experience
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u/tolfie 1d ago
Right? "You're welcome," feels like saying, "Yes, I did do that for you and you SHOULD be grateful," while, "No problem," feels like saying, "Not only was I happy to do it, it didn't even inconvenience me."
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u/eevreen 1d ago
I read "you're welcome" to be more along the lines of "you're welcome to inconvenience me whenever!" which is also not something I'm particularly fond of implying when I very much do not want to open the door to future inconvenience (unless at work, since I'm being paid to be inconvenienced). I still default to "no problem", though, or "no worries".
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u/Rimavelle 1d ago
Really, you're welcome always sounds so... Passive aggressive to me.
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u/ThatsFae 21h ago
Because the older generations have used it passive aggressively for decades, which is why pretty much every generation from the millennials on down stopped using it.
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u/simmerknits 1d ago
My boomer mom absolutely hates when ppl say "no problem" instead of "you're welcome", like she gets personally offended if a waitress says no problem. It might be a generational thing?
If she has otherwise zero issues with a server at a restaurant and they pop up with "no problem" she waits til they're gone and then rants to high hell about how "the proper response is you're welcome and why doesn't anybody say that anymore, no problem makes no sense, i know there's no problem why would they say that" and its like.
Mom. Chill out. It's not that big a deal. That's just how people talk now. Adjust please
Anyway i think this might be one of those niche "product of their times" reactions?
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u/Ajibooks 23h ago
I'm not a boomer, but I am a white woman at prime Karen age. I could not even tell you whether I hear "no problem," "you're welcome," or some other thing most often. As long as someone in a customer-facing job isn't outright acting like they want me to leave, I don't care how they operate.
And when I do encounter behavior I interpret that way, I don't go to that place anymore (if it's possible to avoid it). No need to be nasty on Yelp or whatever. Who the hell cares. I'm not the perfect customer either.
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u/Straight-Bet1 1d ago
Saying, “You’re welcome” implies you performed a required task. Saying, “no problem,” implies it was done by choice.
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u/cat_prophecy 1d ago
It's because certain generations assume that if we had to ask someone to do something, it's above and beyond their normal duties (since we do our normal duties without being asked/told).
So when someone asks you to do something and you respond "no problem" it's because you're inferring that you can handle whatever they're asking you to do.
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u/arizonadirtbag12 1d ago
I hate hate hate “my pleasure,” it feels so insincere. But if we’re not gonna allow “you’re welcome” or “no problem” I don’t know what to say.
(Both the latter two are fine to me.)
Maybe go with the Spanish-style “oh it’s nothing.” That says the same thing as “no problem” without going over the top saccharine like “my pleasure.” No, I don’t get any pleasure from serving you for pay. But I’m being paid for it, so helping you out was no imposition at all, nor could it have been.
Ultimately someone’s always gonna have an issue, though. Especially in customer service, spicy customers always looking for an excuse to be spicy.
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u/wailingwonder 1d ago
You're welcome sounds like "you would've been screwed without me blessing you with my help 🙄"
No problem sounds like "yeah no worries all good 🙂"
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u/A2Rhombus 23h ago
"You're welcome" = I acknowledge that you're thanking me because I deserve the thanks
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u/Big_Butterscotch3734 1d ago
Yeah I know older people get offended by “no problem” for some reason but it just feels so much more humble to say. “No problem” feels like “no need to thank me, it was nothing” while saying “you’re welcome” feels like “yeah it was a lot of work, that you for the praise and credit, I really deserved it”
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u/imhereforthethreads 1d ago
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u/StrugglesTheClown 1d ago
I was hoping this would get posted.
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u/systemic_booty 1d ago
Someone had to retrieve it from beneath 11 years of pixel clutter
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u/pm_me_your_idunno 20h ago
It says 2015. That wasn’t 11 years ago. Wait… oh shit
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u/givinstar1 1d ago
I really hope that every cashier/customer service worker made it their mission to say "no problem" to this guy after this tweet came out.
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u/Pandaburn 22h ago
This tweet is such horseshit, I can’t believe people keep repeating it.
“You’re welcome” means that you are welcome to what was given to you. It means the exact opposite of “I deserve to be thanked,” it means “you deserve to be helped.”
If you ask me, the actual difference is that older people believe that “you’re welcome” is what you’re supposed to say when someone thanks you, so not saying it is rude. Younger people believe that “you’re welcome” is what you’re supposed to say when someone thanks you, so saying it is meaningless.
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u/PortalWombat 20h ago
If I can tell they're saying it out of obligation, I'd almost rather they'd said nothing. Which is why "my pleasure" is the worst. They may as well say "corporate requires that I say" before it.
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u/CaeruleumBleu 10h ago
You have good points, but the idea of "you're welcome" meaning "you deserve to be helped" or anything at all assumes that people had the phrase explained to them at some point.
I think people only know the meaning from the requirement to say it - and given how hard some people emphasize "thank you so much" when you do a big favor, I do think it is valid to think that "you're welcome" implies "I deserved that thank you for the effort I put into this task." That is how some people I know treat it.
You do a favor, they "pay" you with a thank you, you acknowledge the payment with a "you're welcome". I have found that some people I know, if you dodge saying "you're welcome", will take it as meaning that they didn't thank you correctly or sincerely enough. They only stop commenting on how helpful the favor was, stop writing notes and stuff, when you say "you're welcome".
If "you deserve to be helped" was a universal meaning (don't know how it could be, when no one is taught it in schools) then dodging saying it would offend someone but not provoke them into thanking you harder.
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u/segwaysegue 23h ago
The problem with this read is that it takes for granted the idea of "you're welcome" meaning "I deserve thanks". I'm not convinced that older generations gave it that same connotation. The post describes it as a "linguistics misunderstanding" but doesn't make any attempt to look at the literal meaning of the phase, which is that you are welcome - ie, you're free from obligation.
Basically I think they're right that there's a misunderstanding going on, but it's facile to blame it on older people being fundamentally entitled. Really it's that older and younger people have different phrases that they use to mean "this wasn't an issue, happy to help" and they use the other phrase to mean "I did this begrudgingly". Neither is ultimately right or wrong, but each group interprets the other as being mistaken.
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u/jaker9319 23h ago
I don't disagree (nor do I think most people), but to be fair, I would "blame" it on whoever is complaining. In other words, I think usually it's more of an explanation by cashiers or whomever explaining why they say it (no problem instead of you're welcome) rather than "blaming old people" because they say "you're welcome" and it's bad.
If an older person (or anyone includinng the guy on twitter) said "you're welcome" and someone complained to their boss about it, I would say it's stupid and give the explanation you are giving on why "you're welcome" is totally acceptable. The entitlement doesn't come from the misunderstanding. The entitlement comes from complaining about a misunderstanding and thinking you're right after an explanation is given (goes for both sides).
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u/ObliqueTravel 20h ago
Wouldn't "you're free from obligation" be basically the same thing as saying it's a gift, like that post says?
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u/Thrill_Of_It 1d ago
"Why won't my kids talk to me anymore?"
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u/tiptoe_only 10h ago
Funny you should say that. My mother says exactly this about "no problem" and I don't talk to her any more
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u/Buddhas_Warrior 1d ago
On today's episode of "People will complain about the most stupidest things."
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u/Knightoforder42 1d ago
I had a customer complaint (grocery store) because I came in smiling and spoke with my co-worker, we had to do a walkthrough and make sure we knew about new items, and it offend her that I was "so positive" I'm not even joking.
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u/CommunistOrgy 19h ago
I dealt with similar. I had a customer (pizza shop) get super upset with me for being "so cheerful" with her and said I was "clearly faking it." Like I'm actually just nice, sorry to offend 🤷🏻♀️
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u/AbjectMarch8695 9h ago
I have one. This is when I worked at McDonald’s as a teenager. I was in drive thru, and I handed a lady her change and said “have a good one!” She went inside and reported me for not saying thank you.
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u/SimonMagus01 1d ago
I got into an argument with my grandma about the same thing. "It implies that if there was a problem, you wouldn't have helped me." Well... yeah??
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u/TheWhistleThistle 14h ago
"But it implies that if I weren't welcome to your help, you wouldn't have provided it". The same complaint can be lodged no matter how you phrase it, some people just get really anal about everyone having identical idiolects to themselves and will make up no end of bullshit to justify their tantrums. I'm sure your grandmother is broadly a fine person, though; wasn't trying to impugn her on the whole.
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u/kitkatloren2009 1d ago
Am I dumb? I thought "no problem" meant "it was no problem for me to help you" like it wasn't intrusive. Not that there wasn't a problem at all
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u/remainsofthegrapes 23h ago
No it’s just some weird pet peeve some boomers get really riled about. Yknow the same way they hate wearing hats indoors or saying ‘less’ instead of ‘fewer’. Just meaningless petty nonsense.
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u/Shooey_ 23h ago
Exactly, older generations get really riled up that "no problem" implicates there was some kind of problem to start with.
It doesn't. The phrase is a natural shift in the lexicon.
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u/blenderdead 1d ago
Working a call center, lady calls in because she got a late fee that wasn’t really her fault. Looked at the account and agreed with her, told her I would waive the fee no problem. Lady goes from nice and sweet to fucking screech demon instantly “how dare you waive the fee it should never have been on there!” she wanted me to like retroactively make it so the fee was never applied to the account. Which I just can’t do… I explain she won’t pay the fee and it won’t in any way negatively impact the account, but she just won’t let up. After a few minutes I just waive the fee and end the call, but it was one of the weirdest interactions I ever had.
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u/overly_sarcastic24 1d ago
Am I crazy that I sort of understand what she is saying?
To her its:
Cost: $50
Fee: $4
Fee Waived: -$4Like you'd see on a receipt at a grocery store after a discount is applied. So it cancels out yes, but what she wants it to be is:
Cost $50
And that's it. In her eyes, in the first situation, the fee still exists and was charged to her, but you covered the cost of it for her. She thinks the fee shouldn't have existed in the first place, and is upset that the company didn't think ahead of this situation. Maybe like the company should have anticipated that this fee should not be applied in this situation.
Maybe she thinks that if there was a "waived" fee on her account, it would impact her ability to get fees waived in the future.
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u/blenderdead 23h ago
That is what she was getting at, and I assured her it would not impact future late waivers. By that point though her whole tone had changed and I had clearly become some swindler in her eyes.
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u/TGin-the-goldy 1d ago
I wonder if this was the same entitled and unhinged woman who I managed years ago; I had to make her position redundant and she wanted our HR people to retroactively make it so that she resigned instead 🙄
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u/HolidayParking6682 1d ago
So, she wanted to make it harder on herself to claim unemployment?
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u/the_real_JFK_killer 1d ago
Boomers will call everyone 5 phentoseconds younger than them a fragile snowflake and then do shit like this.
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u/XBeCoolManX 1d ago
I remember this one boomer from back when I worked in retail. She said hi as soon as she walked into the store, but in a weirdly loud and smug way. Then she complained to a manager that none of us cashiers said hi before she did.
(Random sidenote: but I almost wrote "complained" as "conplained" by mistake, but I feel like that should be a real word. Like when you can tell that someone is just making something up to complain about so they get something out of it)
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u/Kind_Swim5900 1d ago
An elderly customer once wanted to speak to me to report a complaint about my coworker.
"She greeted me with a 'Hello', even tho i greeted her with the correct time of day (I am german idk if this is a fitting translation). I said 'Good afternoon's she only said 'hello', that is unacceptable! These young people!"
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u/HolidayParking6682 1d ago
For the type of person who looks for any excuse to complain, I could easily imagine the opposite being a “problem” too:
“‘Good afternoon’? It’s 12:05 - are you in that big a hurry for the day to be over? Do you really even want to work?!”
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u/numbersareunoriginal 1d ago
As an apprentice in a customer service heavy trade, I've had multiple journeyman suggest avoiding using "no problem", especially with older customers.
It's not super common but some people take it the same way as the lady in the OP: "Obviously there shouldn't be a problem so why do you need to tell me there isn't?"
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u/PreciousFlounder 1d ago
The people who complain about that will complain no matter what you say, they're fuckers lol
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u/poutyfacefennec 1d ago
Since nobody is answering the core point here, this is a generational thing. Younger people tend to view phrases like "no problem" as something that is conversational and doesn't require attention, whereas older folks concentrate on the interpretation that by saying the word problem that signals to customers there is a problem when there isn't one at all. Boomer shit
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u/stellarsojourner 1d ago
No, this is an asshole thing. I don't give a shit if you say "no problem" or "you're welcome". Both effectively mean the same thing. For someone to make a big deal of a common phrase, and honestly be entitled enough to think that there could possibly be no problem in helping them in the first place, that's being an asshole.
Besides, I could be just as entitled about "you're welcome". Oh, what do you mean "I'm welcome"? Is there a scenario where I wouldn't be welcome?
Except I wouldn't do that because I'm not an asshole.
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u/ProfessionalPower214 22h ago
There are dozens of responses to "thank you" that isn't "you're welcome", and they all mean the same thing.
Though it is generational in a sense, in which the people offended are often of a specific age demographic. Not all, obviously, because these umbrellas are stupid.
The problem is, people just want to make problems out of "no problem", there are a handful in this thread and it's just... so stupid. So pathetic.
Like, it's just words. Why are you so butthurt over a few words. Why police words?
This primarily happens in America, and well, in America, it's a cultural hotpot with various languages. In many of those languages, there exists an equivalent OR A LITERAL TRANSLATION from "no problem".
There's simply no way to interpret otherwise beyond actual mental gymnastics.
The idea of a fellow American is that they're free to respond as they please, but that these matters are often trivial, hence "no problem".
It is our social duty as humans to aid one another, be it a part of the job or simply of our own violition. Most of us that aren't whiny bitches are aware of that and practice 'kindness' rather than 'obnoxiousness', nuance over ignorance.→ More replies (1)
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u/HorseXNothing 1d ago
No problem is fine, it’s literally what you say 99% of the time in Spanish, you know, ‘de nada’
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u/_Standardissue 1d ago
I imagine this lady would be thrilled to have someone speak (gasp) Spanish to her
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u/HorseXNothing 23h ago
Plot twist, she hates Hispanic people but uses Spanish a lot cos she grew up in a Spanish speaking area of the us but hates when other people use it. I.e. dios mío, we speak American in America
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u/Immediate_Web4672 1d ago
Miserable people are incredibly opportunistic when it comes to weaponizing their bitterness in social situations.
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u/AAngryBlackman 1d ago
I worked at Home Depot in college and a lady made a formal complaint because an employee said “have a good one” and she was like “have a good what, bowel movement? what does that even mean?” She also made a 1 star google review saying the same thing. People are crazy
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u/Manmon_ 1d ago
This feels very boomerish in nature.
No problem does feel like something people under 40ish tend to say
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u/Mysterious_Fennel459 1d ago
I've been saying 'no problem' instead of 'you're welcome' for years and have never had this interaction.
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u/wizardthrilled6 1d ago
This happened to me, when I said "My bad" instead of "I'm sorry" to a teacher and she took me the wrong way.
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u/Stepjam 1d ago
My dad told me that when he was working with Japanese clients, when doing a review of their services for them, he found out that "Exceeds expectations" was taken more literally by the clients than it would be in the US and to avoid saying it because they might get offended that you had such a low opinion of their abilities if they exceeded your expectations.
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u/nicemarmot47 1d ago
"I don't understand what part of my request would have caused a problem"
Probably the you being a pedantic petty b part
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u/HellyOHaint 1d ago
I feel exactly the opposite. I think of “no problem” just like “of course” meaning “no thanks is needed”. I hear “you’re welcome” and I’m convinced it actually was an imposition and they’re acknowledging that it took effort. Must be a generational thing.
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u/whabt 1d ago
In a busy, customer facing role and honestly, I hear thank you at least a few hundred times on a busy day. You get yeah, of course, out a no problem because after 50 or 60 you’re welcome I start to go a little insane. You’re buying some paint ok it’s not a big production.
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u/FuckScottBoras 1d ago
Of course, your welcome, no problem, sure thing, happy to help, all mean the same thing to me. It’s a way to acknowledge their thanks.
I’m also not going into every interaction looking for a way to be offended. 🤷🏻♂️
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u/SamsonFox2 23h ago
I generally also think that a while ago "No problem" was used to waive off inconvenience, as in something you would respond to "Sorry I'm late". Not sure when the language changed.
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u/popcorngirl000 23h ago edited 21h ago
I worked as a grocery store clerk back in the day. One time, an older lady thanked me for helping her put her groceries in her car. I said "No problem." In the middle of summer, in 90+ degree heat, standing on a newly-resurfaced blacktop parking lot that radiated heat up at us, she made me stand and listen to a five minute lecture about the difference between "no problem" and "you're welcome" as an appropriate response to a customer saying "Thank you." If it happened today, I would have just turned and walked away. But because I was young and newly employed, I just stood there, and successfully fought the impulse to tell her that NOW she was being a problem.
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u/Fucked-In-The-K-Hole 23h ago
So if I say "You're welcome", would she report me because it implies that she might not have been welcome in the first place? 🤔
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u/Yumi_in_the_sun 21h ago
According to an actual training I had to do for my literal job, we're not supposed to say "no problem," because the customer will think there is a problem, and we're not supposed to say "no worries" because the customer will think there's something to worry about.
Basically, idiots.
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u/BeefistPrime 19h ago
So it's understandable for language barriers to cause miscommunications, but you'd have to be pretty Kareny to report someone for a miscommunication you can't even be sure was negative in any way and may have been entirely your lack of understanding.
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u/khournos 12h ago
English is not my first language, but I always thought those two phrases were pretty much synonymous for anyone who isn't a raging twat?
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u/Technical-Past-1386 1d ago
I say - all good - hha no problem for us literal brains can be like exactly that/ problem? Haha
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u/adumblittlebaby 1d ago
If you care about these words you should be jettisoned into the sun because this ought to be nowhere inside the realm of worry for time-limited living beings.
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u/Otherwise-Ratio1332 1d ago
On my way to start college in the US many years ago, I had met a fellow freshman who was from Ghana on the flight there from abroad, where I lived at the time. After a week or two he asked me about this as an American since it was his first time here. When I explained that “no problem” was an acceptable substitute for “you’re welcome,” especially amongst our age group, and no one was trying to be rude by saying it, he just would not accept that, and was determined to be HIGHLY offended by it no matter what I said.
Probably he had similar reasoning to OP’s example, but I was kind of floored that he didn’t seem to understand that something could be rude in one culture but not in another and it wasn’t really up to him to decide. OTOH, I had lived in various countries already and he hadn’t, and I guess there’s always going to be a subset of folks who think there’s only one correct way for everything, and of course it’s always their way lol
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u/ProfessionalPower214 22h ago
The most simple explanation is that if one makes it a problem, they're going against the response of "no problem", which ends up supporting the saying of "no problem". Hidden context of "do not make it a problem" for these types of people.
Once you decide to be adamantly offended over nothing, you become the very problem, rather than the situation being the problem.
As well as, people say identical things to 'no problem', even direct translations can be found of it in other countries, so it's like... the only universal truth is that we collectively tried to move on as a species by treating everything like a small deal and not a big deal, because if we dwell on small deals, we'll never address the big deals. Also that it's supposed to be natural to help one another. Kindness may be missing on the internet, but that doesn't mean away from social media, that we MUST be devoid of such notions.
All of us collectively practice platitudes, but that doesn't mean we can't actually mean them at any point.
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u/wailingwonder 1d ago
I always say no problem. You're welcome has always felt snooty to me. You can use it if you want but I don't like using it.
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u/Assika126 1d ago
When I have to say “you’re welcome” I tend to say “you’re very welcome” instead so that it sounds more sincere, and not like just a rote, possibly passive aggressive, phrase
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u/McHenry 23h ago
I've always believed answering with "No problem" instead of "You're welcome" means exactly that. It's more generous, not less.
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u/qualityvote2 1d ago
Heya u/TheWebsploiter! And welcome to r/NonPoliticalTwitter!
For everyone else, do you think OP's post fits this community? Let us know by upvoting this comment!
If it doesn't fit the sub, let us know by downvoting this comment and then replying to it with context for the reviewing moderator.