There is a lot of good advice in this short article, 19 Words That Will Make People Like You More. There is one section that struck me most vividly as it has been a pet peeve of mine for quite some time now. From the article:
“Words No. 3 and 4: “You’re welcome.”
Sometime in fairly recent history it seems people stopped saying, “You’re welcome,” and started substituting, “Yep,” or, “No problem.” At the risk of sounding older than I am, I think this is a step in the wrong direction–at least in a business or professional setting.
Why? Because ditching “you’re welcome” for these other phrases changes the message. “You’re welcome” acknowledges that you’ve done something worth someone else’s thanks, while “no problem” suggests that it wasn’t that big of a deal. Saying the former phrase conveys that you think it was a worthwhile favor. That’s an impressive message to send.”
I first started noticing this phenomenon on NPR. The interviewer would say to interviewee, “Thanks for coming in today.” Or perhaps they would say, “Thanks for taking the time to talk to us.” The interviewee would respond by something along the lines of, “No, thanks for having me.”
I realize that both parties are getting a benefit from the interview. NPR has a story to present to its listeners. The interviewee receives exposure for their album, book, point of view, etc. It always strikes me as “thank you” one-upmanship, however. I would rather hear, “You’re welcome… and thanks for taking an interest in my music.”
I mentioned my peeve to Robin and she did not think it that big a deal as long as the thanked person acknowledges the thank you in some way. So perhaps I am being a bit curmudgeonly. However, there is at least one other person in this big universe that agrees with me.
Just as an aside my other peeve in this area is folks that spell “you’re welcome” as “your welcome”. It is a contraction of you and are, not a possessive your!
Thank you and good night.
And here is another point of view…Why You Shouldn’t Say ‘You’re Welcome