How to Say Hello in a Japanese Store
Welcome to Kevin's English Pro Podcast!
Okay, so, in the last episode, you mentioned saying hi back to the employees when you walk
into a store.
Yes.
They say "irasshaimase."
Yes.
Can you...
So, I'll be the store clerk.
Okay, okay.
Can you give me kind of, can you do how you would exactly do it?
Okay, okay.
Actually walk into a store.
All right.
Like, I know, I'm sure you have variations, right?
Yeah.
Like, when you just say, like, when you're not, when you don't have that energy versus
like you're at maximum energy.
Yeah.
Can you give me the one where with the maximum energy?
Okay, maximum energy?
Yeah, like when you're most communicative.
Like, give me the variation where it's most communicative.
Okay.
Like, it's not like energized or not.
It's like the size of the store.
Like, if it's like small store, then I would be more talkative.
Like I'm more, more like a, you know.
Okay, all right.
That makes sense.
That's fair.
That's fair.
Okay, that's fair.
Okay, so just, okay, how about this?
Okay.
I would do, let's say, all right, let's do Yurindo.
Okay, okay.
Yurindo is a very big, big bookstore.
Yeah, yeah.
Like, it's, I can't think of any other bookstores bigger than Yurindo.
It's like one of the biggest ones.
Yeah, yeah.
That I know.
Yeah.
All right.
All right, let me do a Yurindo taein.
Okay, okay.
And you walk into a Yurindo, all right, and you tell me how you do it.
Okay.
Okay.
I'm not sure if I remember correctly, though.
Okay.
Okay, let's do this.
How about Yurindo in...
How about...
Right, there are several variations.
The one in the station, chika, which is a bit smaller, or station buildings, like one
floor.
I feel like it's better if we have the same image, store.
店舗を選ぶ
So let me think of an exact store.
Okay.
How about...
Have you been to the bookstore in...
Skytree?
No?
Skytree.
Is there a bookstore in Skytree?
Let me give you a different one.
Okay, okay, sorry.
Walk into the bookstore in...
All right, change of plan.
Okay.
Let me do...
How about...
Okay, Mujirushi Dohin in Yurakucho.
You know how there's a huge...
Ah, biggest one?
Biggest one.
Like, building...
Yeah, with the hotel on top.
Okay, okay, okay, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Okay.
You walk into that, right?
And I'll be the store clerk.
Okay, okay, okay.
Yeah, it's a big one, bro.
It's a big one.
Okay, okay.
All right.
Welcome.
Hello.
That's a lot.
That's a lot.
That was a lot, guys.
That was a lot.
If it's like, morning like this,
I would be like this.
Wow.
That's a lot.
Okay, let me do a different one.
Okay.
It was like a very neutral one.
For you, that was a neutral one?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Not like, energised.
Or like, see, like a low...
Okay, how about...
Like a very local...
Local...
中国料理店でのシチュエーション
Chinese restaurant.
You know, like a 街中館.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Those like...
Yeah, the real one.
Like the real 街中館, right?
Okay.
So it's like a...
You're talking about like, not chain...
Like a...
Not chain.
把面...
No, not 把面.
Or just, you know, yeah, those Chinese stores with the menu boards that all look the same.
Okay, okay.
That all has like the 2900 人飲み放題.
And all that stuff.
And it's got numbers on each square.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Right.
You get what I'm saying, right?
Yeah, yeah, I get it, get it.
That one.
Okay.
いらっしゃいませ。
こんにちは。
That's a lot!
Yeah.
I would say that's a lot.
コンビニでの「いらっしゃいませ」の意味
Because they're more like, communicative.
Yeah, that's...
More like, you know, open to communication.
Right.
So that was a lot.
But the first example was a lot more counterintuitive and a lot more weirder for me.
Why?
The second one was more understandable, I guess.
Oh, really?
The more closed, the more local, the more like non-machine.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
The more communicative.
You said something, right?
Yeah, I do.
I do, I do.
They come to you and like, yeah.
Right.
So that was a little bit more natural for me.
But, okay.
The first one was more...
Okay, let me do convenience store.
Convenience store.
Okay, okay, okay.
Right, any convenience store.
Okay, all right.
駅前コンビニンストア.
Okay.
駅前コンビニンストア.
Okay.
はい。
はい。
はい。
はい。
はい。
はい。
はい。
はい。
はい。
はい。
はい。
はい。
はい。
はい。
はい。
はい。
Because people don't say it, right?
Really?
No.
Like, if I were like a convenience store clerk, and then if you enter to the store, and I say,
"Ah, いらっしゃいませー", then you just pass through, I would be sad, no?
No?
Okay, I mean, like if the store clerk was looking directly at me, and you can just tell that
the arrow was pointing at me, then I would probably do something like a non-verbal bow.
Non-verbal "eishaku".
Okay.
Like that's what I would do.
You just nod like this?
Yeah, looking into his eyes and just go.
Slowly, calmly, just bow.
Yeah, I get it, I get it.
Right, that's what I would do.
But you don't say anything.
I don't think I would go so far to the point where I would say something.
Okay.
Yeah, but I get it, I get it.
Yeah.
It's the same vibe.
No, it's not the same vibe.
I'm sorry, it's not the same vibe.
日常的なあいさつの適切なレベル
Your vibes are way too high.
It's the same thing, it's like you just go and say it, it's the same thing.
You're a little bit too much.
So for example, like the store was, so like convenience store, "conbini", they don't say it to you, right?
They just automatically say it.
Right.
So I would be more like, "konnichiwa", it's more like that level, like a more chilled version.
I see, but you still say it though.
Yeah, I'd say it.
So if it was like a Starbucks store, they would be more like say to you, right?
Right, the air is at you.
"konnichiwa", and then I would say like, "ah, konnichiwa", kind of.
Okay, let's do Starbucks.
Okay, okay, Starbucks.
Starbucksの店員が使うあいさつのバリエーション
I've worked there, so like I know, I've done so many.
I have so many lists of variations of how they would answer the greetings.
Okay, okay.
All right.
So we're not friends, right?
We're not friends.
Okay, we don't know you, I don't know you, and you don't know me.
Yes, exactly.
"konnichiwa".
"konnichiwa".
That's a lot.
No, no, no, wait, hold on.
Yeah.
Okay, so when you're in front of the counter, that makes sense.
Yeah.
Let's not do the front of the counter.
Let's do the counter's a little bit far.
So when I enter the store.
When you enter the store, that's when we say it.
Yeah, okay.
Let's do that.
You just walked into the store, like a little bit far from the employee.
Okay, okay.
So, and it's making like, there's like three people waiting.
Oh, three line?
Yeah.
But still you say it to me.
Yeah, I say it to you.
Okay, okay.
There's three people in front of the counter.
Okay, okay, all right, all right, okay.
Let me get in that situation, okay?
Okay, okay, okay.
Like there's two registers, right?
There's two registers, yeah.
店員との会話スタイル
Okay, okay, okay.
"konnichiwa".
"konnichiwa".
Yeah.
Okay, okay.
Yeah.
Okay.
Yeah.
That's pretty, yeah.
Right?
Because if like there are line, and like three people there, it's weird.
Like, "ah, konnichiwa", like saying over them.
Right.
Yeah.
Right.
I have like a common sense, right?
Yeah, yeah, that's average, I feel like.
That's, I mean, not average, above average, but like within the.
Right?
Within the expected response, I would say.
Yes.
Okay, thank you.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But like in those like a more, like a friendly shops, I would be more like.
Very talkative.
Yeah.
Very chatty.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
So it depends on the stock likes, of course.
Like in, even in like a bookstore, there are some just saying, "inashiamase".
And then I won't be like.
Like when they're looking down.
Yeah, just, you know, organizing books and "irasshaimase".
"Dagara irasshaimase" you wouldn't.
I would say like, "ah, domo".
Kind of.
"Konnichiwa, haerimasu".
Kind of, you know.
Yeah.
I see, I see.
Yeah, but if they're like, "ah, domo, konnichiwa", and then I would be, "ah, domo, konnichiwa".
"Kyou wa ne, oka ne".
Kind of.
Yeah.
Wow.
Yeah.
Okay.
Wow.
I see.
Yeah.
But yeah, I'm lucky.
I'm happy that I finally know that we share the same vibe.
No, we do not share the same vibe.
That is not the same vibe.
Though, not as far as I thought you were.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I thought you were a lot more communicative, but yeah, still above my vibe.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Very above my vibe.
And I think that's a good thing.
Yeah.
Oh, thank you.
Yeah.
That's a very positive vibe to have, I think.
Yeah.
初対面でも挨拶するマインドセット
And you're not, like, bow to the cloaks, right?
Yeah, I do.
Yeah, it's the same thing.
It's not the same thing.
We do the same thing.
No, it's not the same thing.
Do you say hi to like a very busy McDonald's store?
Yeah.
How about, okay, how about this?
A very busy Gyudon store.
Ah.
Yeah, but I would say yeah.
You would?
Yeah.
Would you?
Yeah, I would try to, like, you know, like to me, if they are really, really busy and
like working hard in those like Gyudon restaurants or like McDonald's, I want them to have a
good working time.
I see.
So I want to like a…
You try to give them comfort.
Yeah, provide something like happiness.
Some joy to them.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's a very kind mindset.
It's very thoughtful.
Yeah.
That's why I interrupt them.
See.
They're extremely busy.
Yeah, very busy.
You try to give them like a five second pause.
Yeah.
For them, right?
For them.
Yeah, for them.
For them, you give them a five second pause.
Yeah, for them.
Yeah, of course.
It's not selfish.
It's very selfless, right?
It's a selfless act.
Yeah.
All right.
忙しい店員に配慮する心理
Thanks for listening, guys.
Yeah.
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
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