Thanks for NO Thanks

Thank You. Just a two word phrase which take less than 2 seconds to utter. Yes..2 seconds. Thats all it takes. However just ponder how many of us ever say the word thank you appropriately in our life? With the fortcoming Ramadhan, today I belanja the famous nasi beringin to my 39 subordinates in the office. Less than 10 came back to say thank you. So was when I issued birthday cards. It seems, to some, saying thank you is so expensive!
Not that I really want to be appreciated! Definitely not! All that I gave is out of my sincerity. It gives me no harm by them not saying thank you. All that I say is I wonder (and ponder) why it takes so much for these people to say that little meaningful phrase.

I remember, when residing in UK in mid 90's, I was amazed to see how a cashier at the grocery said thank you at least 3 or 4 times for a simple purchased I made.

1) When I put the thing I want to buy in front of her- she said Thank you
2) Gave her the money- she said thank you
3) She gave me the things I purchased-She! yes ! She said Thank you and not me!
4) She gave me the change- she said thank you

Immedietly upon my return to Malaysia I tried to practice that locally, and I met with an unpleasant incident one day:
I was queing up at the Sg Besi toll with my other half and when came my turn, I gave the toll girl my toll card. As expected(or as cultured!) the told girl didnt say a word. I said..thank you...when she took my card. Again I said thank you when I gave her the money, and she didnt say anything.
When she gave me the receipt and the change, I said thank you...love. She look at me, and suddently uttered " gatal!". I was so surprised and drove off dissapointingly. Probably what catced her ears was the word LOVE. That itself warrant me the word gatal!....I dont blame her for that. She was never exposed to the western culture I went through and I pardoned her for that. To me she was young enough to be addressed as "love" like what I went through and heard in Cheetam Hill, Manchester. Cultured~ and it would be there for many years to come. Sadly enough, by now , I who want to introduce change, has also been cultured! I am now part of the society, being and behaving like the toll girl, or...even worse than her!