There\u2019s a virus going around that many people likely will think is not a problem \u2013 but unfortunately it is something that seems to be more and more irritatingly commonplace.<\/p>\n
And when I say \u201cirritating,\u201d I need to be mindful of how I put this, because even many of my close acquaintances are part of the issue.<\/p>\n
When I thank someone for a favor or service rendered, what I\u2019ve often noticed creeping into our daily conversation is the use \u2013 make that the overuse<\/em> \u2013 of the response \u201cNo problem.\u201d<\/p>\n Just when was the appropriate \u201cYou\u2019re welcome\u201d put out to pasture by so many people?<\/p>\n Picture yourself after being served dinner at a cozy restaurant, or purchasing movie tickets, or checking out at the grocery store, and you courteously say \u201cThank you.\u201d Why does the other person say the grating \u201cNo problem.\u201d? Or, after paying your car mechanic or dentist $400 for some work, you don\u2019t expect them to say \u201cNo problem.\u201d<\/p>\n The all-too-common response of \u201cNo problem\u201d seems to imply in an impersonal way that what the person just did was potentially a burden for them, never mind that it was something they were expected to do.<\/p>\n The phrase seems to be more of the person\u2019s way of responding to how they<\/em> feel about the interaction, not how the person thanking them feels. I\u2019ve even heard the saying take on its own variations of \u201cNo problemo\u201d and \u201cNo prob,\u201d which are not any less irritating.<\/p>\n I often want to say: \u201cDid you think there was a chance that it would be a problem?\u201d<\/p>\n What makes the person think the task was viewed as a problem in the first place? Who gave it that connotation? The giver of the service? The recipient? Was it somehow implied?<\/p>\n The people who say \u201cNo problem\u201d either: 1. Consider it the best response; 2. Don\u2019t realize they\u2019re using an ill-fitting phrase; or 3. Have just habitually fallen into using the automatic response without thinking about what it implies. (Maybe they just need someone to point it out to them?)<\/p>\n