It’s common courtesy for us to say “thank you” upon receiving something, or whenever we need to express gratitude. But can the expression be too much when the phrase is repeatedly said?
Recently, a man known as Xin, who is from China but stays and works in Malaysia has expressed his thoughts about some Malaysians who LOVE to say thank you repeatedly.
Don’t get him wrong! He’s not against us being too polite but he’s just not used to the norm and culture here in Malaysia. Xin, who is a street food seller in Malaysia explained how his Malaysian customers typically say thank you 3 times.
“They thank me after ordering and thank me again when they’re paying. When I give them the change, they say thank you again. 3 times in total!” Xin explained.
In his Dou Yin video, he said that it’s only common for him to respond to the phrase every time his customers say thank you and for that, he says “you’re welcome” 3 times with a nod each time, a similar gesture from his customers when saying thank you.
And he’s not too happy with all the nodding. Here’s why.
My neck isn’t feeling too good
In the video, he revealed that he is suffering from Cervical Spondylosis, a disease that affects the spinal discs in the neck. While Xin is definitely not against the “3-times thank you” culture in Malaysia, he reminded the people that a simple thank you is more than enough.
“Just a thank you will do. Why are you nodding your head?”
At the end of the video, Xin joked and rhetorically asked his Malaysian customers, “are you going to cover my medical expenses when my disease worsens?”
Xin also said that he does not want people to think that the Chinese are rude, so he just responds to each & every thank you. You can listen to Xin’s clip here.
It’s really the norm here
Malaysians have since commented on Xin’s post and assured him that saying thank you repeatedly is indeed a “culture” here.
“Malaysians are full of smiles and manners. They’re great!”
“I was supposed to say thank you but then I said I’m sorry and I only noticed when I got into the car.”
“Just raise your hand. That’s a multipurpose sign language.”
“Don’t nod after this. Shake your head. Make it balanced.”
“I did the same when I visited China last time. No wonder they felt weird!”
“This is definitely me. I say thank you repeatedly when I buy roti canai.”
Come to think of it, sometimes we do say thank you repeatedly while nodding during a purchase. Perhaps this is just 1 of the many things that make us all Malaysians. Do you find yourself doing the same thing?
