The Obligatory Bonjour/Au revoir

So the thing about shopping for me is not to get too much attention from the shop people. I like to walk in inconspicuously, browse at my leisure if I have the time, then get out quickly without much pleasantries. When I last visited Korea there were like hordes of shop people who came from all directions to greet you and follow you around, and I remember just hating that.

Walking into a store in France, any store, and the shop people always acknowledge you and say Bonjour. It's not this cacophony of greetings that bombard you when you enter a Japanese restaurant in NY, but nonetheless, a proper Bonjour aimed right at you. I used to ignore this for a long time. They are strangers and will most likely remain that way. Walking out of stores in France, the shop people will always say Au revoir, even if you just jumped in for a second to avoid someone you didn't want to run into, even if you didn't buy anything and even if you have no intention of ever coming back to the shop again. I found this strangely quaint, but also mildly annoying.

I've since learned that in France, that is what people do - say bonjour and au revoir - with eye contact, no less! It's a manner of being polite, of I guess paying the shop people some respect. 

I've not made up my mind yet whether I like all these greetings or not. But I now find myself doing it again and again, despite myself... hmmm...