The golden rule

Roberta Saunier's letter regarding who says "thank you" is right on ("Yes, a Problem," Dec. 20). If a young person at the checkout line would say to me with a smile, "Thank you for your business and have a nice day," I would drop over on the spot. This is a prime example of poor training by the store managers. They could make this response mandatory by their employees young or old. But on a deeper level it is the result of lack of parental involvement in teaching young people basic social interaction. They have never been taught that a smile and kind word go a long way in any situation.

In regard to Averi Clements' letter ("Two-Way Gratitude," Dec. 29), she is absolutely correct. There are many rude people in this world. But there are many more courteous people, especially in the older generation, who thank the server for their service, the busser for cleaning the table and, yes, the clerk in the checkout line.

Look at it from another perspective. There is a pretty good chance that the rude or obnoxious adult could possibly be the parental model for the sullen and rude young person. They are just learning from their parents' actions.

My best advice to Ms. Clements is treat people the way you would like to be treated. You can't change the world, but you can change your part of it.

DON STOECKLEIN
McCandless