As a foreigner in Russia, I noticed that personal in shops are not smiling at clients. It surprised me, as in the west, personal are very politely smiling at costumers. Maybe this is fake smiling, in the west a lot is fake anyway, but getting a smile, makes you smile back and that makes you feel good and polite.
Smiling is part of the service level that shops provide in the west. I tried to use humour and jokes to lighten things up, but whatever I did, it was not working. Personal react like they are tired and if they got a bad mood every time is encounter them. In the beginning I was thinking that I did something wrong or that I was in some kind of way offensive, I thought it was me! But after some while I recognized this is the general way of behaviour to each other. It is also happening in the street, when you pass somebody that lives in your neighbourhood.
I am used to give a smile and say hello but quit soon I stopped with that behaviour because this is not appreciated in Russia. Mind your own business, I presume. Do not get me wrong, I am not complaining or saying the Russian way is wrong, I am just surprised by it. At the moment with this world crises, I feel at home in Russia, more then in the west. But I am still surprised by Russians not smiling at each other. Smiling do not cost money and it is easy to do. What are your thoughts on this topic, I ask my readers, please enlighten me in the comments.
Why do Russians not smile?