Without anything better to discuss, I figured I’ll hit on another difference, which is the stores. Not so much the stores themselves, but moreso the attitude of the employees.
Residual from the Communist era, most store workers do not try practice aggressive selling tactics, as they do in the states. This makes me VERY happy, because I absolutely despise forceful selling. I rebelled against it when I worked at subway, and I am constantly speaking out about deceptive advertising and other such tactics.
Sadly, however, as Poland grows and becomes more Westernized, you can see the trend of deceptive marketing and forceful selling beginning to creep into the current structure.
When I’m in a store, unless I have a question or am in obvious need of assistance, I’d prefer that the workers just left me alone. But that’s just me.
Probably a more noticeable difference is that most checkout workers sit in a chair… At first, you never really realize that they all stand in the US, but when you get here it just kind of clicks. I was told the reasoning is that in the US, it is perceived as doing less work, so in order to give the illusion of diligence, we gladly sacrifice health and comfort. More US marketing bullshit that drives me nuts…
I’m a big advocate of common sense… Call me crazy, but if someone has to be in the same spot for hours, doing nothing that requires them to stand, why shouldn’t they be allowed to sit? I guess you could also save money by cheaping out and not buying chairs. Ridiculous.
I mention Restaurants in my title only to point out that in Poland, as with any other European restaurant I’ve been to, you do not typically get the bill until you ask for it specifically. There is no rush to get you out the door so they can squeeze in another customer and make more money. It’s more about enjoying the experience than turning as much profit as possible. Plus Europeans tend to be more laid back and less stressed than the average American. But that’s a broad generalization.
Another point on restaurants (I guess I do have more than one) is that at most places you find a seat yourself. There is rarely a host/hostess to greet you and take you to your table. You just pick a spot you like, and have a seat. They’re pretty good about noticing you and usually a waiter/waitress is at the table shortly after you sit.
One last thing about restaurants: When you pay your bill, and you want change, make sure not to say "Thank You" (or Dzienkuje – hopefully spelled correctly). If you do, they will take that to mean that the change is their tip. And since you’ve paid and they’re not obsessed with checking on you every 5 seconds to see if they can shove you out the door, you may not see them (or your change) again for the rest of the night.
