As far as wanting to be left alone etc. I can agree because I'm not a social person but what do you expect a worker to do? It's better getting treated like you don't exist. And some people want that kind of service.
Yes. I want to throw it out there that I understand that superior customer service (the type that annoys me) works better for companies overall. I'm just speaking me personally.
So, I say again - a healthy smile and a bit of gratitude in my opinion is at the top of the list and that kind of service should a plus to everyone.
But why? I'm a cynic so it's kinda obvious why it's pointless to me.
The way I see it, a smile doesn't "do" anything for me. I understand for many people, it might brighten their day or feel better if they "feel" that the person appreciates their business but, again, the cynic in me calls bullshit on that one.
A person who gets commission off of your sale might have a genuine smile of gratitude because that person is happy they made money off of you.
A salesperson in a big retailer in general won't have a genuine smile because you're just #578 today. I'd rather not have a smile instead of a fake smile because the person was instructed to smile at customers.
To me, the gratitude comes from satisfaction with the product or service.
But if I'm buying organic baby hats (don't ask why that's an example) from a small business where the owner is selling it to me personally, I will most likely take his/her smile as genuine and feel good about supporting the business.