American's mindblown by one word Brits 'use the most' when in shops

27 February 2024 , 11:32

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He has shared the biggest cultural differences he found between the UK and America (Image: (Image: TikTok/@imjoshfromengland2))

A British man who visited America has shared the one key difference between shopping in the UK and in the States. Josh, who goes by @imjoshfromengland2 on TikTok, couldn't believe how Americans address shopkeepers, using 'sir' or 'ma'am' at every interaction.

In his viral video, he said: "One of the biggest cultural differences that I found between the UK and America is that in America, everyone would say 'sir' or 'ma'am' all the time. In the UK, we don't do that. "A lot of Americans have asked, what do you say in the UK? I'm going to a shop right now to show you exactly what we say."

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In the clip, he is seen walking inside his local corner shop before picking up a drink and taking it to the till. Speaking to the shopkeeper, he says: "Hello mate, how are you? Thank you mate. Thank you mate card please. Cheers mate have a good one, bye." During the whole interaction, Josh marks that he uses the word "mate" six times - arguably more than the standard person but Americans were still shocked nonetheless.

One person queried: "Do you say mate to women too?" Another wrote: "Is it true that people in the UK also say 'love'?" A third chimed in: "Why do Brits say bye so many times too?" Explaining the use of "Sir" and "Ma'am", one person said it's "polite", while Brits insisted they also use those phrases still.

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