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Stranger Than Fiction

Brits are saying goodbye to the word 'hello'

Published:Wednesday | October 26, 2022 | 10:29 PMBANG Bizarre

A new study, commissioned by Westfield London, has found that almost 9 out of 10 Brits (86 per cent) have found themselves moving away from formal phrases such as "good morning" and "pleasure to meet you".

The famed British politeness appears to be on the decline as colloquial terms like "Hey" and "Alright?" top the nation's greetings of choice.

The handshake is also under threat as the research says prefer physical gestures such as the nod, the hug and the fist bump.

In response to the findings, Westfield London is trying to preserve the traditional greeting for visitors to the shopping centre by employing TikTok star Troy Hawke as its newest member of staff and first-ever dedicated professional greeter.

Troy has been tasked by Westfield to formally welcome visitors and give them a feel-good start to their visit.

Katie Wyle, General Manager at Westfield London, said: "A personalised greeting can change how we feel about a person, place and ourselves. Following our research, we are delighted to welcome Troy Hawke as our first ever professional greeter to complement our dedicated Guest Services team and enhance the warm, traditional welcome we like to provide to all visitors to our centre."

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