Do you say Goodbye on the 'phone?

Tango Yankee · Dec 2, 2010

Widebrim said:
"(All said with slightly drawn-out, southern California drawl...)

As was mine.

Of course, back in those days (mid-'80s) if I called an Army unit they'd end the opening greeting with "May I help you, sir?"

I found it was easy to throw them off stride by asking how they knew I was male before I had spoken.

Cheers,
Tom

Amy Jeanne · Dec 2, 2010

Everyone says Hello and Goodbye on the phone that I know.

Movies are the last thing I take cultural cues from. *shrugs*

W-D Forties · Dec 2, 2010

I suppose I knew that most people really do say goodbye, but when I was growing up it was one of the things that people (particularly my mum) would comment on when they watched a US film or TV programme, 'I hate that! Why do they never say goodbye!'

SGT Rocket · Dec 2, 2010

Adcurium said:
I think it is jut in the movies. In real life the person still holding the phone to their ear would be saying 'Son of a B just hung up on me!'

True!

I don't remember anyone not saying "goodbye" or "bye" over the phone.

$ally · Dec 3, 2010

Everyone I know says good-bye or uses some other phrase to politely end the call.

LizzieMaine · Dec 3, 2010

My mother, she of the just-start-right-in-talking habit, usually ends her phone monologues with "all right." Usually said in an exasperated impatient tone, as though she resents running out of things to say.

Zombie_61 · Dec 4, 2010

I almost always use some form of "Hello" when answering the phone and some form of "Good bye" when ending the call, because my parents taught me to be polite until the other person proves they are not worthy of that courtesy.

Mugwump · Dec 5, 2010

I agree, very fun thread

Typical "Hello" (said with the inquizzical uplift at the end) at the start, always some form of Goodbye at the end - more often than not nowadays it's actually "bye-bye" - this comes from the high population of Chinese people that I work with/for and converse with on a personal level as well (it just seems to be the popular way of ending a conversation for them here) *shrugs*

Love the use of "See you later", have mistakenly used that in e-mail as well lol Of course, there's always my fave greeting saved for numbers that I do not recognise and do not want to be bothered with..."Wong's Wing Palace", or "City Morgue, you stab 'em, we slab 'em" - people always hang up right away after that one...

W-D Forties · Dec 5, 2010

A popular 'goodbye' in this neck of the woods is 'Take care' and 'Bye now'. I've always loved 'take care'!

Diamondback · Dec 5, 2010

The other thing sometimes is superstition: to me, "Goodbye" has such a "final" sound to it, better suited to folks who either are departing from my life or I'm bidding a sincere "Good riddance [expletive], Alpha Mike Foxtrot!" (as opposed to the bantering tone Tango Yankee and his fellow vets would use between themselves) to.

CharlieB · Dec 6, 2010

Diamondback said:
The other thing sometimes is superstition: to me, "Goodbye" has such a "final" sound to it, better suited to folks who either are departing from my life or I'm bidding a sincere "Good riddance [expletive], Alpha Mike Foxtrot!" (as opposed to the bantering tone Tango Yankee and his fellow vets would use between themselves) to.

Not a superstition, but I agree it does sound final. I ususally sign off by saying "see you" or at least "talk to you later".

Warden · Dec 6, 2010

'Toodle loo'

and now I have said this, I'll say

Toodle loo

Harry

rue · Dec 8, 2010

I always answer the phone and say "Hello?" and sometimes, if I know who it is I'll say "Hello, you've reached the nuthouse" lol
When I hang up with family or good friends I always say "Okay, love you, bye", but when it's my mom, for some reason we both always end with "Bye, love you"
If it's someone I know, but not well, I'll say "Okay, buh-bye", but with a business call I always end with "Goodbye".

I actually never noticed that they didn't end their phone calls in the movies with a goodbye [huh]

The Good · Dec 8, 2010

Generally speaking, I interchangeably employ the use of the terms "'Bye," or "Goodbye" when I'm ready to end my phone call. I cannot recall ever not saying either farewell, as far as I can remember. The fact that some people end their calls in silence sounds pretty depressing.

W-D Forties · Dec 10, 2010

To be fair The Good, it seems that it's only in the movies and an TV. Rue, have a good look next time you watch an older programme, it's not just my imagination!

Doc Average · Dec 10, 2010

I usually sign off with "cheerio". In fact it's also how I usually say goodbye in person. For some reason this has brought me funny looks and sniggers from colleagues and friends of late, but I use it without a trace of irony. It's just what everyone around me used to say when I was growing up, and it stuck with me.[huh]

rue · Dec 10, 2010

W-D Forties said:
Rue, have a good look next time you watch an older programme, it's not just my imagination!

Oh I believe you

I'll have to pay more attention. I just probably never noticed because it's maybe always been that way. Oh odd!

Dewhurst · Dec 10, 2010

Just in the movies. (Ahh, the pitfalls of consuming culture through a restricted fictional lens!)

I say "Goodbye" almost never. Usually it is "Love you, bye!", or "Later!" or "Take it easy!" or SOMETHING to end the conversation (depending on who is on the other end of the line.)

tuppence · Dec 10, 2010

I mostly say Bye. But some of my relatives weren't getting the message and kept on talking. I'd end up saying Bye up to 3 times a phone call. So when these certain long-winded relatives ring, I get some-one in the house to use their cell phone to ring my landline so that the Call Waiting beeps are heard and they let me go.

rue · Dec 10, 2010

tuppence said:
I mostly say Bye. But some of my relatives weren't getting the message and kept on talking. I'd end up saying Bye up to 3 times a phone call. So when these certain long-winded relatives ring, I get some-one in the house to use their cell phone to ring my landline so that the Call Waiting beeps are heard and they let me go.

I understand. I have someone ring the doorbell so the dogs will bark and I can no longer hear them lol

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