Our checkout people tend, if anything, to be too chatty.

That reminds me of the story I'm hearing around here quite frequently-- since we started getting "too crowded" with transplants? YMMV, but here, when I hear that, it's an indication of a newcomer having arrived too recently to learn that this is one big way how this community looks after folks, by having exactly those chatty conversations. When those folks have been here thru 2 tough winters, :~) even if they have a pretty hard (citified) head, they either figure this out, die of their hardheadedness-- or leave the wild hills to those of us who can handle it, and move elsewhere.

(Not talking aboutchoo, Eb.)

~Susan