In this age of entitlement, have we lost the art of saying "thank you?"

As a child when I'd receive a gift I was not allowed to wear it or play it or play with it until I'd written a thank you note. I remember what seemed like hours of tedious labor, hand writing a thank you message to Aunts and Uncles, Grandparents and friends for those birthday and Christmas gifts. I hated that chore.

However, as I got older I came to expect a thank you note in return when I gave a gift. I didn't expect a GIFT in return, frankly didn't care if I got a gift, but if I gave something, I did look forward to a thank you note.

It let me know that my efforts were received and hopefully were appreciated.

With the invention of email people who take the time to write thank you notes have resorted to a quick email message. Frankly, to me that doesn't count, but if my choice is no acknowledgement vs. an email - I'll take the email.

But what I'm finding is people don't even bother to take the time to do that.

So tell me - is the art of saying thank you, dead?

Should we be saying thank you more often?

I guess the question is - would we stop giving if we knew that a thank you would not be forth coming?

Does this topic even have anything to do with business?

People give their time, their expertise, their leads, their connections - is it an expectation or should we take the time to drop a thank you note in the mail?

Look around the office. Is there someone you could say thank you to today?

Joanna Krotz has this to say about thank yous in business:

Today, extending old-time courtesies helps you stand out. Yes, boys and girls, saying "thank you" has become a competitive advantage. So few people express appreciation - a Lenox etiquette poll found that nearly five out of every 10 people don't always say thanks - that remembering to do so is a sales point of difference. It also goes a long way toward forging the relationships that can turn into opportunities.

Deborah Chaddock Brown
Writer, Thankful