You thank the waiter for getting you an extra soft drink, and he replies, “No problem.”  You see a young mother who is trying to open her car door and, at the same time, is carrying a bag of groceries in one arm and is holding her baby in the other arm.  You open the car door for her, and she says, “Oh, thank you.  I really have my hands full.”  You smile and say, “No problem.”  A shopper in a large grocery store for the first time asks a clerk where to find a certain item.  Instad of telling her, the clerk takes her directly to the aisle and shelf where the item is located.  The shopper, somewhat surprised at being so graciously helped in a large chain store, says to the clerk, “I really appreciate your assistance.  Thank you.”  The clerk responds, “No problem.”

All of us have frequently heard “no problem” used in this way.  But replying to someone’s gracious expression of gratitude with “no problem” is impolite, inappropriate, and grammatical incorrect.  When someone has graciously expressed his or her gratitude for something done, the response should be something like “You’re welcome” or “I am so pleased to help you” or “It was my pleasure,” or “I am glad I was here to assit you.”  A gracious expression of gratitude deserves a gracious response.

Using “no problem” as a synonym for “you’re welcome” has only been around since the late 1900s and tends to be used predominately by people younger then forty.  But regardless of one’s age, I urge my readers to refrain from using “no problem” in this way.  We need to do better than that!