‘Welcome In'? OK, Game On

Wall Street Journal

09-06-2025

While I've never been greeted with 'Welcome in,' I read with amusement your piece on its possible origins and widespread dislike ('The Two-Word Greeting Driving Shoppers Nuts,' Page One, June 2). Our hypersensitivity to minor breaches of etiquette likely reflects a broader sense of powerlessness. In a world shaped by algorithms, bureaucracies and global forces, the few areas where we can exert control such as language, traffic rules and other social norms often become battlegrounds. Psychologists call this displacement: redirecting frustration from sources we can't confront—say, bosses or traffic—onto safer targets, perhaps a barista who says 'Welcome in.' Language is one of the last places we feel ownership, so when someone uses a phrase that sounds like corporate training-speak or TikTok mimicry, it can feel like an invasion.
Although 'Welcome in' is odd, maybe we should embrace the weirdness. If I'm ever greeted with it, I might respond, 'Accepted. Commencing interaction.' I'll walk away feeling like I won an invisible game no one else knew was being played.