Smiles are also a signal of subservience and acquiescence. When you want to appear non-threatening, you smile, even at animals. I am no expert in social signals but I might hypothesize that by being friendly without smiling first, Russians are subconsciously sending the signal that they are not to be trifled with and that they will deal with others on their own terms. Maybe that's why Russians are so shitty to the service sector. If there's a culture of salesmen giving you the shaft, you cease to smile like a monkey and laugh at everyone's jokes.It made me wonder a lot, as a kid, why would people do kind things to one another but not smile at them at the same time. It made sense to me even at 11 that a smile is a natural indication of good will and friendliness, and if you're helping someone, you're being friendly, so it should follow that you would smile to express so.
Russians are very group-oriented ("What will other people think of you if you wear that?!"). Causing discord within their group doesn't make sense to me. Maybe it's tribal, though. Within your tribe (friends & family), you'd smile often, and outside, show the others that they're not your tribe, so they better not try anything funny. I wouldn't say that Russians are. I have maybe heard someone argue with the cashier or the consultant a dozen times in my life. That being said, the cashier/salesman separation — that is, when the cashier merely checks out the products without selling them themselves — have caused tension to rise between the buyers and the cashiers in the malls. I'd say it's closer to the Stanford prison experiment — in nature rather than intensity. The salesman is a powerful person, able to give you what you're asking for, so you'd submit to them most of the time. The cashier, on the other hand, is your servant, so they could be treated with disrespect to no apparent consequence. To that extent: the older women who take of household questions (water, heating, gas etc.) know they're the authority and would utilize their power, raising their voice as necessary to force submission. Other than that, I don't see how Russians are shitty to the service persons. Barely seen that, myself, so it could be curcimstantial blindness.by being friendly without smiling first, Russians are subconsciously sending the signal that they are not to be trifled with and that they will deal with others on their own terms.
Maybe that's why Russians are so shitty to the service sector.
What you mentioned at the top basically explains the difference between serving Americans/Canadians and Russians. I’ll spend an entire night chatting with Americans which some have told me is more of a thing in Canada but I think it depends on the state. I chatted with a couple from (I think) Michigan today for a while after they had already paid and I could have finished my shift. The other week I served a group of Russian guys and they were friendly but definitely more about their “tribe” like you mentioned. They were never rude but I don’t see them striking up unnecessary conversation either. I brought them a new pitcher of water before the other ran out and got a surprised smile for that though which I have yet to understand. Some people would probably consider that rude I guess. When I was a cashier we were suppose to make conversation with guests because it is considered rude/awkward not too.
You helped Russians when you didn't have to: they didn't order or asked for a new pitcher, and you brought it anyway. The smile you'd got was an indication that your help was perceived pleasantly. For Russians, that's entirely unexpected. The service industry in the US (and, seemingly, equally in Canada) is aimed at pleasing the customers. In Russia (and post-Soviet territory, in general), it's aimed at delivering your order; the pleasing part is currently being introduced, slowly and with a local accent.