Welcome in!

[JulianStuart]

There is a chain store that has a branch near us and the "sales associate" closest to the door will greet shoppers with the phrase "Welcome in!" as they enter. I had never heard such a greeting before (with "in") and wondered if it is a new trend or simply a local anomaly. Has it surfaced anywhere else?

 

[Greyfriar]

Hasn't crept over the pond yet but no doubt it will. I'm just getting used to 'Have a nice day' when I am grocery shopping at 5.00 pm and the day is nearly done.

 

[london calling]

That is a new one on me, too. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Welcome derives from the Old Norse Velkommin (source: The Oxford Dictionaries online)?

Edit. That said, up to a few years ago (when it burned down...) my local pub in London was called "The Welcome Inn".

 

[Mahantongo]

It hasn't hit this portion of the east coast yet, and with any luck it won't ever make it over the Sierras....

 

[cubaMania]

I've never heard it. It could well be an idiosyncrasy of one particular greeter in one particular store. (It's good to have hope!)

 

[JulianStuart]

I've never heard it. It could well be an idiosyncrasy of one particular greeter in one particular store. (It's good to have hope!)

That was my hope the first time I heard it. However, I've been there perhaps five times recently and I don't think it was the same person each time. It may be just the branch manager's idea, however... I am encouraged by the responses.

 

[Dale Texas]

I've never heard it. It could well be an idiosyncrasy of one particular greeter in one particular store. (It's good to have hope!)

Yes, hope springs eternal.

 

[natkretep]

I think it is the branch manager's idea and he/she thought it would be clever to have a portmanteau of 'Welcome!' and 'Come in!' If all the greeters say this, it's clear to me that they have been told to say this.