Good Evening???

OK, so I'm out running errands yesterday and twice within an hour, the same thing happens. Just as I've finished paying for my purchases and leaving, the idiot person behind the register says "Have a good evening".

Evening?

I almost never wear a watch, but I knew it couldn't be much past 2:00. Sure enough, I check a clock, and it's only a few minutes after.

Now, I realize that different cultures have different ways of dealing with time. In Germany, we never say "Good night" until we're actually going to bed. You come visit me and leave at 9:30, I'll still say "Good evening".

But not at 2:00 in the afternoon.

My parting words in both cases? "Let's get thru the afternoon first.