Politeness....

So the other day my mom and I ran into each other at the grocery store. We were quite surprised to see that after spending a day together at work we would now be shopping together (cuz ya know great minds think a like). So we do our shopping and go to check out. My mom is polite, she's always very polite even when some rudeness might be in order, but she doesn't make idle chit-chat with people. I on the other hand am a talker. Those who know me know that above all I love to talk and to hear stories. So she checks out first and there are all the customary pleases and thank you's. Then I check out. I do all the pleases and thank yous and what not along with my idle chatter with the lady (I shop at the same spot pretty often so although she probably doesn't remember me - I do remember her). At the end of my time I grab my grocery bags and toss a have a good night or nice night or good one or something of that nature. This prompts my mother to say "You're so nice."....um...okay?....So it's been bugging me...are most people not that nice? And then it dawned on me. People really are RUDE. I worked at a gas station for 4 1/2 years and I should know that I am probably going out of my way to be nice. I try to be patient even when people are pissy. I always tip something even if people are shitty. I like to tell people to have a nice day. It's partially about my upbringing (my parents are both nice people, my mom is definitely more quiet than my dad and I but they are equally kind) and it's partially about my past experience working with the general public. I guess that I can fully remember having shitty days at work and it was MY regulars (yep still refer to them that way - and I actually miss them on a personal level) that helped snap me out of it. They would come in with some crazy story about kids, or dogs, or exes and it would make me smile. Sometimes they would come in and tell me about something shitty that happened to them that day and I would understand that at least my day wasn't THAT shitty. It's nice to know that people can still care about strangers. I certainly do...even when I wish I didn't...which at my job is often...anyway, if anyone ever reads and leaves comments (besides the lovely LiLu - who is a rockstar at commenting - thanks for that btw)...do you have anything to share or add about the politeness or lack thereof in society?? Do you think that it's weird that I do this? (the way my mom said "you're so nice" made me feel like I wasn't normal)