Can I get?

I get" is tantamount to "I want" and as we all know 'I want never gets!"
How do we respond to shop assistants etc. who enquire "What can I get you?"

To those who say it's perfectly polite in the US I would reply that it's not perfectly polite here -- it comes across as abrupt and bordering on rude, especially as there is often no accompanying 'please' in the sentence.
While I accept that we are losing , or have already lost 'please may I have' it's quite acceptable to say 'could I have' or even 'can I have' although that is strictly not grammatically correct as long as you say please somewhere in the sentence.
Oh, and BAGGS as this is Pedants' Corner the OED says it should be 'alright' or 'all right' although the latter is preferable. But definitely not 'allright'......

Some people say "can I" when they really mean "May I".

The point as I understood it from both OP and many others is that we were brought up to regard "Can I get?" as rude and were automatically told to say "May I have, please" Or in my father's words, "Well, you are physically capable of it, but if you are soliciting my permission, you mean May I, please"

And yes, my comment was ironic, as surely if you read Pedant's corner or anything else on Gransnet you don't expect everyone to see things exactly as you do.

'Yous' I can not let this pass, if someone says it to me I have to say something. Thirteen to sixteen years of education and some still can not speak properly, I despair.
All the young seem to raise their voices at the end of a sentence, I wait with bated breath for the next trend …. NOT.

Do we all remember Blockbusters?
DD1 and a friend had an impressive three Gold Runs on that about 25 years ago and duly sniggered at “I think I’d like a P, Bob”
Innocent days!

Don't go to Australia FarNorth! ?

the dreaded uptalk What is this?

Is it the questioning tone such as pollyperkins uses? Sorry, polly, but that sounds really annoying. Surely the person you're addressing can decide to respond without you giving them a verbal clue that they should do so.

If I asked my Dad
"please can I have.... "
he'd say "you çan but may you"

Absolutely with you on this. I'm a regular watcher of Countdown and I cringe every time someone says 'can I get a ... Rachel'. Amazing how many people do say it. I want to scream at the TV.

oldbatty very true! Rosina, yes it grates on me too. I think it's supposed to signify they're important people who are SO busy they can barely stop to eat. lovebeigecardigans1955

"Can I get........ (after it has been assembled and brought to me - understood)?

I'm comfortable with that!

Perhaps we should start a new corner called "grammatical whinge corner

Isn’t that what Pedants’ Corner is about?

WARNING!!! Whinge coming! Don't like the way "crisp" has turned into "crsipy" etc...

Ooooh! Just seen your solution, lovebeigecardigans. Pass me a haddock! (Or perhaps I should 'grab ' a haddock)

grandmattie..... Oh yes please

I really dislike the tendency to 'grab' in advertising now; 'Go grab a coffee, 'Grab some lunch' - it sounds rough and 'push others out of the way' Is it just me?

Perhaps we should start a new corner called "grammatical whinge corner"

Yet another Americanism. I hate it too, also 'around' as in I like to be/have a problem 'around' whatever - it should be 'with.'
We need something like a wet fish to give offenders a slap around the chops when we're annoyed.

Agreed

Woof!

Even dogs say it. Losing battle, folks.

I have 2 DDs who 'get'. One is now very Australian, the other is, well, a bit artyfartyhippy and also uses 'gotten' which I know is old English, but makes my teeth stand on edge. Her delightful offspring aged 6 & 8 always ask if they may please have. Not sure what happened after she left home....

Ha ha Old Batty