[sugarglider]

If you ever visit Australia, don't be too alarmed if a shop assistant approaches you and asks you if you're alright.

Shop assistants here often ask "Are you alright?" or just "Are you right, there?" when they mean "Do you require any assistance?" or "Do you need anything?" and "Do you have any questions or queries?"

It all seems perfectly normal when you live here, but I can see how it might be confusing to a visitor. A friend who came here from Portugal once told me the first time she went into a shop in Australia and was asked if she was alright, she thought "Why, what's wrong, do I look alright? Do I look sick?"