Agree, it definitely is rude. Saying hello, good afternoon, responding to a question about cash/card also involves communication, and with earbuds it is simply rude to the other person.
replyIf you don't want to talk to anyone, go to self-checkout or a vending machine, but cashiers are humans and not just robots scanning items.
I see nobody saying "good afternoon" in a grocery store, that's the one place where you keep interactions to a minimum.
Also, self-checkouts are not always an option because at least the ones at grocery stores here never accept cash.
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