Mr Frontenac wrote:

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And do they say hello to you back?

I noticed that when I'm on register, 50% of customers don't say hello or acknowledge my existence when I say hello to them.

But when a supervisor or manager is on the register, ALL the customers say hello to them.

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 Just an idea...........vary your pleasantry some.  Sometimes say "GOOD MORNING!", or  "GOOD EVENING" or "HOWDY"  or "What's UP"  or  "HI", instead of a standard boring "HELLO".  And speak clearly and LOUD enough that they cannot pretend they didn't hear you. (Sometimes a customer really is somewhat deaf.)

I really dislike (or, let's say, just get tired of) the phrase "How are you" as a replacement for "HI" or "HELLO".  It always comes across as insincere and obligatory,.   We all know that an employee who feels they must say "HOW ARE YOU?" about 150 times a day is radiating a kind of "phoniness" (for lack of a better word) because no average person in their right mind, as nice and as kind and sweet as that person may be, cannot REALLY care all that much how all those people (including lots of strangers and people passing through town that you may never see again) are really doing.  Just my .02 cents worth.

Also........ the phrase "HOW DO YOU DO" might be a nice alternative.........it was used much more in the past, as an equivalent to "HOWDY" or "HELLO".  I never hear anyone use it anymore, which makes it almost 'special'...........