That's so true Marc. However, I find it inexcusable and downright ignorant when, if the first syllable out of my mouth was not French, storekeepers and checkout clerks would just turn their backs on me. It was especially hard to deal with a couple who shouted insults at me across a store simply because they had seen our California license plates in the parking lot. When I got outside, I found that the same couple had blocked my exit with their vehicle and had made derogatory remarks to my wife.
Had I not been visiting another country, I would have been inclined to re-enter the store and have words with the ignorant people. But I thought better of it. When we arrived in NB, the couple camped next to us, who were NB residents living close to the provincial line/border, explained that they have to put up with this nonsense on a daily basis.