Originally Posted by
gpburdell
yep.
I switched to saying “Good Morning!” or whatever, then see which way they go.
… or don’t go, as is often the case with their earbuds blasting
I think it's the timing rather than the words that matter. I try to announce early enough so that if there's a startle response, they have time to adjust. It's also less startling than doing it when you're almost there already.
I say good morning after a startle response because I want to make clear I wasn't being hostile. They're usually apologizing at that point, and I think the show of goodwill is a good idea at that point.