Rogar,
I've had this too lately. One commented on their financial problems, another said they wished they could retire because this work is too physically demanding. My last one blurted out she has a major health issue she's battling. They all have my sympathies, truly, but I'm not their friend or even acquaintance. I'm a customer. These are things they need to be discussing with close friends and family. I don't want our interactions to be robotic, but I think the etiquette calls for casual, superficial conversation.

Maybe it's because I'm a middle-aged woman living alone that I'm sensitive to strangers, especially males, being nosy about my home environment. I've had more than one say, "do you live here alone"? or "is this where you keep all your tools"? geez.