Finished

I am standing near a reception area.
I am at a table in a restaurant.
I am standing near a counter that has a cash register on it and I am holding items from the store.
I am standing in a building and am looking studiously at a directory or map.

In all of the above scenes, a person who is employed in the business of the place approaches me and says, "All set?"  or, the more formal, "Are you all set?"

The next time this happens, which will probably be today, I will again try to refrain from shouting, "What does that EVEN MEAN?!"

Because I am NOT "all set."  That is what happens to pudding or concrete or a perm or even Jello.  It also happens to opinions and can be used to describe someone's ways.

I may be finished with my meal, or I may have completed my shopping, or I may be lost (which is often the case), or I may be waiting to speak with a receptionist.  I am most decidedly NOT "all set."

I can't remember the first time I heard the phrase, so I can't tell if it's a New England thing that spread like Dutch Elm disease up and down the coast or if it is something invasive that entered the lexicon of familiarity as language has evolved and eroded to the point that it is somehow acceptable for people in positions of power to say "that sucks" or "what the…?" leaving off the eff at the end.

The reason that "all set" is different is this: in the scenarios where the term is most frequently used, I am a customer.  That is, I am paying for a service or products, whether it's a pedicure, a meal at a restaurant, a doctor's appointment, a department store, or the Ocean State Job Lot (and, actually, I would forgive anyone who works at the Ocean State Job Lot for using "all set.")  And "all set" has become so pervasive that it is used at places where I am spending a lot of money and expect some professionalism and deference and, even, respect.

Whatever happened to "May I help you?" or "May I clear your plate?" or "Are you ready to check out?"  "All set" is just another chink in the armor of Western Civilization, which is surely falling.  Or maybe I'm just getting old.