I kinda of agree though I’ve been trying to say “danke” when I pay for something or am ending a transaction. I’m not concerned about the conversation picking up from that point so ending it on a localized note seems nice. I know in the states I appreciate it when someone says “thank you” even if I’ve not understood anything else they’ve said. And the truth is many interactions can happen without saying anything other than specific items like you mentioned. In a coffeeshop I can order an espresso without knowing German and thanking them for bringing it doesn’t seem to bad to me.

That said, I’d love to be able to say, flawlessly, “Sorry, I don’t speak German at all” and “Is there any chance you speak English?” and “I’ll have one of these” (then I’d point at something)

German is one of the few languages that I never studied at all so it’s really hard for me try and grasp the bits and pieces. I didn’t notice it really until I was in Paris (I failed French twice I think) and I could immediately pick up the topics of conversations around me, even if I couldn’t respond in kind, I at least knew what people were talking about. German still sounds too similar for me to figure out different words, though I am picking up some of the written parts like you mentioned about.