Excuse Me, I Stink!

Why do Southerners say "excuse me" so often?   If you pass by someone at five feet, there is no need to say "excuse me" unless you just emitted some sort of invisible cloud.   Every small request does not have to be prefaced by "excuse me" as if you were interrupting and causing a commotion.   Let's look at the common questions which, in The South are too often prefaced by "excuse me".

First with the pet phrase:
"Excuse me. Do you have the time?"
"Excuse me. Do ya'll carry the new Tide with colorsafe?"
"Excuse me. I think you are standing on my foot."

Now without:
"Do you have the time?"
"Do ya'll carry the new Tide?"
"OWWWW!!!"

See?  Much better and more efficient.  Besides, "excuse me" seems to mean that you need to be given an excuse for some type of inappropriate behavior.  What's inappropriate and why would someone ask a stranger for an excuse immediately after behaving inappropriately?  That makes me think that when someone passes by and says, "excuse me" that I should offer an excuse for them; such as, "Maybe you had the broccoli at lunch and it doesn't agree with you."
Some unnecessarily polite Grammar Snob has informed me (and others) that we should be saying "pardon me" instead; but "pardon" is forgiveness for a crime.  Surely, walking past someone on the grocery aisle isn't a crime!  On the other hand, it should be a crime to behave as if you are too good to offer even a simple "excuse me" when you actually need to pass through or interfere in some way.   There are those people at the grocery store, too - and in the library stacks and in museums... - breathing down your neck, but not saying a word.   They come up behind and just stand there, waiting for their presence to be detected by the heavy breathing. 
Come on!  I'm not telepathic and sometimes I need to stop and consider a purchase, or snatch a knot in a child, or greet a friend.   So why don't you say something like,
"Coming through here!"
"Would you mind stepping aside?"
or even, "Excuse me!

Don't just stand there and huff.  And please, if you aren't too wide to fit past, go ahead and pass!  You don't need the extra five feet of clearance - unless, like I said, you need to an excuse for your fumes.