Names

[NightAngel]

My company has started a new marketing strategy. As part of this they want us to call all our customers by name. They (corporate) thinks that it will make the customers feel like we're all friends. Personally, as a customer, unless I'm a VERY regular somewhere I don't want employees (or anyone else) assuming it's okay to call me by name. It weirds me out, I don't like it and I won't re- visit a store where they do it.

Maybe I'm sensitive.

What about you?

[Knightmare]

It doesn't bother me too much, just as long as they use my "real" name. I haven't gone by my given name in years. There are only 2 people that call me by my true first name: my mom and my best friend.
I go by my first and middle initials.

There are some places I frequent so much that I feel like Norm from Cheers. I walk in, and they yell out my name. It's kinda cool.

Other places where I go in, or call, and they call me by my first name, I politely tell them "Please, call me [initials]."

[Banrion]

I HATE HATE HATE when people who don't know me try to use my name. First of all my name is Krysta, not Crystal, Kristin, Christina or Chris. For some reason no one can seem to get that right. If they aren't going to pay enough attention to read it and speak it properly, don't try. It's not a hard name, and it drives me insane. I also hate being called Mrs. a) I am not yet married, b) most of my shopping is not formal, therefore formal titles are just out of place, c) it makes me feel old.

[blas]

Oh I agree as well. When people attempt to say my name and get it wrong it makes me mad. If you don't know my name, I won't kill you......I'd be extremely uncomfortable in a store unless I was an every day customer that every clerk knew and it was to the point where they all knew me by my real name.

[Gurndigarn]

I get weirded out when someone I don't know calls me by name. Using the title "Mr. Garn" isn't quite as bad-- at least it's a title-- but even past middle age, I still think that's my father's title, not mine, so it's still odd.

Calling someone you don't know by their name is not friendly; it's encroaching. With a strong trace of arrogance mixed in: "We know you so well that we'll decide whether or not to use your name for you."

[Becks]

It would freak me out, but I don't think it would keep me from shopping there.

I don't know.

Let me think about it.

[Caveat Emptor]

They suggested this a few years ago where I work. My reaction was "A lot of people become angry when someone they don't know has the "gall" to refer to them by their first name. I won't do it." It died a quick death. The way *I* was raised is to not refer to your elders by their first name unless *asked to.*

[DrFaroohk]

Yeah, I hate doing it unless its someone who's extremely regular and I've actually gotten to know a little bit, even if its only through the store. Plus I'm bad with names anyway...there was one guy I'd been calling Jake for like a year, then just a little while ago he finally said "Dude...my name's Brandon."


They actually want us to get a persons name off their credit card or something too. Bull-F-ING-SH!T. I usually DO read the name on a credit card, just to see if its one of the stolen ones I should be watching for, and even that gets people a little irked cuz they probably think I'm memorizing the number or something.

And likewise...how do y'all feel when some customer you've never met before just reads your nametag and says "Hey Mike!" lol...it always gets me for just a second, like "How the hell did you know my name!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

[Aldous]

I hate being called by my name, since I don't use it. Everyone calls me by my last name, teachers call me by my last name, managers/co-workers use my last name. Anyone who knows me uses my last name, and not my first name. It just sort of happened in class my teacher started calling me by my last name and it stuck. I wouldn't want a company telling people to call me by either name. They can call me anything, but since it's more of a business relationship Mr. Last Name works (My last name is so unique that there are only about 3 in the U.S, one is a 104 yr old man, and the other is my father so giving it out on the internet kinda kills the anonymity) And I only feel comfortable being called by Last Name (No Mr.), or First Name when I'm a regular, and I know the people well. So a company using my name isn't really going to make me feel at home. I say a sincere kindness from employees might do a better job than trying to get from the Business to Friend stage in a leap. Start with trying to get to know your customers, then go on to the name game. That would be my advice for corporate. And if they still push it, call everyone in corporate their first name since they want a home like setting. I'll be the rebel teenager if you need one to really make it a home

[BookstoreEscapee]

I don't like it but it wouldn't stop me from shopping somewhere (at least not in and of itself).

First of all, my first name, while not difficult to pronounce, is one of those names that, because of the way it's spelled, and the fact that it is slightly different in pronunciation from a couple of much more common names, people like to make so much more complicated than it really is. No one looks at my name and pronounces it correctly the first time. No one. And often when I tell them how to pronounce it, it still takes them several tries to get it right (if they ever do). There are people I worked with for years who still say my name wrong. I had teachers and friends for 4 years of high school or college who said my name wrong. (Cuz after a while I just give up.)

And if I did not give you my name, I would prefer you didn't call my by it. I don't call employees by their names unless they say "Hi my name's XXX and I'll be your server today" as they often do in restaurants, or "My name is XXX, let me know if you need any help," and I still only use their name if I need to get their attention. Otherwise I'll just say "Excuse me, can you help me?" In stores I do try to note the employee's name if I can because in some places when you pay they will ask if anyone helped you and I like to be able to say (if applicable), "Yes, XXX helped me and s/he was great."

[CaroPhoenix]

The local Safeway (a grocery store) near my house has the cashiers look down at the receipt and then they say "Have a nice day Ms./Mrs. Stephenson". I don't mind it at all. I like it. (I know, but I don't get a lot of respect from people for some reason when they find out I'm a SAHM so for someone to be polite and call me Mrs. Stephenson, I don't mind).

However, I don't like it when retail people use my first name. I hated it when I worked retail and people would call me by name, and so the feeling is the same, no matter who is calling me by my first name.

[ArenaBoy]

Makes me uncomfortable if I'm referred to by my first name from someone I have nothing to do with. I really hated hearing my name being shouted at me by SCs or even mentioned in passing. Hated it at the arena, hate it now. This is a bad marketing strategy by corporate IMO. And no you're not sensitive it tends to make a lot of people uncomfortable.

[NightAngel]

Thank-you to everyone who replied. It's been most helpful for me.

[digilight]

Me personally I don't care too much either way. I do see it as kind of a mistake to do it though. In this day and age their are so many names that are hard as hell to pronounce, and if you say it wrong you run the risk of offending the hell out of your clients. The grocery stores around her thank you by name if you use your club card. Usually something like "Thank you for shopping at vons Mr. Miller, You saved 6 whole cents by using your club card today you bastard". Although, I'm in the camp that doesn't like to be called Mr. Miller, hell even my dad isn't really the Mr. Miller type. But crap I'm only 32, so I hate Sir even worse. Yeah I'm layed back and relaxed, but Mr and Sir just seem weird to me.

But if you're your ethnic diversity is anything like ours it could be a nightmare to get the names right.

[Jester]

I am in the restaurant business, so I call people by name, but only if I first ask their name. Which I often do, as I work in two very casual restaurant/bars, and am a very social person.

That being said, when someone calls me "Mr. JestersLastName," I respond by saying "No, I am just Jester. Mr. JestersLastName was my dad." Some of my friends now call me Mr. JestersLastName just to irritate me.

When someone calls me "Sir," my usual response is "My name is Jester. Sir was my dad. I am neither old enough nor respectable enough to be a sir." Or I'll say "Don't call me names! That isn't nice!"

There is of course one exception to the above: any boy that dates any of my three teenage nieces. "Sir" works. "Mr. JestersLastName" works. Hell, for those boys, they might want to think about "God," "My Lord," or if they really piss me off, "My Great and Wise Lord and Master." Of course, the ones that REALLY piss me off won't win any mercy by sucking up!