Does it irk you when customers call you by your first name?

[Bright_Star]

What bothers me about it is that because they think that they can call you by your first name that somehow it entitles them to act as though they've known you for years & years. Customers in general(to me, anyway) are STRANGERS who just walked into the store to buy stuff. They're there to shop & to NOT to become your best bud. Cause I wear a name tag does NOT give you the right to act as if you've known me since grade school.
Sam's Club higher ups want us to call the "Member" by their 1st name. Again, I find this odd. I don't know them so at the very least I should call them either Mister so & so or Mrs or Miss so & so. & IF they're above a certain age then calling them by their 1st name without having been told that it's ok to do so strikes me as being awfully rude.
It's all about manners, people. Gee, what would Emily Post say?

[Snowbird]

I get marked down for it but honestly I don't care because that shouldn't be a requirement. It's supposed to make the "guest" (we can't call them customers anymore) feel at home or something but to me that would have the oposite effect but then again I am extremely anti-social and maybe some people like that.

I'm always a little put off when the salesperson thanks me by last name, more so than first if it's crowded. I chalk it up to privacy issues, right up there with being asked for my email address ( Why on earth would I blab out my email add with others around to hear? This place also asks for phone numbers, I'm pondering writing to corporate to ask them to knock it off, one is bad enough but both? Back behind that privacy wall, infidels! )

If you ask me, the company deserves a Certificate of Redundancy Certificate for making me wear a nametag along with my company-issued polo shirt with the company name on the sleeve. Plus I figure it's to give SCs a name to go with the face they're going to complain about.

I always wondered about that too, though what would be the point in that if there are, for example, six Johns working at a very large store, three in the same department? If people are going to treat workers like mindless robots, why not give us numbers instead?

/end cynicism

[PepperElf]

it's prolly from having to do it at work so much but i tend to just use "sir" or "ma'am"

but it usually didn't happen to me... the place is on a last-name basis.

[bainsidhe]

It bothers me if the person has uses that pat, overly mock-friendly voice such as "and how is BAINSIDHE today?". Small annoyance sure, but it always unnerves me a bit because I forget I'm wearing a nametag.

Nope, my pet peeve is nicknames. For example, if namebadge says Elizabeth, do not automatically shorten my name to Beth or Lizzy. That's not my name. Not to you anyway. Unless you've known me since Junior high, my name is Elizabeth. People I've worked with for years call me Elizabeth. My name badge says Elizabeth. So why do some people I talk to over the phone or in person (and this includes the occassional coworker) automatically shorten my name to a nickname. I know it shouldn't, but that really bugs the hell out of me. You don't know me that well and frankly, I go by my full name now in work, clubs, etc. So automatically calling me a nickname feels overpersonal and invasive to me.

The other thing to mention is that my name can be made into two nickname variations. Usually people use the one that IS my nickname (the one only family or old friends use) but I can't stand the other one. It isn't my name. Like instead of calling me Beth you choose Lizzy. Yup, that one really ticks me off. Bleah.

[xaenon]

It's a bit of a pet peeve of mine. It doesn't elevate a customer to "sucky" status, not by a longshot, because they honestly are trying to be polite.

But I'm not your friend; I'm not your family. Don't "Hi, what's up, Bill" me like you've known me for 5 years. Don't "Thanks, Bill" me either, a simple "Thanks" is sufficient.

It depends. There's a bit of etiquette there. It usually is an attempt by a person
to be 'friendly'- addressing you by name rather as an anonymous person - but
like most etiquette it can be mishandled.

In a retail or customer-service environment, where contact is generally very brief, it's considered more efficient for a customer and employee to address each other as 'sir', 'ma'am', 'miss', or something similar - and that only sparingly. Simple, direct, to the point, but without being rude. Certain generic/familiar terms are
considered acceptable - 'bud', 'man', etc. "Thanks, bud!" or "Hey, man, where
can I find battery cables?" - but keep it minimal.

If you feel compelled to address an employee by name, it's polite to at least "make
a show" of reading their name tag, so that when you start using their name it isn't
quite so creepy. Again, the name should be used sparingly.

If there's no name tag, the way to approach this is to at least introduce yourself. It's polite, and it invites (rather than demands) the employee to give his/her name
in return - and once more, 'spare' is the proper approach.

If he/she does not accept your invitation to introduce himself/herself, that should
be taken as a polite hint to keep the conversation 'anonymous'. It's still
acceptable to ask for their name if you plan to follow up on something, so that
you can ask or refer to them at a later time.

Office environments are a bit different, simply because it is by definition a more
involved contact. There, it's polite to introduce yourselves to each other; usually
this also involves a handshake or other polite greeting.

Finally, overuse of a person's name in ANY conversation is considered rude. I kind
of/sort of remember that overusing a person's name was some sort of tool used
by management types - a not-so-subtle "thou hast farked up grievously, and thy
name is known to me now...." kind of thing, an implication that you'll be closely
watched.

Notice that a great deal of this involves 'subtle' - and the general public seldom
handles 'subtle' very well.

Damn, THIS turned into an essay, didn't it?

[Phantomgrift]

I always hated it with a passion.
At Greyhound we were required to "wear our first name with pride" etc.
Customers would walk up to the counter, greet me generically before pausing, looking at my tag and proceeding to continue like they were my long-lost-best friend.

Of course, this was simply because they wanted something.
I literally breathed a sigh of relief when I finally joined the military and got called by my last name.

[clod75]

Doesn't bother me in the least. And I don't call customers by anything but their last name... IF I can pronounce it.

[Misanthropical]

It does bother me, since we are not friends or family, which are usually the only ones who call me by my first name. I find it rude for people I'm not all that familiar with calling me by my first name.

Yes, I have to say my first name on calls, but that is not permission to use my name in every other word of the conversation.

My children's friends call Mrs. LastName, which I find much more polite than if they walked in and called me by my first name. Heck, if they want to call me MyChild'sName's Mom, which I find funny for some reason, that is fine too.

[flyinghi]

I am very surprised that so many people don't like being called by their first names while on the job I very much prefer it myself being addressed most other ways just seems rude to me

See, now I feel kinda bad. My dad is the coolest guy in the world, and he always makes an effort to remember the waiter or waitress or customer service rep or whoever's name. He feels it's really impolite NOT to.

that's how I was raised to I very often call CSrs by there first name ( if i can pronounce it correctly) the first ting out of my mouth when i'm talking to a call center is I tell them to please call me Matt I despise being called Mr. or Sir it's so cold and impolite

[volatile]

It's a bit of a pet peeve of mine. It doesn't elevate a customer to "sucky" status, not by a longshot, because they honestly are trying to be polite.

But I'm not your friend; I'm not your family. Don't "Hi, what's up, Bill" me like you've known me for 5 years. Don't "Thanks, Bill" me either, a simple "Thanks" is sufficient.

I don't feel that way at all. Forgive me if I am ignorant but I feel it's a sign of respect and that the customer is trying to treat you like a person. Sure just a simple "Thanks" would be sufficient but I wouldn't complain about them using my name. It's better than "hey you" or "dude" or them snapping their fingers.

[RetailWorkhorse]

I cut them all off at the beginning by flipping out and going on a BOB-Rant.

RW: "Hi, Bob! My name's Bob! Did you find everything you were looking for, Bob? That's Great, Bob! Your total is [this], Bob! Here's your change, Bob, have a nice Day, Bob! Hi, Bob! My name's Bob but you can call me Bob! How can I help you today, Bob?"

CoWorker: "...it's gonna be one of those days, isn't it?"

RW [to CoWorker]: "Why, yes, Bob, I do believe it will, Bob!"



On those days I have to apologize to my coworkers ahead of time. Because I get really annoying.

[Dreamstalker]

fuck hydrant

May I adopt this (or at least look after it part-time)? I promise it'll have a good home...

I don't really mind being called by my first name in a busy coffee joint or food place (as often that's the only way 3 orders that come out at once can be recognized, and there's a 99% certainty that I'm the only "Dreamstalker" in the establishment at a given time). Anywhere else, I hate it. The fake-friendliness just gets to me.

[vacation_rentals_suck]

or when they use your name repeatedly like "Dave, let me tell you what I am looking for, Dave. Dave, I want a three bedroom on the ocean, and Dave, I was hoping to keep that under $3000. Do you think thats possible, Dave? I mean it is the summer but we want the best deal. Dave, let me know what you have and Dave I can drop to a two bedroom if it's a big rate difference."

I Hate that with a passion

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

or when they use your name repeatedly like "Dave, let me tell you what I am looking for, Dave. Dave, I want a three bedroom on the ocean, and Dave, I was hoping to keep that under $3000. Do you think thats possible, Dave? I mean it is the summer but we want the best deal. Dave, let me know what you have and Dave I can drop to a two bedroom if it's a big rate difference."

I Hate that with a passion

This is when you find out the customer's first name and use it as often as they're using yours, or preferably even more:

"Why yes, Bob, we have a lovely three-bedroom with an ocean view just for you, Bob. And, Bob, the cost to you, Bob, is only $2750, Bob. I think that's a good deal, Bob. Otherwise, a two-bedroom, Bob, is $xxxx, Bob. And another thing, Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob...

[tollbaby]

I am also not your friend, buddy, pal, bro, boss or champ. Please don't refer to me as such. I'm being nice enough to not refer to you as fuck trout, fuck wit, fuck trumpet, fuck turnip, fuck stick, fuck muffin, fuck pop, fuck hose, fuck hydrant or the very event horizon of all that is fucking wrong with humanity. <cough>

So please return my courtesy. >.>

I love you.