thank you ms. buzzkill

[Chromatix]

If you think that's bad, imagine a very white, red-haired woman named... Mrs. Chan.

Obviously, it was her husband's name, but that actually happened to someone I knew. Everyone was extremely surprised when they called for "Mrs. Chan", and she said "I'm right here."

Since they separated, she uses her maiden name again!

[Imogene]

I hate my legal name. I hate labels (and thus, by extension, names) in general... I absolutely refuse to respond to my legal name. I become basically deaf if someone tries to call me by my legal name. I do my best not to tell anyone what it is, either.

[Rapscallion]

My work calls me Shay.... but for some reason the office manager INSISTS that the "dot in/out board" up front have my legal name.

Our traffic department used to have fun by making the run sheets have names such as 'storming norman' or 'weenie pops' on them. However, a surprise visit by the traffic overseers proved that they are actually a legal document and therefore needed to have legal names on them. It's likely to be something like that.

Mind you, if he wasn't on leave at the moment, we would have a 'Dr Egg' on the rota...

Rapscallion

[JLRodgers]

This thread's made me think of how tempting it'd be to have a name that's so perverted sounding, so visually disgusting to see on paper, and would make people blush if they had to hear/say it -- that no one would want to put it up on boards.

[karma_gypsy]

Can you seriously imagine how pathetic and empty her life must be, that she has the time on her hands to complain about someone's name badge?

I'll one up .... of course, no customers were involved ...


My husband worked at a Papa John's (yeah, I'm gonna say it - that location SUCKED). He used to work inside the store and he has a habit of whistling while he works. Not loudly, not to annoy people ... he just does to entertain himself while working/cleaning (who hasn't whistled to themselves?).


One of his butthole co-workers complained to the manager to BAN whistling at work. I think the manager even considered it because the worker had been there forever (it was her first and only job) and she usually got her way.

[McGoddess09]

Guh. Name tags are the bane of my existence.

Very few people call me by my real name. I'm called Drea (the most common one),Dreidel,Giggles,Rootbeer, and Waaaauuuuugh! (And if you are wondering, yes, I'm related to the author Evelyn Waugh)

Only teachers and the people at work call me my real name.

[dalesys]

Some years ago the Security Manager for a local bank's check processing facility was named Richard Head, leading to the sensation that the telephone has transformed to a rattlesnake.

D: Hello, Halfwitless Screwoffity Sheetstems, may I help you?
RH: Hello, this is Dick Head
D:

If his parents had been kind they would have named him Sue.

A coworker went to school with a cheerleader (female) named Gaye Fagg.

[hecubus]

This thread's made me think of how tempting it'd be to have a name that's so perverted sounding, so visually disgusting to see on paper, and would make people blush if they had to hear/say it -- that no one would want to put it up on boards.

You mean something like the name of the Turkish movie star of the 70s Kunt Tulgar? (Really, look here:http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0876328/ )

[JLRodgers]

You mean something like the name of the Turkish movie star of the 70s Kunt Tulgar?

Maybe a bit worse, but yeah

[I_Hate_SCs]

We had a corkboard that held nametags that were there for new employees at my Bullseye store, so there were always extra nametags you could wear instead of your own. You were also able to order new name tags by filling out a form and putting it in this folder. I think they were sent directly to corporate to print the name tags without any proofing by the store management, as I'd see new nametags come in and placed on the corkboard with funny names like "Donkercronk", "Moses" and "Gremp." I knew nobody in the store really had those names.

Management also didn't care what nametag we wore, as long as everyone had one on. They'd ask where your real one was if they spotted a fake one on you, but that would be the extent of it. Because of this, employees every so often wore opposite-gender nametags like a female being "Bob" and a male being "Susan." It was always funny because everyone would know what fake nametag they would have, and they'd answer their walkie-talkie calls with the name, such as "This is Susan in Electronics, how can I help you?" with a deep male voice.

I only remember one instance where this became a problem. I was helping a coworker (a guy with "Amber" on his nametag, if I remember correctly.) We had an SC that walked right up to us, as if she had eagle-eye vision, and the following conversation ensued:

SC: What kind of name is that?
CW: Amber is a normal name.
SC: For a girl!
CW: Well my nametag is lost and its close to my real name, Andr--
SC: (interrupting) I can't believe the names you kids have nowadays. What's next, your daughter will be named Bill?

Thankfully that was the extent of her SC-ness.

[Chromatix]

Bob can be a girl's name - consider Bobbie.

I do like the idea of wearing pseudonymic name tags, if only to avoid the suckiness of the "personal touch" some customers like to give you. Whether I would dare to wear one with the wrong gender attached to it... is entirely another matter!