Cashier called out for being nice

[Jaden]

I wasn't actually there for this one, but I heard all about it. I was in the break room when this cashier came in, we'll call her P, she's probably in her mid-50s or so, and she's pretty cool too. She told everybody about this guy who totally embarrassed her almost to tears in front of everybody while she was cashiering a few mintues before she came in. This cashier, just by her personality, greets everybody, customers, co-workers, friends, everybody with "Hey hun, how are you?" or "Hey honey, how's it going?" or something like that. Apparently the conversation went something like this:

P: Cashier
SC: As portrayed by Ebenezer Scrooge

P: Hey hun, how are you?

SC: Excuse ME? You do NOT greet people like that!

P: Ummm, I'm sorry?

SC: You will address me as SIR. You do NOT call customers "Hun". That is disrespectful!

P: I'm sorry, I didn't know.

SC: Listen to me! That is degrading, it is rude, it is totally inexcusable! You refer to customers as Sir or Ma'am!

P: *irritated by this point, obviously* I said I'm sorry, SIR, what more do you want me to do?

SC: I want you to remember to NEVER say that to ANY customer EVER again! That is degrading, disrespectful...

P: *cutting him off* Here's your receipt, SIR!



Now, if the man had just leaned in and said something like "Excuse me, I don't appreciate being called that. Could we just keep it to sir?" It wouldn't have been a big deal. But he had to go and make this huge dramatic production out of it. He sounds like one of those people who was just looking for something to complain about.

She said afterwards she shoulda asked him to go home with her to see how he'd react

[SonOfSpam]

How insecure do you have to be?

[Jaden]

I feel sorry for his wife

Wife: Hey honey--
Him: NO! YOU DO NOT CALL ME THAT IN MY HOUSE!!!!! IT'S DISRESPECTFUL!!!! GET BACK IN THE KITCHEN!!!!!

[Sandy]

What the heck...? Calling someone 'hun' is nice, it's just a term of endearment. Your coworker can call him 'hun' if she wants to. It's not like she said,"Hi stupid, how are you today?" THAT would have been disrespectful. If the customer expects people to call him 'sir' all the time, he's gonna have a great many more people to complain about. The guy needs to loosen up! There are starving people in the worked, and children getting abused by their parents, and people getting raped and bashed and murdered, and he's worried 'cause a cashier called him 'hun'? Get real!

[Sofar]

Ah, due to my distant relationship with the letter R, sir comes out more like sah. Customers tend to get a little unnerved when I call them that.

By the way, how long has this man lived in the Southern United States?

[bean]

Let me guess, he was kicked out of the military right?

I don't really like being called "hun" by anybody, but I don't make a scene or even say anything about it, I know they're trying to be nice.

What an assface.

[Mark Healey]

I hate being called "sir". It makes me check my hairline and count the greys (I actually dye them blue).

[Gurndigarn]

I hate being called "sir". It makes me check my hairline and count the greys (I actually dye them blue).

I'm the other way around. I hate "hon". But I don't make a flaming issue of it, and I definitely don't tell anyone who calls me "hon" that they can't call anyone else that.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I never call customers sir or madame. I just say "Hi" when they come to my checkout.

[TNT]

I don't really like being called "hun" by anybody, but I don't make a scene or even say anything about it, I know they're trying to be nice.

I agree. I don't much like being called "honey" by women I don't know, just as I don't like being called "buddy" or "my friend" by salesmen who aren't. (I don't like being called "sir," either.) It's not a big deal, though, so I'm not going to make a big deal out of it (but I'm so transparent that people always seem to know what I'm thinking, anyway).

The one thing I do get tight about is someone using the T-word... Timmy.

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

Had that happen to me although I didn't call the person by any name, just a warm and friendly greeting along the lines of "Hi there, welcome to our store. What can I help you find today".

I don't add sir or madam because I have been wrong (women with short hair, guys with hair down to their butt)

Got a gut who was pissy that I didn't add the honorific to the greeting. Even demanded that I end every thing I say to him with 'Sir'. After the ass-chewing I got I started giving this guy the...

"SIR YES SIR!"
"SIR NO SIR!"
"SIR THAT IS IN AISLE 5 SIR!"
"SIR! I'M SORRY SIR, WE RAN OUT OF THAT ITEM YESTERDAY SIR!"
"SIR! IF YOU LEAVE YOUR NAME SIR I'M SURE WE CAN GET THAT IN BY WEDNESDAY SIR!"

...treatment. All the while standing at rigid attention and saluting.

My boss came over and asked what was going on.

"SIR, THIS CUSTOMER DEMANDED THAT I RESPOND TO HIM AS 'SIR' AND THAT I SHOULD USE THE WORD IN EACH SENTENCE SIR!"

My boss saluted me and ordered me to stand down and report to the breakroom for KP duty.

My job? My punishment? Getting the pizza's out of the boxes and toss some cans of soda into the tub for our Christmas party. MY boss is so mean <grin>

Mongo

[friendofjimmyk]

Let me guess, he was kicked out of the military right?

I don't really like being called "hun" by anybody, but I don't make a scene or even say anything about it, I know they're trying to be nice.

What an assface.

That is the first thing I thought...military - my guess - Marines. (no offense to any Marines - it's just that I have seen this behavior before in ex-service men and they have all been Marines.)

[friendofjimmyk]

I personally can't stand "kid" or "kiddo" - I am 32 years old - of course, this happens less now. The only person that I can tolerate that from is my dad, of course, becaue I will always be his "kiddo".

I LOATHE being called "dude". But, only by sales people, servers, etc. It doesn't make me treat them any less or tip them less, I just get this silent cringe in my tummy that makes me wince slightly. I really used to hate it when I was on a first date or dating someone - and they would say, "Dude, " and then continue on with their sentence.

Sometimes in a retail setting, where someone calls me ma'am and we are in a situation where I will be talking to them for awhile (buying a significant purchase - electronics, furniture, car, etc) I politely tell them my name and maybe add a joke saying that I am too young to hear ma'am yet or some other effect. However, I don't make a big deal out of it - it's my personal preference and I don't enforce it all the time.

The dude had to be ex-military, I can't wrap my mind around any other explanation.

[kerrisan]

Wow, that guy sounds like my dad. My dad's the kind of guy who thinks employees should just "do their job and not make smalltalk." He doesn't like waiters and waitresses to talk to you about anything other than your food. Those kind of people need to think outside the box and make a new friend, if only for 2 minutes!

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Man. I wonder what had happened to his pecker? Do you think it was in a freezer somewhere?