I Have Kids, So I Can Be An Entitled Assmonkey

[BeenThereDoneThat]

Stupid breadstick lady...sure, everybody hates delays, but she went into super suck mode and THEN took it to the next level with her later asshatery. Sigh. I don't go to TB that often these days because I'm trying to cut back on the fast food but I am sooooooo nice to the people who work at these places...if where I work is hell, I can only empathize with what they have to deal with.

[Food Lady]

Mr. Hero, I totally agree. But there is one thing I do that I have seen OP's complain about here. I will often refer to associates by the name on thier nametag. I like to be friendly (without being creepy, sometimes a fine line) and I've never noticed anybody being irked by it. Maybe its the way you do it. Like I'm your favorite uncle and not some douchebag customer. I wonder if the OP's that complained about the personalized name references are gonna hate whatever the customer says or does anyway. If there is anybody on here that really hates this then let me know and I will stop it. btw...I will sometimes call the cashier Darling or Dude (grew up in S. Calif...hence Dude).

I've posted a few times how much I hate it. I'm not sure why, except that when my sucktomers do it, they put a weird emphasis on it, which feels like mockery or a customer complaint in my future. Also, they have to focus on a particular uh, region to read my tag. Yet, I totally don't mind pet names like "sweetie" or "hon" or "dear" from most people (creepy old guys excluded). So, if you're female or male under 50, you can call me dude. (I'm from SoCal; it took me a while to stop calling people "dude").

[Mr Hero]

Mr. Hero, I totally agree. But there is one thing I do that I have seen OP's complain about here. I will often refer to associates by the name on thier nametag. I like to be friendly (without being creepy, sometimes a fine line) and I've never noticed anybody being irked by it. Maybe its the way you do it. Like I'm your favorite uncle and not some douchebag customer.
I wonder if the OP's that complained about the personalized name references are gonna hate whatever the customer says or does anyway.
If there is anybody on here that really hates this then let me know and I will stop it.
btw...I will sometimes call the cashier Darling or Dude (grew up in S. Calif...hence Dude).

Well, NoLongerAShoeDog, there's a right way and a wrong way to use a worker's name. NoLongerAShoeDog, you're obviously doing it the right way if you haven't gotten any complaints, but NoLongerAShoeDog, the main complaints I see on this site is that sc's overuse the worker's name. Understand what I'm saying, NoLongerAShoeDog?

[NoLongerAShoeDog]

So, if you're female or male under 50, you can call me dude. (I'm from SoCal; it took me a while to stop calling people "dude").

I have to be under 50 to use Dude? Now, that is a problem (but I'm not gonna stop....it's ingrained).

Mr. Hero, I undersand your point. I typically only use a name once in a transaction (hi Mr, Hero, how are you?) At the start or end (thanks Mr. Hero, have a good night).

I also thank a cashier before and wish them well before they do me. To me its more sincere then the automatic response to them thanking me.

I think I think too much about this stuff.

[Seshat]

Me, I mentally focus on the fact that I'm trying to have a pleasant business interaction with a person.

That stops me going into a kind of 'robot' mode, where I'm not paying attention to them. And it seems to work on making it - well, reasonably pleasant. Hopefully for both sides.

I'm not saying 'fun' or anything. It's a business interaction, not a trip to Disneyland.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I think what rattles some people who have to wear nametags and customers then call them by their names is that the normal social convention is that people introduce themselves to each other before they use each other's names. With the nametag thing, that part of the social ritual is removed, and one person is using the other person's name without being able to do the same. Having your first name used familiarly by a stranger who's name you do not know can be a little unsettling. It creates an instant inequality.

This is not, understand, the fault of the customer. Well, it is if the customer takes every opportunity to call the clerk by their name until it becomes forced and unnatural. But once per transaction is not inappropriate, in my opinion. It helps to know who served you in many cases, and the best way to remember it is to repeat it back.

I bet if the the customer said something like "Hi, Jane, I'm John." before the transaction, it would not feel so weird for the clerk to hear their name used.

I dunno, I'm just thinking out loud here.

As for dude, I don't find that offensive. Darling, it depends. You get a lot of that in the South, and it's mostly inoffensive. Older than me, fine. Jovial person of my own age, fine. Man younger than I? Starts smacking of disrespect. Some guys use it as an insult, and women usually have no trouble figuring out what's what. Young woman using on an old lady? That makes my freaking head explode. That's straight up disrespectful. Old ladies are not small children.

[Andara Bledin]

One side of a phone conversation from a co-worker had the line, "I'm not your 'darling' " said in a very irritated voice. Seems the guy on the other end wanted a better price, she wasn't moving, and he got all sexist asshole on her, using 'darling' as a substitute for 'bitch.'

^-.-^

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Guy did that to me at Kinko's so I did it back.

After all, surely he meant it respectfully, right? No reason to get mad about it some woman calling you sweetie and honey.

And yet, he did. I thought a vein in his head was gonna rupture. You could have fried an egg on his red face. He had at least enough good sense not to complain about it, though. Tool.

[NoLongerAShoeDog]

I take Darling as a sign of friendliness and that that person is not overly formal (which I prefer ).

[Pagan]

I also thank a cashier before and wish them well before they do me.

Paging Sheldon to the thread. Sheldon, please report to this thread immediately!

[NoLongerAShoeDog]

Paging Sheldon to the thread. Sheldon, please report to this thread immediately!

ok...did I accidently act like someone was going to do me?

[Mytical]

*ahem* I guess if somebody is going to do you, that it could be considered polite to thank them

[dalesys]

*ahem* I guess if somebody is going to do you, that it could be considered polite to thank them

Well... if and only if, they done good.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I also thank a cashier before and wish them well before they do me.

Paging Sheldon to the thread. Sheldon, please report to this thread immediately!

I always skip those pleasantries and get right down to business.

/Sheldon's busy, can I help you?

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I take Darling as a sign of friendliness and that that person is not overly formal (which I prefer ).

Well, it certainly can be. And it often is. In my instance with the asshole guy, it wasn't. It's not hard to tell what someone's motive is for doing that.

Not when the guy's younger than I am and sneering it in a condescending way. That guy was trying to assert his imaginary superiority.