Quaint old custom or cringeworthy sycophantism?...

[Mad Doug Biker]

Try it one day, see what reaction you get.

'So, Rebecca, I hope you don't mind me asking, but are you pre or post op?'

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

'It's hard to tell'

 

[swee'pea99]

I had an extended and fraught conversation with one of BT's 'support' people in India, largely about the lack of support I was receiving...I held out for about 10 minutes before I cracked: "Listen no offense but...I've no doubt you've been sent on some goddawful training course which has taught you to do this in the mistaken belief that it comes across as friendly, but would you mind not calling me 'dear' every 30 seconds? It's really getting on my tit. You might want to mention to a supervisor that 'dear' is not a word you'd use over here to someone you don't know, and certainly not a customer." I don't much like 'sir', but 'dear'? Grrrrr.

 

[Hill Wimp]

Dear

 

[simon.r]

I would prefer to be called "sir" every so often in a shop, than "mate" which seems to be the norm in some places.

Or 'buddy' as experienced in Halfords a while ago. Yes, I did say something.

I also seem to be getting called 'dude' quite regularly nowadays. (I've never considered myself a dude and as a balding 50 year old man I definitely don't think I've become a dude recently)

 

[ayceejay]

I had an extended and fraught conversation with one of BT's 'support' people in India, largely about the lack of support I was receiving...I held out for about 10 minutes before I cracked: "Listen no offense but...I've no doubt you've been sent on some goddawful training course which has taught you to do this in the mistaken belief that it comes across as friendly, but would you mind not calling me 'dear' every 30 seconds? It's really getting on my tit. You might want to mention to a supervisor that 'dear' is not a word you'd use over here to someone you don't know, and certainly not a customer." I don't much like 'sir', but 'dear'? Grrrrr.

In Quebec it is not uncommon for 'mister' to be used in place of 'sir' and that just sounds wrong
We used to call school teachers sir but that was spelled cur.

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

Dear

If he had been saying "dear sir" each time, I woulda left the freakin' carpet and ran for the hills

 

[annedonnelly]

It might be a bit over the top, but at least he spoke to you. I'm fed up with shop staff who do little more than grunt at customers - who have had the cheek to interrupt the nice chat they were having with their colleagues.

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

I worked ostensibly in a technical call centre (software and accountancy) and I rarely used names unless I was prompted to by the caller, and then very infrequently.
The only times I used names without prompting was with developers or resellers who I knew by name and I was their designated support tech.
I hated scripted opening and closing lines like "ok, is there anything else I can help with sir or Mr @@@@@". If someone I call asks me that, I ask them to come and do some paperwork for me! - jokingly of course.

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

It might be a bit over the top, but at least he spoke to you. I'm fed up with shop staff who do little more than grunt at customers - who have had the cheek to interrupt the nice chat they were having with their colleagues.

I know, at least he didn't shout - in a North Yorkshire accent.. "I love carpets, me!"

 

[Fnaar]

Guv'nor.... that works
Guv
My liege...

 

[asterix]

How about Dave?

Is your name Rodney, then?

 

[asterix]

In Quebec it is not uncommon for 'mister' to be used in place of 'sir' and that just sounds wrong
We used to call school teachers sir but that was spelled cur.

Quebec? Lots of of French influence. In my bit of France 'Monsieur' is used a lot and I think its a lot better than having to call someone 'sir'. Egalite and all that.

 

[MarkF]

I like being called "Sir" in a retail or business environment, nobody ever calls me "Sir" anywhere else, or is ever likely to.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

In Quebec it is not uncommon for 'mister' to be used in place of 'sir' and that just sounds wrong
We used to call school teachers sir but that was spelled cur.

In Scotland kids often call guys 'Mister', as in

'Hey Mister, gie us our baw back before we kneecap ye ya fanny!!'

Seriously though, at Secondary School, all female teachers were called

'Miss'

As a first year, I thought there were a LOT of unmarried teachers in that school until someone explained to me!