Yes sir!

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Originally Posted by garweft

Your a New Yorker now, act like it.

It's what their more comfortable with. It's like if some European dude came up and started kissing your cheeks.... You'd freak a little.

In Ohio were somewhere in between. I'll acknowledge your existence with a little head nod.... but I won't actually talk to you. :P

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I may live in this hell hole, but I WILL NOT act like the rest of the people in it..

So what your tryin to say is just b/c I live here I NEED to be rude? There is no excuess for rudeness..



Glad to see that I'm not the only one that has noticed this happen... I would like to say thank you to all the SIR's and MA'AM's here! YOU ROCK!

I guess I gotta say that I've never seen what you're talking about. I regularily call people sir or ma'am and have been called such in return. Never have I had someone get upset with me for it. That just sounds like such a silly thing to get angry about.

Well the only time this is happened when it a tough female that doesn't want to feel old but they are always nice about it

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Originally Posted by MarkS

I guess I gotta say that I've never seen what you're talking about. I regularily call people sir or ma'am and have been called such in return. Never have I had someone get upset with me for it. That just sounds like such a silly thing to get angry about.

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Thats the kind of stuff we deal with here in NY, it's sad it really is..

I agree with Matt - it's "normal" to hear Ma'am or Sir here. That said, when my friend's children say "yea Ma'am" to me I'll say "oh - please don't call me Ma'am - it makes me feel so old!" and laugh about it. And I don't let them call me Ms. Abernethy - Ms. Robin is just fine with me if their parents are trying to teach them to show respect.

I ALWAYS make a point to say thank you to anyone who holds a door open for me, and I can't remember a time I wasn't thanked for holding a door for someone else.

Chivalry isn't dead in Georgia!

Edit - Kara used to get so mad at me when I'd answer her with "Yes Ma'am" when I was visiting NERD. She said "stop calling me Ma'am!" and I'd reply "Yes Ma'am!" and she finally went - "OK - I know you can't help it - I'll deal with it!" LOL

Yeah, in Georgia you get it everywhere. I don't like being called 'sir' though. I may be on my second marriage and have a child, but it just still sounds weird.

When I interact with someone noticeably older than myself I tend to use it. I won't use it for someone noticeably younger than myself. Sorry if that offends you.

I call people sir or ma'am all the time. Like "Hi, how are you doing ma'am" No one has really complain, in rare occasion some will say call me miss this or that...

If it is someone closer to my age group, I'm usually a little more casual and would say something like "hi, how you doing" and just cut out the ma'am or sir, but still being polite.

All this applies to my job too. :)

I have to, thats why I taught myself to be a rude degenerate. Now when I am respectful I still hold doors and say yes sir yes ma'am.


But if someone gets an attitude or isn't worthy of respect I don't shy away from saying "Get out of my way you old coot."


Because honestly, some people deserve it.

I can surely sympathize with you. I always call people visibly older than myself sir or ma'am. Always have, always will.

Since I began working for Panera Bread, I call pretty much everybody while I'm at work sir or ma'am. I get a few funny looks now and then, but nothing serious. I do occasionally get a laugh for calling a group of guys, gentlemen. They look over their shoulders, to see who I'm talking to, then laugh when they realize it's them, but never has one gotten angry about it.

What people DO get angry at me for is my lifelong habit of using terms like "Hon" I grew up in a family where everbody called everybody that, and I didn't see anything wrong with it. When I started working at Panera, I would address a customer thus: "Hello Ma'am, what can I get for you today?" After taking the order, I have a habit of saying something like, " Did you need a drink today Hon?" And it has gotten me chewed out more than once by an angry customer.

I CAN see their point of view, after all they don't know me. BUT, if you stand in my line for 10 minutes, and hear me call all 10 of the people in front of you "Hon", why should it bother you when I say the same thing to you as I have to them?

I have also had a number of people who smile very pleasantly when I say things like that, they tell me they didn't think people talked like that anymore. I had one older woman actually pat my head like I was her granddaughter when I called her "Hon". To be honest, I am trying to break that habit while I'm at work, because it is quite upsetting when I customer gets angry about it, but try as I might, I still do it almost everyday.

As far as holding doors and things like that, I still do it, and usually I get a big smile and thank you, or at least a smile. Every now and then, some snot will totally ignore me, which is usually when I let the door shut right in front of their face, or hit them in the butt as they go past.

Gale

I guess its the area I'm in... oh well, its not gonna change who I am. thank you all.

Cheers!