What is with strangers calling you "hon"?

[barkley]

my late mother called everyone 'hon' or 'honey' but she wasn't southern-it was because she was terrible with names, so if she just called everyone by these other names it wasn't an embarrassment to her for forgetting a name nor to the person she was talking to (whose name was forgotten).

 

[Minnesota!]

Nails on a chalkboard to me, as well. Along the same lines with "ma'am" "sir", and "Mrs./Mr. first name or last name". Ew.

Just use my first name and it's all good.

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

I absolutely hate this. Thankfully, it has only happened a couple of times to me. Both instances were on the phone with customer service. Both people had southern accents. I thought it must be regional. We don't use sweetie, hun, darling, etc. here in the midwest.

 

[Handbag Lady]

I'm not a Southerner AT ALL*, but I use terms like these all of the time. Sweetie, Hon, dear. I need to call you something if I don't know your name or if I forget. I do not mean it to be offensive at all, never, ever, even in the slightest way.

*I am from Southern California, however.

 

[aaarcher86]

I hate it. It's even worse when it's someone younger than me.

 

[experiment_6two6]

I see some of you are complaining about "ma'am, miss, mister, sir" too...

I am a cashier at a retail store and address customers who aren't paying attention in line with these words all the time... I try to use Miss more often than anything because people have told me that calling a woman Ma'am makes them feel old...

 

[DisneyFan32WI]

I much prefer miss over ma'am.

 

[Feralpeg]

It doesn't bother me. In fact, in some situations, it makes me happy. For instance, the receptionist at the cancer center where I had my chemo treatments always called me "sweetheart". It made me feel as though she really cared about me. It made an otherwise sterile and difficult situation easier.

 

[BrianL]

I believe the rule is that Miss is used for unmarried women and Ma'am for married women. Ma'am is a contraction for Madame. Usually, the unmarried women are younger, so that's where the perception that Ma'am is for older women stems from.

 

[bgirldeb]

Just call them "sweetie" and move on.

Or sugar booger

 

[BrianL]

Or sugar booger

I cal my cat this sometimes. Also "Sweet Beet."

 

[Disneylover99]

I love being called "hon"! I'll take that over ma'am any day.

The lady at the Tim Horton's drive through calls me hon every morning. She's the only one though. It doesn't seem to be very common around here.

 

[kimblebee]

LOL it bugs me too and I get it all the time when people call in. I'm a CSR and I get called ma'am, hun , sweetie, dear all the time. Ma'am bugs me the most. I say my name at the start of the call, use that. If you forget, ask. I'll be happy to tell you to avoid being called hun lol

 

[jrmasm]

Not something I can see getting worked up about.

 

[disykat]

I'm willing to accept it as a regional thing, but feel it's too familiar. I'm fine with ma'am or miss.

I call my DH and my kids sweetie. I do call unrelated children sweetie, but even then I use it as a word indicating a certain amount of fondness.

I don't consider it "getting worked up" to notice when strangers are addressing you with terms of endearment.

 

[traviesojmt]

Nails on a chalkboard to me, as well. Along the same lines with "ma'am" "sir", and "Mrs./Mr. first name or last name". Ew.

Just use my first name and it's all good.

It is interesting how everyone perceives things so differently. My children would be in trouble for not calling you ma'am or sir and they had better not refer to you by your first name. Of course, we are a military family and ma'am and sir are common curtesy in the military. You would hear those words twenty times a day in our way of life.

Regarding other terms of endearment, I'm both from the south and have been stationed there a few times. I'm very use to hon and dear. I can't imagine getting upset unless I knew it was being used in a condescending way.

 

[Minnesota!]

It is interesting how everyone perceives things so differently. My children would be in trouble for not calling you ma'am or sir and they had better not refer to you by your first name. Of course, we are a military family and ma'am and sir are common curtesy in the military. You would hear those words twenty times a day in our way of life.

Regarding other terms of endearment, I'm both from the south and have been stationed there a few times. I'm very use to hon and dear. I can't imagine getting upset unless I knew it was being used in a condescending way.

I don't get upset, but it really grates on my ears...seriously, up there with nails on chalkboard, the words "moist, supple, and panties", etc. They just are gross to my ears.

And see, I (and the parents/adults I know) would not be "mad" at getting called "Miss Jenny" or 'ma'am', but they would be super quick to say "you don't need to call me that, Jenny is just fine".

My husband DOES use 'ma'am' and 'sir' once in a while and he knows it drives me batty.

 

[lauradis]

I hate it... some people that say "hon" just sound awful saying it.

but im guilty of the southern twang of "sugar, darling and dear". Living up north I have been fussed at by more males, then females saying im not your dear or darling.

To me its an automatic responds to a request made.. Customer says can you get me x and x. my response is normally no problem sugar, ill bring that right over, hand over what they want and say you have a great day darling.

 

[Lisaren]

I was taught it was a sign of respect to use sir and ma'am and I used it whenever dealing with someone of my own age or older as a teen ager. I was also taught you never and I mean never use an adults first name with out permission - be you an adult or child. I had so many people get offended by being addressed with respect, I gradually quit using it. I am now working in a customer service position and I use it with most of my customers. If they get offended by respect it is not my problem. But, I am in the south where endearments are common and if someone "overshares" and a connection is made, they may just get the dreaded endearment.

 

[ronandannette]

It's like nails on a chalkboard for me.
People are just trying to be nice, so I never act like it bothers me, but between me and all of you, it bothers me

Totally this. I'm a) old and b) very reserved; so to hear it from a stranger (especially a youngster) feels very inappropriately familiar. Professionally, I would never take the liberty of using a customer's first name unless asked to. We start out with Mr. or Mrs. Smith and Sir or Ma'am, which, in my perfect world is how customer service people would address me too.