Attention Ladies: It's Not an Insult.

[MrDelirious]

This happened to me in the eighth hour of a stupidly busy nine hour shift.

Me: Tired and cranky, but still nice to everyone
Her: Overly touchy lady buying a bunch of clothes.

Me: How are you today?
Her: Fine, and yourself?
Me: Fantastic! (That's a lie. I'm tired. I wanna go home. )
*ringity ringity*
Me: Okay, so all that stuff with the A on it comes to...$XXX.XX
Her: All righty then. *hands me plastic money*
Me: *scans plastic money* Okay, sign this please.
Her: *signs, starts to leave*
Me: Ma'am, you forgot your receipt!
Her: Don't call me ma'am, I'm not old!
Me: I-er-I was just trying to be nice. Here's your receipt.
Her: I'm not old enough to be a ma'am.

Now, ladies, you've gotta see it our way. This has happened to me a few times, and I'm not stopping it. Hell, I've called 5 year-old girls ma'am. I was raised to be respectful. You know, "sir" and "ma'am"? I try not to step on your toes, but sometimes, you've got some really HUGE TOES. I mean, it could be worse for you.

Hypothetical Me (WARNING: Hypothetical Me is a total jackass) : Hey, b****, you forgot your receipt!

Or perhaps: Hey, you with the obvious aging! Yes, you who passed your prime several years ago and will never look this good again without the assistance of modern medicine! You have neglected to depart with this paper slip containing the proof of the transaction that just occurred!

What I'm trying to say is, I'm not trying to insult you, insinuate, or imply a single thing. You said please and thank you, you don't smell, and you didn't complain. Frankly, I'd hug you, but this damned granite counter is in the way. Instead, I treat you with respect. Please believe that's all I'm trying to do. Take your paranoia elsewhere, kthxbai.

[END RANT.]

[Amethyst Hunter]

I had a few dipsticks like that at my last job. The inside of my head was always going "hey, would you rather I called you ASSHOLE like I'm mentally doing right now?"

[Killer Bees]

We don't have ma'am in our country so when I go overseas, I love being called ma'am. I think it's very respectful. I didn't realise the word had an age limit

[zzapp the witch]

Hell I take a certain C word as a compliment. Can't understand normal thinking? Well, that just means I can think outside the *box*.

[GingerBiscuit]

Ok, I assosciate 'Ma'am' with ladies of 40 or over, and due to our youth-obsessed culture I can see where someone with some 'issues' might find it insulting. The first time someone called me 'Ma'am' I had a 'WTF?' moment.

But I appreciate when someone is trying to be nice.

[powerboy]

I am just like you, I was taught to be respectful. And yes that is including Sir & Ma'am. Only once, has someone complained about it.

[AKWalMartCartGuy]

that is insane, sir and ma'am are a sign of respect, my store, as with any retail has a high number of 18-25 year olds, and some of the bosses refer to everyone as sir or ma'am, would they rather we call them bitch? or is whore better?

[ThePhoneGoddess]

I suspect Mr. Delirious may be from in the Southern U.S.

Sir and Ma'am is expected down there, it's part of the culture. Whenever they deal with someone they don't know, they always use those terms. Sometimes in every sentence. Southern children are taught to use them at a very early age.

In other parts of the country it's not as common, but still used in business settings. I can only imagine what kind of experience this woman would have if she went to visit New Orleans. Every single person she spoke with would be calling her Ma'am, from the kid at the convenience store to the panhandler on the street. That's just the way it is down there.

[Barefootgirl]

I quite like being called Ma'am when I go to the US, it makes me feel rather regal

I was a bit put-out when Italians started called me Signora instead of Signorina, though. I'm not old enough to be Signora, dammit !

[Antisocial_Worker]

In other parts of the country it's not as common, but still used in business settings. I can only imagine what kind of experience this woman would have if she went to visit New Orleans. Every single person she spoke with would be calling her Ma'am, from the kid at the convenience store to the panhandler on the street. That's just the way it is down there.

I'm Southern, and it's instinctual to call strangers by those terms. I've had some guests at my hotel get upset at being called sir, which brings up the question of what the hell I'm supposed to call them exactly. Muffy? Louise? Thurgood? The guys who got upset wanted me to use their first names, which wasn't happening. This was mainly because I didn't care what their first names were, and also because, as I said, it's instinctual. This meant that the exchange usually went something like this:

Guest: Hey now... I'm not old enough to be a sir. I hear someone call me sir and I look around for my dad. I'm just (pick one: Muffy/Louise/Thurgood)!

Me: Yes, sir. Sorry, sir.

[ThePhoneGoddess]

Exactly, haunted head. You're southern. It's been ingrained in your head since you were old enough to know which side of the playpen smelled the worst!

People really just don't get that it's a cultural thing down there.

[crazylegs]

I've heard NCO's issue the following statement:
Don't call me sir, I work for a living!

Kinda how I feel, I don't expect anyone to call me sir, and it still feels odd when people do.

[Nakajo]

Sir and Ma'am is expected down there, it's part of the culture. Whenever they deal with someone they don't know, they always use those terms. Sometimes in every sentence. Southern children are taught to use them at a very early age.

Geez, i went to Savannah for a week when I was 12, and I came back with that. Since then, it's in every sentence. ESPECIALLY at work. My mom got annoyed with it pretty quick though.

[Seshat]

I use Sir, Ma'am and occasionally for women who look decidedly young, Miss. Any women who looks older than about twenty gets ma'am, though.

[iradney]

I quite like being called ma'm. One feels ever so regal.
However, I DO draw the line at being called MADAM. Back in the apartheid years, the Black people had to call their White employers Madam and Boss. It drives me insane to hear someone call me that. I'm no-one's madam!