Excuse me, Sir? *Sir*? SIR...!!!!

[JustShootMe]

Mothers have a voice that can de-calcify your spine...
[/Cos]

I am over 50 years old & my mother can still make me quake in my boots when she uses my first & middle names!

[MoonCat]

In most cases, I wouldn't respond automatically because it's ALWAYS either a panhandler or a nutcase. However, if I had just completed a transaction and just walked away, someone calling out "Ma'am!" a moment later WOULD get my attention, assuming it was the person I'd just dealt with.

[Anakah]

Well where I work the only phrase that will get them to come back is: "Wait! I shorted you!!" I say that especially when I've over paid them and they come back faster than you can blink.

[wolfie]

When I was a kid, my best friend's mother would do that, use his first, middle, and last name to summon him from down the block or yell at him when he was in trouble.

Documented in Dragon Magazine #238 (August 1997) as a 5th level Conjuration/Summoning spell - Power Word, Middle Name.

[Jester]

Yeah, well, I've never forgiven my parents for my middle name, but at least they never used it in public.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Yeah, well, I've never forgiven my parents for my middle name, but at least they never used it in public.

I'm the same way with my first name . . .and my Mom has used it in public.

[sstabeler]

I've never had a problem with getting people's attention... I have an extremely loud voice, albeit it's not always intelligible at the louder volumes. Matter of fact, I occasionally have trouble keeping my voice from being too loud when I'm taking normally.

[mathnerd]

Now I'm dying to know what Jester's middle name is.

I'm not particularly find of my first name. I call it the most uncommon common name on the planet. It used to be extremely common, and for centuries. It's almost rare these days. But, I still don't like it.

[Jester]

I'm the same way with my first name . . .and my Mom has used it in public.

My stepfather goes by his middle name. Has his whole life. No one addresses him by his first name. Not if they want to continue to have the use of their legs.

I occasionally have trouble keeping my voice from being too loud when I'm taking normally.

Been dealing with that my whole life, even before puberty gave me this deep baritone. I've always had the volume.

Now I'm dying to know what Jester's middle name is.

Good luck with that.

[gerund]

My stepfather goes by his middle name. Has his whole life.

I was called "Arthur John Lastname"* after my Father, Arthur and my Uncle, John. To stop confusion within the family I have always been called "John".

Of course this causes confusion everywhere else. Someone calls "Arthur Lastname" at the bank, and I'm looking over my shoulder for my Father.

Someone trying to be helpful is filling in a form, so they have "John Lastname" filled in and turn to me and ask, "What's your middle name?" I will always answer "John" to that question. In 40 (odd) years of doing this only one person has then asked the right question ("What is your first name?"). Everyone else has some sort of double take, then asks "Are you called "John John Lastname?".

"Don't be silly, that's not my name." (If they have half a brain they ask what my full name is, but sadly most don't) Of course then they have to start a new form, and when I say, "I most likely won't answer if you call me "Arthur" they don't know what to do then. The best companies or government departments have a database or form that includes a "Preferred Name" entry where they can put "John".

Sometimes I then get to fill out the form myself. That is always the best. Then I can make sure my last name is spelt correctly and my address is correct as well. My last name is something like Hansen, but everyone (mis)spells it "Hanson" Drives me bonkers. Well more bonkers than normal.

Why can't people just ask?








*Made up name

[peoplesuck]

In most cases, I wouldn't respond automatically because it's ALWAYS either a panhandler or a nutcase. However, if I had just completed a transaction and just walked away, someone calling out "Ma'am!" a moment later WOULD get my attention, assuming it was the person I'd just dealt with.

I agree.

Sales people of all stripes call out "Sir, Mr, Excuse me, Hello, Just a moment, Please" etc, etc, etc. So after a very short while these generic greetings get filtered out subconsciously. If there was a better way of grabbing someones attention without knowing their name, the sales people would start using it, and reduce its effectiveness.

I think the 3 calling rule is there because most sales people don't persist that long, and with escalating volume, so finally the mind says "Wait a minute! They actually want my attention, and its important!"

[raudf]

I can make myself heard when I need or want to. I can make myself heard over 40 very loud boys, their louder siblings and their even louder parents.

The first time, the two male leaders tried repeatedly to get people to quieten down. I looked at them bemused, opened my mouth and just said, "EARS UP!" and everything became silent. I mean to deep voices couldn't be heard, but my soprano could be? *snerks* I blame choir in high school.. and the fact that "EARS UP," is short enough a command for boys that age.

[sstabeler]

Sometimes I then get to fill out the form myself. That is always the best. Then I can make sure my last name is spelt correctly and my address is correct as well.

I have a similar problem. My surname has been spelled incorrectly so many times that I've taken to spelling it out right after saying it when someone's filling out a form. (hang said that, I've known at least one case where my name still got mis-spelled when I'd filled in the relevant form, the same place mis-spelled my name on something related)

[gerund]

I've known at least one case where my name still got mis-spelled when I'd filled in the relevant form, the same place mis-spelled my name on something related

With mine it's almost every single time. Even when I spell it out, even when I write it down, even when I show them my drivers license with it spelt the correct way, they still write it down the wrong way.

I think it's because the wrong bit comes at the end. They manage to read the first four letters correctly, then get the second last one wrong. It doesn't help that there is a famous person with a last name spelt the wrong way as well, but I read about one person (a few generations ago) who had the same last name as mine and changed it because people kept misspelling it.

[Sarlon]

My first name is 3 letters shy of a town nearby, and for 3 years my cable company had my first name as that town....my name...is from a lot of dementedly evil women from history (a "vampire", a serial killer, and a queen).....and the town is that name plus -ton.

Cable company REFUSED to change my name on the account, even when going to the office, providing photo ID and claiming that's the way I entered it in the system....so every time I called in and they asked who they were speaking with I'd say "its *name*, but they have it as *name*ton...."

Confused the poor reps for so long....