Does it irk you when customers call you by your first name?

[jaya9581]

I've always had a problem with giving out my real name. When I worked in places that allowed it, I would always use my nickname, Jaya, which has no connection to my real name. I found that as an unusual name with a lot of vowels, most people will not attempt to pronounce it and I thus evade the situation entirely, although it is pronounced exactly as it looks, "JAY-ah".

When someone uses your name frequently, particularly in a servant/master situation such as employee/customer, it is an attempt to assert power and show dominance over you. This is most noticible when the customer uses your name repeatedly to the point of awkwardness.

[simpleyme]

when i worked at a buffet we had nametags that they just stuck a little sticker on with your name, I peeled my name off and management never noticed as I was in full uniform since I was wearing my name tag

I hate it when customers use my name ,as I know they are going to save it up
an example is one day SC named Chuck went to get his fountain soda it was not working right the ice was not dispensing ice he starts Yelling "DAMN YOU Karen DAMN YOU Karen and your dam soda machine why can't YOU Karen make sure the equipment is working correctly?"
I have to tell you I was a little scared he might hit me or somthing as his repeated use of my name in such a nasty violent tone made sure he was a wife beater ,had he not used my name it would have seemed like more of a horrible rant

9 out of 10 people who want my name are not doing it to be friendly so when asked my name my egad is this going to be a sucky customer antenna goes up and a feeling of dread comes over me

[Lace Neil Singer]

I hate it. I don't like anyone to use my name unless I know them; and yes, some of my friends etc do come and talk to me at work. They can use my name; random customers can not. It seriously creeps me out; particularly if it's a hairy man in a wife beater. O.o

[videodrone]

It doesn't really bother me when regulars do it and they're being nice about it. It's the angry people who use it over and over that bug me. It's like they're saying "FEAR ME!!! I KNOW YOUR NAME!!!" I get it, you know my name and now you can report me to corporate. Congratulations.

[TinyWaitress]

It does creep me out a little, I have to admit. At first I kind of go WTF, how do you know my name, but then I remember I wear a nametag.

But still, why people have to refer to me specifically by my name, I have no idea. Esp. those that make such a deliberate point out of doing it, it's weird.

[Pagan]

GK - Love the variation on the fsck_____ theme! Can I use some?

As for the people that think we're old friends....I am NOT honey, sweetie, babydoll. DO NOT call me that or you will start losing appendages.

I don't mind people using my name... but I don't really like it either... the one thing I hated at the call center was we had to ask the caller their name when they called in and use it...

Me: *answering the phone* Thank you for calling WTC, this is Pagan, how may I direct your call?
Random person: Hello Pagan! I'm Smiling Bob!
Me: *thinking to myself* That's great....what am I supposed to do with that information?

I don't know them so at the very least I should call them either Mister so & so or Mrs or Miss so & so. & IF they're above a certain age then calling them by their 1st name without having been told that it's ok to do so strikes me as being awfully rude.

This bugs me greatly as well. Although "ma'am" is still a little disconcerting to me, I would prefer that or Ms. MyLastName. You don't know me that well and I haven't given you permission to use my first name.

I despise being called Mr. or Sir it's so cold and impolite

The way I see it, we're both at whatever place of business....conducting business. It's not supposed to be warm and fuzzy.

"Why yes, Bob, we have a lovely three-bedroom with an ocean view just for you, Bob. And, Bob, the cost to you, Bob, is only $2750, Bob. I think that's a good deal, Bob. Otherwise, a two-bedroom, Bob, is $xxxx, Bob. And another thing, Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob...

Glad I wasn't drinking anything!

[katie kaboom]

It does irk me when customers call me by name. I didn't mind it so much from my regular customers because i kinda felt like i got to know some of them on a human level. But random customers whom i've never seen before and will probably never see again don't need to be calling me by my name like we're best buddies.

slightly- last week at work some woman told her husband she'd just "ask the little girl over there" (aka me)...needless to say, i all of a sudden had business to attend to at the other end of the store. If i'm old enough to work i'm too old to be referred to as a "little girl."

[flyinghi]

The way I see it, we're both at whatever place of business....conducting business. It's not supposed to be warm and fuzzy.

agreed but I still don't see why we can't do it in a friendly more human way instead of it being like talking to a machine

[Mark Healey]

I fucking HATE it. I just know that it is someone who read Dale Carnegie and is trying to manipulate me.

[Evil Queen]

I love when guests call me by name rather then "Hey You!" and "Little Girl" though I do allow a couple to call me "little girl" but only because those guys are huge. And two of them are cops.

But then, I also call my favoured guests by name too. It makes them feel special (several have told me this) and feel like coming back over and over.

I don't care for being called "Ma'am" I'd rather be called by my name.

[dougall]

I have two name tags the one I use most hasn't got my real name on it .

[crazylegs]

I get called alsorts at work, it's very rarely my first name!

[Arm]

I can't *stand* people who do that.

It's very clear that they want to ingratiate themselves with me. I *understand* that. What they fail to understand is that I hate them. I hate them for trying to get me to like them in such a false, formulaic, manipulative manner. I hate them and want them to die. No, I don't want them to die, I want them to live a VERY long time. I want them to be blind, deaf, mute, crippled, unable to even feed themselves, and I want them to live like that forever. I want their entire world to be pain and insanity until the end of time.*

I have few friends. The friends I have I would do anything for. Random people trying to sell me things do NOT number among them. Learning my name doesn't make you my friend, it makes you a stalker.

If I've given someone my name, then sure, they can use it. IF we are having a conversation among equals and friends, they can even call me by my first name. Otherwise, it had better be Mister Lastname, Sir, or some applicable title. If I'm being addressed by an employer or other superior specifically IN an informal setting where they are my social superior as well, they can go ahead and simply refer to me as Lastname. "Hey, Lastname, can you take a look at this?" is an example.

The only time someone who isn't my friend should be addressing me by my first name is if I have deliberately withheld my last name from them.

As far as it being personable goes... If I COULD replace them with robots, I WOULD. I can't, though, so I'll thank them to follow the same rules of politeness that I do, when I refrain from crushing them, driving them before me, and hearing the lamentations of their women

I mean, seriously, I'm not interested in paying for friendship. If I was, I'd head to Nevada. I'd much rather someone treat me with respect than treat me like I'm THAT easily fooled.

edit:
To clarify, when I say someone trying to sell me something, I don't just mean that literally. It could be anyone trying to persuade me to do anything. Whether I'm buying something from them or whether they're just trying to get me to do something.


*oh, and you should hear what I'd do to people who actually make me angry!

[MiddleofNowhere]

Nametags are a double-edged sword...

I'm in sales, and I get *more* sales by giving out my business card with some product info on it and hoping customers come back and ask for me by name. Also, if a customer doesn't want my card, I am sure to tell them, 'Be sure to ask for MiddleofNowhere, I can take care of that item we talked about for you.'

That said, I absolutely DESPISE when a customer walks up to me, takes obvious visible note of my nametag and then uses my name in some request/demand for service...

RudeCustomer: Excuse me, MiddleofNowhere, I suppose you don't know anything about xxx product, do you?

My mental response to that is, *yes, I do know a whole heckuva lot about xxx product, but because you are a presumptious asshat, you're going to have to find out for yourself because I'm sure as heck not helping you.*

My actual response is to look confused for a few seconds, then say to the customer, 'Oh Hi?!? Gosh, I don't know recall your name. Have we met before? Did I work with you at a previous position? Because usually if I meet someone I remember it but I sure don't remember you.'

Then RudeCustomer fumbles about for a few seconds until he or she has to *fess up* that there was actually NO introduction, they just read my name on my nametag.

I have *no* problem introducing myself to customers and giving out my name, but if you just *steal* it from my nametag, I'm gonna give it right back to you.

[TechChick1]

This is when you find out the customer's first name and use it as often as they're using yours, or preferably even more:

"Why yes, Bob, we have a lovely three-bedroom with an ocean view just for you, Bob. And, Bob, the cost to you, Bob, is only $2750, Bob. I think that's a good deal, Bob. Otherwise, a two-bedroom, Bob, is $xxxx, Bob. And another thing, Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob...

I couldn't agree more! Working in tech services, they sound your name off to also make you aware that they "know" who you are and I don't so much as hate them calling my name, but it is those who don't catch my name in my greeting that piss me off. "What did you say your name was?" I am like dayum, it's Bee, you can't mess that up!