I don't really like it when strangers talk to me like they know me. I think its awkward to call a girl you don't know, "babe" or "hon", and I dont call strange men "Darlin'" or I dunno "Sweet booty boy". I even find it a little bit condescending when women use it towards me. It makes me cringe internally, but outwardly since its retail (and usually took me off guard) I would try to play it off. Those interactions are less memorable to me than talking about something i actually enjoy as opposed to tolerate. I used to forget to ring up items if I was talking about a particular band, upcoming events, or even giving advice about a particular product. I get excited when people are interesting to talk to, not when strange people attempt to flatter me.
Yeah, I used to have a coworker who used to call me babe and sweety and it really bothered me until I realized that he called our male coworkers man, doctor, boss, ect. Then I realized, aaah. It's not really anything to be offended by. It's just some peoples term of endearment. Unless they're truly being condescending, let it go. Theyre are worse things you can be called besides hon. If they are being condescending, let em know : )
I'm a director at an MMA gym, meaning there are a lot of dudes. Guys are always calling me babe, hon, sweety, dear, etc. I am not a fan of pet names even in relationships so it makes me cringe coming from a stranger, but I don't take it as disrespect or call them out on it. However, I do think that it is a little injudicious to address a woman you don't know in that manner at her place of work. Some women such as myself don't enjoy being called anything other than their name, whether you're good looking or not, male or female...
I guess it just surprised me a little to see how many women seemed flattered by what my generation looks at as being too forward. Perhaps Im delusional to a degree, but my u cle and his friends generation talk about women as if theyre objects, rather than people. Y generation has been pretty much instilled with "fears" against stepping outside of our cultural taboo. I was talking to a friends wife a year ago, right after this thread and said somethin like "thanks luv" or "thanks babe" in a text to her, thinking nothing of it. Later at a barbecue my friend told me he saw the text, freaked out then saw it was from me then relaxed cuz he knows my heart and that i didnt mean it disrespectfully. The next day at another barbecue I had another woman tell me that she would be u comfortable with any of her husbands friends referring to her by any pet name, so I just stopped. Once in a while on here Ill say somethin like, thanks luv. Now that I have daughters of my own, it kinda gives a new perspective to the whole situation. Im as surprised by the people who seem to welcome the taboo advances as the opposite reaction and spectrum.
I used to use miss/madam when talking to female customers. However I'm much more prone now to calling chicks around my age/very elderly "m'lady" E.g. 'Is that all for you m'lady?' Mostly people find it kind of funny rather than taking it seriously as to what it actually means. However the only ones that have ever been vocal about having a problem with it have tended to just say "I'm not rich son, you don't have to call me m'lady haha!".