This week I had the pleasure of training some new casuals at work, which I normally enjoy, but one of the girls really bugged me. She is about 23, although she looks a little more mature, and is lovely, energetic, and engaging, perfect for the job, but she called me DARL.
I *hate* being called darl. No matter who it is or how old they are, if a person calls me darl it gets me riled up. This particular girl is younger than me, but was still using the word-that-should-not-be-spoken. I find the term to be so demeaning, and even if someone uses it as a term of affection I still don’t think it’s appropriate when I have only just met someone.
I can look past it in a workmate, especially when they have no idea how annoying it is, but when a customer uses it… by golly I’m not happy! Occasionally I also hear, “luv” and “hun”, or even “babe”, which is especially annoying, because I work in the men’s department of our store. There is nothing more demeaning than a grown man calling me “luv”. When I hear it my (generally) genuine smile freezes on my face and I have to growl through my teeth, “Is there anything else I can help you with today?”
I have some bizarre and eccentric habits and pet hates, but in this one I think I’m justified. What do you think? Does this get your goat too? Or is it only those of us in retail who have to deal with the onslaught of insulting pet names? Let me know what you think, because surely I’m not the only one that’s driven crazy by this!
runtored 