[la_mode]

Anyone notice nowadays so many places ask your name like you're old pals or something?

Want to get fast food? Name please
Want to use the dressing room to try on clothes? Name please
Coffee at starbucks? Name please

Anyone who isn't an idiot gets it...they want to feign friendliness in the business setting. Studies show, use a person's name enough, they'll somehow magically like you. Yet they never consider that person may find it annoying.

Second part: Some of you who have traveled extensively and spent considerable time overseas can possibly elaborate on this. In the US, for example, people use names a lot in casual conversation. To the point it sounds dumb.

Example: Hey Tom, what do you think of XYZ restaurant Tom, you wanna try it out Tom?

I've noticed that in the west coast for whatever reason, this isn't nearly as common. A name is generally only used when saying hello or getting your attention. The east coast seems somewhere in the middle, but also leans toward name overusage, the south is close to the midwest, but probably not quite on the same level. I've also noticed this name overusage spans across generations and ethnicities in the midwest & south.

Anyone else notice this?

[The Lizard of Oz]

As long as you have this answer at the ready you should be good to go

[Truth Teller]

I often give a fake name. I've called myself Patrick Flanagan in the past, and I look very Irish.

[Barron]

It's funny you bring this up, I just started trolling every time I'd go into a coffeeshop because it has started to really annoy the shit out of me.


The Starbucks Imposition

1st troll response: single stupid-ass word, say it loudly and proudly

them: And your name sir?

me: JUICE!

them: what?

me JUICE!


2nd troll response: come up with a name that sounds retarded, for ex: Air-Borg. pronounced Er-Borg (mumbled)

them: And your name sir?

me: erborg

them: what?

me: ERBORG (sound annoyed)

them: can you spell that?

when you have to spell it become very annoyed that they have no idea what you're saying and spell it out like it's common sense: U-R-B-E-R-G
you can even wait a second and add another E at the end.

The second one is fun, I actually failed and started laughing the first time I did it. But it gets the point across, on some level they know they are being rude by presuming to ask your name just to write it on the side of a coffee cup for all to see

[Mage]

This is a very western thing.

In Eastern Europe no one asks your name if they will never have to see you again.

I would get very annoyed if someone asked my name for casual purposes, hell I get annoyed simply by store clerks greeting me and asking me if I don't need any help. If I need help I will ask you dumb asses! Most times I don't answer, if the clerk is also fat I may reply something insulting for fun.

[Engineer]

I was standing in line at a fast food place and saw a guy in front of me getting an explanation from the manager that "We shouldn't be using personal descriptions like "bald guy" for your order". Not sure if the customer or the counter jockey had initiated the "bald guy" label, but the manager looked out of frame and scrambling to appease.

"Redeye ready for Handsome"
"Winstonwolf your bagel is ready"
"Bane, eggs up"
"Here you go Mr. Conan enjoy your steak tartare"

[Dr. Howard]

I used to use Optimus Prime as my fake name. Barista's give this look of "thanks asshole"

[The Beast1]

I like telling people my name is awesome. Especially at Starbucks.

Someone should pull a bart simpson and say their name is "Harry Weiner"

[bojangles]

I'm quintessentially British in that I give my name as Mr <lastname>.

So whenever I revisit that bar or restaurant with a date, they always address me formally rather than by my first name. Things my dates normally say - "wow you know everybody!"
"They really respect you here don't they!"
"Who don't you know?"

[Felix88]

I have never heard of this, is this an exclusively western thing?

[Ingocnito]

Not just in the business sense, but doesn't this seem like the typical over-steer correction made by a society living a "fake" reality propped up by social media and smart-phones that have disabled people from natural, non-forced, genuine desire to communicate would embrace?

The old standards of referral, way too many i.e. Hi, bye, how are you?, what's up?, please, thank you, and now this b.s. banter of always asking your name. it's all a waste and an easy nervous response to act genuine.

As a mid-westerner, this is exactly why I've always liked NYC. No time for all this blah blah bullshit. People from other parts of the country think NYC living is rude, but to me, it's spot on. Being too polite or fakely PC is in fact rude because you're wasting society's time.

*side note - some idiot where I live just walked into a open manhole that had the cover off while staring down at his phone texting when walking down the road. I guess he was having a hard time communicating reality to himself. Ha!

False existences perpetuate fakeness. Expect this to increase.

[azulsombra]

Yeah I never liked this practice either.

I haven't noticed it at dressing rooms yet, most places still just hand you a number or something similar.

I"m gonna start trolling motherfuckas though... for now on

"I'm Mr. BIG".

[iop890]

Dolph Wolfcock

[Dragonstone]

After reading this thread, next time someone at a fast food place asks my name, I'm using an alias. I don't like to troll people, but it's still going to be an alias. There's enough names to pick from Hollywood these days.

The smarter employees read your name off a credit card, not much one can do there.

[TheSlayer]

I have noticed the trend of businesses asking for your name and email more and more. It's obviously an attempt to provide better customer service and make you feel special as the Book of Influence talks about but it is damn annoying. I straight-up say no to giving my email and as for name I use different ones. I don't troll like some of the others here but I never use my real name. Incredibly annoying this new practice.

[LemonDrink]

I can see why they ask it in Starbucks at the very busy ones. To write your name in the cup so there is no misunderstanding on who's ordered what. You could order a cheap drink and claim an expensive one at the other end of the counter especially if the person who bought that drink is a bit slow.

Lot of places like Starbucks seem to employ people for whom English is not their first language so I am not sure can appreciate names like 'Ivor Boner' or 'Hung Well'.

[Dusty]

(09-09-2014 09:17 AM)bojangles Wrote:  

I'm quintessentially British in that I give my name as Mr <lastname>.

[la_mode]

Starbucks probably loses productivity doing it. Especially in diverse cities where some foreign names probably require several takes for the person explaining how their name is spelled.

A number is more efficient.

Panera does it too, and expect only more places to start doing it.

[Blackhawk]

When places use a number system, we all know what happens:



Half of the people forget what their number is, the staff calls out their number over and over, gives up, and moves on, and only after the food has been sitting there so long it's stone cold and has to be remade do they come up, "Excuse me, did you forget my order?" No jackass. It's been sitting right here, four feet away from your stupid head, for 30 minutes. Didn't you hear me call out "Number 4" 20 times?



People actually listen for their names. They respond to them much better than a random number in a list. So when I later read out the same name my co-workers earlier wrote down, you actually come up and get your food while it's still hot.

That is the point of this system.

And every time, I promptly forget whatever your name is, because news flash, you're not that important. Buying $12 worth of food from me just means you're one of hundreds of people doing the same exact transaction with me today. There's just too many people coming through and I'm too busy to fucking care.

I don't care if you call yourself Optimus Prime, Dolomite, or some other stupid name --as long as its something my retarded co-worker can spell out well enough that it makes sense to you when I read what they spelled out ten minutes later, and you fucking well actually come up and take your order when I read it out first time. If you do that, I couldn't care less. However, when I'm calling out your bullshit name that no one can spell or pronounce and you're just standing there four feet away not responding while the food gets cold, yeah, I'm gonna get pissed off.



I suggest keeping it to simple words that people have a reasonable chance of spelling well enough it can be read out loud correctly later. "Comet" and "Star" won't even raise an eyebrow --if I've got 3 orders for Bob or Sue, I'd much rather you use a more unique name so someone doesn't walk off with the wrong order and then I have to remake yours because you're the slow Bob of the bunch.

Seriously. Keep it simple to spell and pronounce, actually come up when your order's ready and I read it out loud, and I don't give a fuck.

[Hedonistic Traveler]

(09-09-2014 11:32 AM)la_mode Wrote:  

Starbucks probably loses productivity doing it. Especially in diverse cities where some foreign names probably require several takes for the person explaining how their name is spelled.

A number is more efficient.

Panera does it too, and expect only more places to start doing it.

I used to work at a Starbucks in high school, the reason they don't do numbers is because they want to come across as a local coffee shop. They actually expect employees to memorize all the names for the regulars. Unfortunately when you're making 100+ drinks an hour this is kinda tough.

Personally when people ask me my name, I just say "no thanks". If you say it firmly enough they don't bother asking again. Make sure not to take the wrong drink though, then you'll look like a huge asshole.

[Orion]

I pretty much never wind up baristas or hairdressers.

[LemonDrink]

I will say my name is 'Dick' when next at Starbucks.