Mam/Sir

Enii

Just back from the States and have to say I loved being addressed as Mam by shop assistants and waitresses, etc. Why do irish people not politely address customers as mam or sir? I think it is so professional. What does everyone else think?

flogen

Depends where you are, I generally did it when I worked in Game, but others thought it was wierd for me to say Mam (although they would say Sir, and it is one of the female equivelents)

The Free Man

i think its said ma'am, as in short for madam. if you were just calling people mam without exaggerating the 'a' sound i'm sure it would have sounded weird..

simu

It just doesn't sound natural for most Irish people to say. Personally, I find it strange to hear Sir or Madam used in English because it's mostly something you hear in period films although I like the way monsieur and madame are always used in France - it adds a certain zing to a transaction or conversation.

BigEejit

The place where i go to get my hair cut always refer to me as sir ..... sir this and sir that, makes them sound a bit like butlers .... but I do like to be treated with respect when I'm paying for a service

Suaimhneach

I work on phones and I say Ma'am/Sir all the time if I dont have a name, or if I forget the name.

It is professional, but the standards here, service wise, arent very high, tbh. I'm just happy if I get what I want and it works and I dont get ripped off. To expect manners as well! Lord I might be pushin it!

monkeyfudge

Oh I hate being called 'sir'... although it's usually followed up by 'You're causing a scene'

Sometimes a student will call me sir and that makes me feel really awkward, probably due to the fact that I'm a good deal younger than most of my students.

Chucky the tree

Americans have to rely on commission to make money so thats why there overly nice.

Shrimp

I dont mind been called mister, but usual it's knacks askin for a smoke..

Mr.Nice Guy

Enii wrote:

Why do irish people not politely address customers as mam...

Well it might offend some of the customer's children...

KTRIC

I told a guy in Dixons to stop calling me Sir, to be honest it really p!sses me off.

ronbyrne2005

when american staff say that the majority couldnt give a toss about ya and are just looking for a tip or to keep their job ,dont fool yourself , would you rather have someone being false to ya or not saying mam/sir?

simu

Mr.Nice Guy wrote:

Well it might offend some of the customer's children...

D'ya want fries with that, Mammeh?

Also, the word ma'am is associated with older women - it would seem odd calling a young woman that.

_Kaiser_

I worked for years in US callcentres where it was all Sir and Ma'am. Have to say I preferred it to a total stranger first naming you as if they're your best mate.

Of course this latter approach is now pushed as a means of "bonding" with the customer. Personally I've always been of the opinion that if someone rings a customer service line, they're more concerned with getting their issue resolved than making a new friend, but there you go..

Scraggs

used to get called 'miss' all the time in US, used to really get my goat! ma'am i find equally annoying but only if its from a pushy sales clerk otherwise i couldnt care less

meldrew

It sounds false when someone over here says it

county

its all a bit to formal for my liking

Pythia

I would find that Ma'am and Sir are generally used over here if you're being a bit rude or as monkeyfudge said if you're causing a scene.
I would never call a customer Ma'am or Sir myself.
I usually get called 'the girl' by customers in my shop.

junkyard

It has to be said that good manners are lacking in a big way here alright but tbh it should be taught in schools in civic classes or the like, its even hard to find places to brush up on good manners. It makes a big difference in my opinion.

Vorsprung

Reckon it's a bit formal myself, as cultures go we're pretty informal.

gandalf

Over here if the staff are Irish you are lucky to get "Ya Wha" or "Feck Sake". At least the non-Irish staff are normally pleasant and efficient.

TimTim

I call my bank for no reason just to hear that.

Mister and sir all the time.

scuba steve

what part of the states were you in? It is polite and all the rest but it really got on my nerves overe there, especially when theyre following you around the shop asking "can i help you with anything sir?!"

Hagar

Another facet of Ameriacana that we should rush to embrace with open arms.:rolleyes:

snappieT

I say 'Sir' to most male customers in work. Most are quite taken aback, maybe it's because manners and Argos never went together in their minds before. I think I've said 'Miss' once or twice, it just doesn't feel quite right.

andrew163

If I'm working with customers/the general public I usually just call them sir or ma'am (note the difference between mam and ma'am..)... it just happens automatically. Great for getting them to pay attention when you're trying to get them to fill out surveys or something...

chelle2ie

Generally it's sir or miss when they are over 35 and under 35 it depends on their attitude towards me. I'm not trying to be fake and it really annoys me when some smart arse gets annoyed at you for calling them sir or miss what do they want to be called "Oi ****face"? I'm not going to pretend to be someones best friend just because I know their name and I'm not going to make someone the same age as me uncomfortable by calling them sir or miss. I guess you just have to judge what is going to be best. BTW I work part time in an opticians so we have a customer for anywhere up to an hour so you have to be extra careful as it's a long time to avoid someone!

Wacker

I really think you're mistaken if you think Americans only call people 'Sir' as it is part of their job . In the states, everyone is like this to everyone, and I don't just mean people at work. When I was in Boston back in 2002, I was hanging out in Tufts university using the internet, and I left a notebook I;d been carrying at my terminal. The student who returned it to me called me 'sir'. Its not like he was looking for a tip. This is not a once of example; I'm in New York at the moment and everyone talks like that. I think its classy as hell.

Sparky

The only time i have ever used Sir/Madam is in a formal letter.
Anyway if i had to ever use it, i would feel odd saying it because im sure id get an odd look.

NoDayBut2Day

Not many people use the "sir/mam" thing here in Hawaii... but on the mainland, almost everyone says it. It's kinda good though, to have that much respect.

luckat

"Ma'am" is correctly pronounced "mam". The English actors who brought in the "Maahm" version of it obviously had never heard it used by real people and invented their own pronunciation.

I've always preferred the Irish manners that are direct, kind and friendly, showing the respect of cothrom na Féinne without any lickspittle fawning.

But I have to say that Irish manners have gone to hell lately. When we were poor and the only thing we had was our flawless manners we took a lot more care of them!

Cake Fiend

Chucky the tree wrote:

Americans have to rely on commission to make money so thats why there overly nice.

Yep, sounds awfully false IMO. I find it very odd when someone calls me 'Sir'. I'm not a knight!

NoDayBut2Day

Sico wrote:

Yep, sounds awfully false IMO. I find it very odd when someone calls me 'Sir'. I'm not a knight!

I wouldn't say it sounds false; most people who have called me "ma'am" sounded pretty genuinely respectful, to me. It's better to be called "ma'am/sir" (even if it was false) then to get open hostility from workers... imo.

The Real B-man

Travellers call your mam/sir whould you like to buy a gate?

Sparky

Sico wrote:

Yep, sounds awfully false IMO. I find it very odd when someone calls me 'Sir'. I'm not a knight!

Well yeah, i know in NY, they used it all the time, but it feels american, im not above anybody so i wouldnt expect to hear it if i was getting a coffee in a pub or something.

20 Times 20 Times

The Real B-man wrote:

Travellers call your mam/sir whould you like to buy a gate?

Fair play , that made me laugh!

Stix

When i worked for Roches, i would address male customers as Sir and females as Miss. Ma'aam doesnt really sit here. We dont have the pronunciation for it, it would sound so fake. I would only use it for a certain class of customer thou. You could generally tell by the customer.

hullaballoo

I worked in a bar for years, and I never thought about it, but I always said 'sir' to men, and didn't address women in a similar fashion at all. We were told never to say 'Madam' because that's equated to the head of a brothel, and 'Ma'am' just didn't sound right coming from me.

I suppose it just depends on where you are.

deisemum

I hate when someone is trying to sell you something (usually call to your house) and call you Mrs or worse Lady :mad:

Lump

I used to call people madame, and my work mates said I was being sarcastic! FFS, you can't win.

John

Hobbes

Irish culture seems to be a lot less informal. Certainly in comparison to some other cultures. For example in Korea your only expected to be polite to a person of higher social standing then you. In some instances this is not the customer.

English are somewhat informal as well. French that I deal with (in business) tend to be addressed as Sir/Madam or thier last name. Likewise Germans, I tend to address by last name as it just seems more polite. If anyone was to do the same to me though I would think it strange.

Come to think of it when I was in the US I don't recall anyone calling me Sir. Only time a shopkeeper has said that was in England.

Kur4mA

I think it's bs, and will stick with "Yeah man!" or "No bother missus!".

rubadub

I get called sir by a few barmen around the local area if they half know me, it is not a formal, "what will sir be drinking this splendid evening" more a light-hearted version similar to mate or buddy, they lay down the pint "there ye go now sir" not really formal at all, or just "now sir, what can I get ye"

Siogfinsceal

sounds false. Im always been told to get the customers name and use that on a call which works for me. I only call someone sir if they are starting to get rude on the phone. one thing I absoloutely hate is the whole 'Mrs X' thing grrrr AIB and MBNA do that and I just want to throw the fone. First of all im not a 'missus' !!

Lump

Yea, in the UK if you ring somewhere, they ask you your name and then ask if then can call you, in my case John, It's quite nice in a way, more personal I think.

John

Civilian_Target

Yeah - Mister Murphy really grinds my gears, as does Sir. "You" or "ya"/"ye" at a pinch is grand...

SprostonGreen

Siogfinsceal wrote:

one thing I absoloutely hate is the whole 'Mrs X' thing grrrr AIB and MBNA do that and I just want to throw the fone. First of all im not a 'missus' !!

I hate that too. My credit card has my name as Mr X. Surname, and thats how they address me, when they ring.:mad:

rubadub

SprostonGreen wrote:

I hate that too. My credit card has my name as Mr X. Surname, and thats how they address me, when they ring.:mad:

I wouldnt mind it at the start, but they start every question or statement with it throughout the entire phone call
Hello Mr rubadub,
What can I do for you today Mr rubadub,
ok Mr rubadub, I am entering in your information Mr rubadub,

luckily I am not afflicted with a big double barrel name, the phone calls would go on all day.

MorningStar

I hated it when the banks started calling me by my first name and not sir or Mr. X . I made it very clear that I expect to be called Mr. by the people who are scr*wing me.
The wife is getting used to it to it now, so she calls me by my first name and stopped scr*wing me.

whiskeyman

It depends on the person and their attitude who is attending to you tbh.
I've been in many places and been referred to as "Sir" and the sales staff have used it in a polite and professional manner, and this backs up it's authenticity.
It can be very effective in this way and you appreciate the manner in how its used and it enhances the overall customer experience.
However, I've seen it being used where their basic customer skills lacked, and this made it felt forced and false.

Another important point is where the staff member referrers to you in an overly friendly manner, like "mate / buddy etc..".
I was being dealt with once by an incompetent sales staff who was chancing his arm.... he then called me "mate" and this blew it for him.
I told him he was not my "mate" and I demanded to speak to the manager on that occasion, hoping for a better level of customer attention.
However, this "friendly talk" can work as long as the rest it professional.
Was in GAME a while back and was having a friendly chat about a new game to a staff member... I was buying a part and he advised on a better and cheaper model. He used "mate" here, but the whole conversation felt genuinely friendly and informal, and it was better than to use "sir".
I left with a great customer experience from that.

Ok, I know the above sounds like a lot of waffle, but the customer experience is hugely important for anyone in business. Getting something like this wrong can make the different between visiting a store again for many.
No matter what level you work it, if you interact with customers you must have a skill of dealing with them and knowing how each want to be dealt.

cooperguy

Its too formal i prefer the friendly chat myself