I like it when they’re a regular and I know them, but not when they read my name off my name tag. Creeps me out

i get startled everytime bc how tf does this stranger know my name?? then i remember i'm wearing a name tag but the customer is usually driving away by then and i just feel awkward lol

i hate it. like please don’t acknowledge me just take your drink and go. it’s weird that they know my name and say it like they know me when we’ve never been introduced to each other. it’s like going up to lady gaga and calling her by her actual name. yes i know your name but that doesn’t mean i need to just be saying it upon first meeting you 😭

It depends on how they say it. When older men say it in a way that’s creepy or flirting then I hate it or if they say it in a condescending way like “thanks____” after I use there name (bc we have to). If they try to get to know me and use my name (regulars) then I find them kind because they are returning the same respect I give them

I have no problem with it because we take their name and see it when we scan their account. It’s a two way street but I’ve been a Partner for over 5 years and have a unique name so yeah at first it would catch me off guard.

i have a really unique name so I get tons of comments on it… i think it’s something im just used to at this point

watching older men say it/read ur name tag & wink at you while their wife or gf is standing next to them gives me the absolute creeps lmao

It depends on how they say it.. sometimes it can be in a “I’m gonna complain about you so I’m gonna say your name to make sure you know I’m complaining about YOU” or it can be in a “you made my day so I’m gonna remember your name so hopefully I’ll remember it next time” it all depends on the situation. It’s very heart warming to me when customers do refer to me by name

I had a customer say “HI (my nickname)!” long after like our little interaction was done at drive thru, like food handed out and all
i was like 😯

i had a customer do this to me yesterday and it was the weirdest thing. i literally stopped him and asked him if i knew him from anywhere and he was like “nope, just read the name tag” so yeah i hate it

There was a hair cutting place in the mid-80's that the employees wore nametags, but it was not their real name. Jane, Bunny, Esmerelda........ none of those were their real names. It provided some anonymity.

99% of the time I hate it, but the other day this person was so nice as I helped her order and she used my name when saying thank you. She was genuinely thanking me for my help and didn’t do it in a weird emphasizing my name way.

I hate it because my name is spelled the same but pronounced different in English vs my language, so no one has ever said it right. It just reminds me that they are complete strangers trying to act familiar with me.

Both. I’ve been doing this long enough to know when it’s appreciative and when they just want me to know they’ve made a note of my name in case they need to start some shit to feel like they matter. Pretty easy to spot the difference.

if they’re a regular, sure! if they’re just a stranger, uhhh it’s kinda creepy :0 but that’s just me personally

i like it cause its like for once a customer is acknowledging me as a person and not a coffee making robot

i don't *mind* it necessarily, but it always catches me off guard. i honestly appreciate it because i'm trans and use my preferred name at work, but at home i get deadnamed all the time, so it's nice to feel validated by random strangers lmao.

i had one situation where a customer used my name (i.e. read my nametag) and then said "thanks miss" despite my pronoun pin being right next to my tag, so that was rough.

When I was a partner, I always appreciated it. Sometimes I would forget about my name tag completely and think “Wait, how did that stranger know my name??” 😂

That's what our name tags are for.

One guy read my name tag the said "is that really your name" and when I said yeah he said hmm in a tone that implied he didn't believe me... and I have a not unusual name, like wtf?

I think it depends. If they made an effort to remember my name when I introduce myself in DTO, then they say it after “Thank you” when they leave, then yeah!! Love that! But if they start to say something and then glance at my name tag, then no. That isn’t genuine.

I dont really care too much about it. Especially if theyre one of the regulars or even people that come in alot. It make me happy when they use my name to address me when saying hello or bye. But as for customers that dont kno me or dont talk to me ever, then i mean it takes me by surprise just a teeny bit for like 3 seconds and then it leaves my head m doesnt bother me lol

i got freaked out yesterday after ringing up an older gentleman and having a small conversation with him. he stared at my chest for a few second without saying anything and then goes "[name]? is that how you say it? thank you [name]." did not like that at all

maybe it’s bc I’m trans but I usually ~enjoy~ hearing my name, I’m like “oh! Ho ho!! I have one of those!”

I really hate it. It’s almost always older men who do it and it almost feels belittling even though it should technically be a sign of respect. It’s also almost never happens to my male coworkers: something I know because we’ve had conversations about it. It’s like they feel like they’re entitled to refer to me in a way that is slightly more intimate and personal and it’s really off-putting. A couple times it’s been paired with creepy comments too which always sucks. Like I’m literally just trying to do my job. Not get hit on by Old-Man-Mike while his wife’s in the bathroom

if a regular does it, its okay,, when a non regular who is a creepy guy i get grossed out also depends how they say it too

Love it when they’re a regular! If it’s some rando I keep forgetting I have a name tag lmao

I like it when they do it to be personable, but today this guy flirted with me and then used my name in a creepy kind of possessive way. 0/10

i enjoy it regardless of if they’re a regular or not, since i’m trans it makes me feel accepted and more comfortable with the customer compared to when they try to guess my deadname or call me the wrong pronouns on purpose

For me it’s either “funny” or “trade off”

Funny: Because my name is “Raul” and it’s funny when they try to be smart ass or rude or even try to intimidate me by remembering me or even say my name. They always say “Rawww” and I smile at them like “yes that’s definitely how you say my name correctly” in my head I picture them as dinosaurs 🦖

Trade: They give me their name and now I know what’s their name so it’s fair for them to read and know my name

Mixed feelings for sure.

If it's a customer that I've helped a lot then I'm fine with that. I have a regular that will greet me by name every time she comes through the drive thru which I'm fine with

I have a couple of people that come through that I worked with at previous jobs which I'm fine with

At the same time it's very strange being called your name by someone you don't know. It often strikes me with a combination of "how do they know my name" and "what did I do wrong"

I also don't go by my birthname at work so sometimes customers who knew me when I was younger or who know my family will call me by my birth name which I don't take any offense to but is definitely strange.

I think it's sorta the same where how would you feel if your barista told you to have a great day by name because it pops up on the register Like I don't think I'd be upset but I would definitely be confused.

I like it!

what makes me feel like a human being is when they arent on their fuckin phone and use their words and in general not treat me like im a means to an end. my name does not need to be apart of that.

I absolutely hate it . can I please put joke names on my tag everyday . people don't need to know my name. ughehh 🤢🤢🤢



also some random girl said it once while I was busy doing 3 things on bar and it caught me off guard bc , who tf are you why do you know me , and I didn't hear the rest of what she was saying so I asked for clarification and she got so snide with me. then apparently she was a partner elsewhere. like . not with that fucken attitude you're not. don't call me out my name !!! 😡😭😭

I always use people's names, if I know their name.

I kinda like it. I love our regulars who know me straight off the bat. Old guys who take their coffee and wink and say "thank you Binx" are the weird ones. (Binx is my name)

I like it. those people are generally the ones who treat us like people and not robots

ugh personally it makes me feel really uncomfortable, like you don't know me personally enough to be using my name like that ... also , most of the time , when they go to say my name it's in a derogatory demeanor , like "oh of course you don't have ____ item , what else is new y/n ?"

if it’s a (nice) regular i don’t really care. i call them by their name and have full conversations with them, it’d be more weird at this point to for them to not call me by name lmao.

just regular everyday customers though? hell no. don’t refer to me as my name—i wouldn’t be wearing this name tag if my SM wasn’t so strict about it. 🤕

definitely weird

i like greeting people on DTO by saying “hi my name is … what’s urs” and this eliminates the weirdness of them knowing my name but not knowing theirs.

If it’s not a regular, I feel weird cause like ya know people knowing my name I don’t know theirs((I’m mostly dto/window)) however if it’s a regular it makes me feel like I’ve done my job. I know them and they know me ya know?

If they’re being nice it’s cool. NOT, when they use it to be weird. Had a guy order while otp with his friend from my coworker, read her name tag and said “(name) wants to know what you look like” wtf??? another time, this older guy kept repeatedly saying my coworkers name and was asking ‘does it bother you when I call you that’ and laughing and kept being weird. One of my older female coworkers felt really suspicious about it and warned that she should have someone else help him though

big hate. like just because my name is there doesnt mean you can use it, i didnt offer it to you. i dont use your name when i read it off your account, cus thats weird and overly familiar. dont use mine.

esp being nonbinary and having a very short name. i always get "thats pretty, whats it short for?" nothing its the name i picked for myself because i liked it, mind your business that is absolutely not for you to ask.

I worked in retail with a required nametag for so many years that at this point I don't even like it when people I know use my real name. I've even considered having my legal name changed, but I don't *dislike* my given name, so I haven't decided if I would change first or middle, or if I'd just add another middle name.

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Ngl OP, when they first do it after I take they order, I stop in my tracks and be like "🧍🏽‍♀" and then after I give them they order at the handoff plane and they say my name again, I stop once again and give them a smile and say have a nice day by saying their name right back at them 😂😂😂 at first it was weird/scary like how u know my name, duhhh name tag then I'm like okay...buhh wen they keep repeating it it does get creepy a Lil..but I was told by a Shift lead thats wht they supposed to do with customer connect and all tht ying yang 😂😂💀💀

It's my name. Whatever.

One experience made me feel very weird, he read my name tag, complimented his drink (he said it looked beautiful, which is fine) but then it turned into him complimenting my looks using my name and I started feeling ehhhhh

With regulars, it’s absolutely okay. However, my coworkers and I noticed that men do this far more often than women do. We think it’s flirtatious, and we don’t like it.

One time, I was working drive in a shirt that had “Memento Mori” (Latin for ‘remember death’) in very small lettering on the sleeve.
Handed customer his coffee, and he looked me dead in the eyes and said, “Remember Jack, one day you will die too.”
I’d completely forgotten what shirt I was wearing and just stood there for a moment as he drove away.
Shit shook me to my core.

I love it, like 99% of the time someone takes the time to read my name it's because we just made a connection and they are genuinely thanking me. Just the other day a lady came in and pretty much yawned right in my face when I asked what I could get started for her. Then proceeded to yawn her way through trying to order a dirty chai. She apologized for the yawns and said "Boy I really need it today!" and we had a good laugh and I said how about some extra caffeinated espresso shots today (blonde) and she took the time to look at my name and say that sounds great djdementia, thanks!

The other 1% are easy to ignore when so many others are kind!

I have an unusual name so everyone either says it wrong, or I end up having to explain how to say it and where it came from. I’d rather not wear a name tag

It should just be the same as in normal everyday life. If we’ve never met before, it’s weird to say my name. If we’ve met before then yeah, it would be weird not to.

i only like it when certain regulars do it and i think they already know if they should or shouldnt do it at this point. my name is pronounced the same in german, but spelled differently and i get a ton of comments on it and it makes me so uncomfortable and homesick, cause then im being reminded im not from here, no matter what i would do:/

I simply hate it, I'm ok with close friends, co-workers using my name or people Im getting to know (like a new possible friend) but someone who I either won't see ever again or someone I don't know anything about outside of their usual drink, I hate it.

they make it sound like they are my friend but in reality, it makes my skin crawl. Your not my friend, I really don't know you, and please don't say it like we've been best of buds for years. plus I dont say a customers name UNLESS the place is busy and I need their attention, other than that I refuse to say their name. I honestly wish we didn't have to wear nametags.

It catches me off guard but its still nice

I never had a problem but like lost people it just shocked me for a second and then I often was like who??? And was like wait me.

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We’ve started saying our name in dt. Like “thank you for choosing Starbucks. My name is ____. What can I get for you?” And I’m SHOOK when they respond “hi ____. Can I get….” Like I didn’t just give them my name or something 😂

When I greet customers in DTO I say “hello! Welcome to Starbucks my name is ___, what can we get started for you” and some of the customers use it and some don’t, however cafe customer tend to use my name quite often so I’ve gotten used to it.

I hope I don’t creep people out! I tend to use names when thanking people at the end of the transaction. I’m trying to show genuine appreciation and that I see them as a person and not as a means to an end (getting my purchase). I guess I need to rethink that and just say thank you.

I appreciate you asking this question because I had no idea it made anyone uncomfortable. It was certainly not my intent!

I go by my nick name which gets mispronounced all the time so I get to feel like I still have some sort of privacy. I feel it’s fine when my regulars (or those who have specifically asked me my name) do it but when it’s someone who has read my name tag I feel kind of creeped out.

It catches me off guard everytime. I had one guy say to me all friendly and casual "Hey Federico, how's it going?" I looked at him and said "I'm sorry, but do I know you? 🤨" Thankfully we both laughed it off lol.

I makes me feel awkward hehe 🙃 like how do you know my name!

No I hate it 😂