3 thoughts on “Dear Sir or Madam

  1. theculturedredneck

    in my part of the states i hear and say “sir” and “ma’am” daily. the “sirs” i receive seem to come from all ages and walk of life. i’m sorry to hear that’s not dalrymple’s experience

    Reply
  2. Clinton

    That is certainly the case in the American South, culturedredneck, as we both know. But in New York last year I said “Thank you, ma’am” to an older woman running a bagel shop. She said, “Thank you, sir” and a female customer said “Sir and ma’am…we’re getting fancy around here!”

    In the Northeast US I only hear it when at a higher-end store, restaurant or hotel.

    Reply

Add a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.