European crudites, eh?
When on a family holiday to the US some years ago, my Dad gave his name to some poor Starbucks Barista as “ARTHUR, KING OF THE BRITONS” (He is neither Arthur, British, nor Royalty)- and duly received his Extra Big-Ass Coffee Beverage in a cup which had “Arthur” written on it, and was paged with “Coffee for Arthur!” when it was ready, by said hapless Barista who’d completely missed the joke.
Which disappointed Dad, because as he said, “You’d think someone who worked in Starbucks would be a Monty Python fan. I bet he’s telling his mates that the King of England was in here buying coffee and wondering why no-one believes him.” 
Oh, damn, I would have LOVED that! I think my response would have been, “Well, I didn’t vote for you!”
That’d be the Texas Roadhouse, yup. I love the food there, but the fucking line dancing..
A local Hardee’s I eat at about once a week started having their employees address customers as ‘Dear’. I find assumed familiarity offputting in the extreme, so I filled out a comment card. (also complained about the Fox News blaring on the TV set..) It stopped for a while, but they’ve started that shit again..
But you do bitch about people bitching on an internet forum, intimating that freedom of speech is a bad thing. Fascinating. :dubious:
Here’s my theory. Stores cater to extroverts, who like fakey-friendly bullshit because it reaffirms their worldview and sense of self. It pisses off the introverts, but they don’t complain often, because … well, they’re introverts.
Implied, sanctimonious, super-self-centered, stinking-slightly-of-martyrdom message: We introverts are so totes better than those silly, stupid extroverts!
(Oh, and for the record: Most, if not all of the people who know me would much more readily classify me as an introvert than as the opposite. And yet here I am not posting tedious, self-important screeds about, oh gods, how simply put upon I am by having to soldier on through each day, even as society at large wants to envelop me in ersatz bonhomie at nearly. Every. TURN. The … horror! The … horror!)
I have begun, when I check out and they ask me, “Did you find everything you needed today?” answering honestly. If I did find everything I needed, so be it, I say so and say thanks. If not, then I tell them, “Actually, I was looking for X product, but it seems you don’t carry it, so I am going to go over to ____ to get it.” Either I get the cashier commiserating with me, or in some occasions, “Did you check Aisle 10?” And they find it for me, yay!
This cracked me up. FCM is a witty delightful brilliant person. Her husband’s no slouch either.
Don’t ask about the cats.
You misspelled ‘inferred’. I implied no such thing.