Quote Originally Posted by Squashed_Fly
They're just terms of endearment. Generally in life, I have more to worry about than whether someone has innocently called me mate, or bud, or hun.

But not everyone is as relaxed as I am about it. I once had a bloke threaten me in a bar for calling him mate, when I was working behind it! Out of probably 200 people I had said it to that night, only 1 took offence. Almost everyone else called it me back.

If he'd called you a c**t then I could understand your issue. But mate? Nah - you're just miserable! ;D ;D ;D :P

Besides, if he'd not said anything after the sorry, it could well have been misconstrued as sarcasm (which is why we follow it up with something endearing). You don;t want to be called sir, or m'lord, so that pretty much only leaves mate or dude as a bloke. Unless you would have preferred sweetheart???? :-*
No. Calling someone mate if they're not your mate is not a term of endearment. It's a generic term used by people who are not interested in the person they're talking to. He may as well have said "sorry, but I really couldn't give a damn"
Tone and body language play a massive part. Sorry and eye contact would be more than sufficient. Shouting "sorry mate" as he's walking away isn't.

We might not like it, but the customer IS king. They pay our wages, keep food on the table and and a roof over our heads so they deserve respect.