How do you define being a Snob!

He thinks he is showing respect - and it seems many people would want to keep the distinction.
I used to call tax-payers 'Sir' or 'Madam' if I did not know their name when they rang with an enquiry. It is easier in France, you just use Madame and Monsieur.
My dad used to say 'I don't mind what you call me as long as it is not late for my dinner'. I think I agree.

He's being polite? Maybe it's company policy.

My ex is in a small care home with very pleasant staff.I visit him occasionally He (a retired academic) is rather grumpy and makes disparaging,sexist remarks to me about the other residents and staff.
One day I said to him 'you are such a snob'.He just glared at me but on my next visit said 'I've been thinking -you're right I am a snob'.I doubt if he can change now .

Maniac, I think self knowledge is a good step along the way.

It even extends to cruise ships would you believe!
On Princess ships, the waiters insist on calling you by your first name
OnCunard, it's mrs dr or madam!

Which reminds me of a receptionist we had in Wednesbury. We had a large Pakistani and Bangladesi population. We could never get this lady to ask for their first name instead of their Christian name?
With 4drawers of Singhs and and equal number of Kaurs, it was important to know!

The shortest name we had was O.

I must admit I find it very strange to be addressed as 'madam' in a shop!

if i ever come into money, remind me to book with cunard!

I cringe when on overseas holidays the staff in hotels and restaurants insist on calling you "Madam" and are over the top polite and subservient! They may have to or are hoping for a large tip, but it's not for me!

But how about when they call your husband "Sir" and then call you "Dear" ?

I think madam is much more patronising than dear. People who call one dear are usually trying to be kind whereas people who call one madam are usually being pompous.

The waitress at the anchor hotel in wednesbury, where all the doctors had a monthly lunch together, used to ask 'do you want the thick or thin soup dears?'
She also insisted on calling the minestrone the mine strone.
She was a lovely lady and made sure 'her' doctors were well looked after

jeni! We call it mine strone too!

And tyra mysoo!

No tiramisu in wednesbury in the late 60s. Cheese and biscuits or trifle!

Well, no, I hadn't heard of it then, either.
I hasten to add, I do know the above pronunciations aren't correct - my late SIL used to call it that and it just stuck!

I am used to being called 'Love' by shop assistants in the North of England and it doesn't bother me one bit. I prefer it to the total lack of eye contact I found in London.

Luvver or me luvver, round ere

I got lost The car led me astray (no sat nav) on my way to soop's hospital so I stopped at a fuel station and asked someone. He called me 'pal', as Glaswegians do.

No map? No mobile with satnav on?
Is Scotland it deficient?

I had a map but you can't read a map when you're driving and anyway, it didn't seem to agree with the ground. My mobile is a cheapo because I don't need anything else so it doesn't do satnav. No, Scotland isn't deficient. How dare you suggest it?!

I might be though!

What's wrong with stopping and asking anyhow?

We've been known to 'get lost' on countless occasions. My first thought - Stop and ask at this so-and so. Husband's first thought - let's drive for at least another 30 minutes before doing just that.

Soop - I think that is a fairly common male trait! I won't have a sat-nav because I absolutely love maps and I find that getting lost is the best way to get to know an area. When I was a child, I used to read atlases for fun - my geography teacher loved me.
I do stop and ask the way if there is anybody around, but as I am mostly exploring very isolated mountain roads there is rarely anyone to ask.

super, my ex was like that. He had/has a rotten sense of direction - despite a geography degree. If we got lost when he was driving, it was my fault; if we got lost when I was driving, it was still my fault.
I used to love my atlas but I loathed geography classes.

I used to have to travel to addresses all over the SW, I had maps of practically every town in the region! I got quite good at reading a map for the next bit, then stopping and reading next bit, Bournemouth was one place I couldn't cope with! I always ended up at the Frizells roundabout. Another place in the wilds of Devon I had to drive through a farmyard to get to.

My husband is a map freak fan and reads them for pleasure, I am a sat-nav girl who could get lost in her own garden.