When Men Give Terms of Endearments. Flirting or Condescending Behavior?

[lildawn]

There is a man that is my age that started yesterday calling me "Dear" & "Hun."
He works at the hardware store and he came by the house to do yardwork for me a few times
in the past. I still don't know him THAT well. About four or five times he called me Hun
or Dear, like every chance he could. Like "yes dear,
No hun, etc. I live in the South and men don't use terms of endearments on me unless they are
my fella or a close relative. Should I take this as a form of flirting or Condscending Behavior.
He had his brother with him when he was doing yardwork yesterday and I noticed a female
in his Jeep Cherokee, I don't know if that was his gal or his brothers. I was totally floored when
I asked him if he was coming by the house to do yardwork he has been promising to do.
He said "I don't know Dear" in the hardware store in front of a bunch of men. Then when
he was here he was saying "Yes Hun, No Hun, etc..
I know this is big in the news about Obama calling a reporter "sweetie". So, I was wondering.
I know men don't call me terms of endearment unless I know them well. At first I thought it might be
flirting but I am not sure. What do you men think of this?

 

[Godzila]

Take it normally. Men, I feel always do these things to women they feel comfortable with.

 

[Bootstrap]

Some women here in North Carolina call me honey and dear, usually women who I don't know well, and generally waitresses. It feels odd to me.

Does he act this way to all women? How does he act around men?

Jonathan

 

[Blank123]

depends on the guy... just like some women throw around those kinds of terms for pretty much everyone some men do the same thing. I'd probably avoid reading too much into it if you don't know them very well.

 

[ImperialPhantom]

It depends on the way he says it, and if he isn't saying it in a flirty or condescending way, there's really nothing to it, it's just what he's used to doing.

 

[oneofthem]

Here in Aus, some old blokes call girls "luv" or "sweet'eart". It's just because of the slang and i'm kind of used to it. My dad does it. Not sure what it's like where you are. If you don't like it, you should let him know that you're not used to men calling you by that unless they are close to you so you're not comfortable with it.

Is there anything else that suggests it may be condescending or flirting? Do you have a gut feeling about it?