Public use of endearments

I rang to order a taxi this morning and the man at the other end of the line addressed me as "My love". This led me to reflect on the public use of endearments. Here in England they are very commonly used on public transport especially, and also often in small local shops, garages etc. The general rule is that endearments such as "darling" or "my dear" will be used by a man to a woman or a by a woman to a woman, when buying a bus-ticket for instance, but not by a man to a man; but in my part of South-West England it is common for a man to use them to a man as well. When I first came here, I was quite surprised to be called "M'dear" by the man in the local garage, but now I find it nothing out of the ordinary to be called "My love" by the taxi man.

So may I ask whether, and how, endearments are used between strangers (or near-strangers) in public dealings in other langusges in other parts of the world? And also in other parts of the English-speaking world?