To like knowing everybody?

[Reality]

I’ve worked in hospitality for years now and through my job I know hundreds and hundreds of people locally, they know my name and we chat when I see them. I can walk into any pub in town and know all the staff and many of the customers. I know most of the local workers and lots of my customers are regulars. Walking through the high street takes ages as I stop to chat to so many people I know.

My friend came and met me for a drink after work the other day and said she wasn’t sure whether she would like being so well known around town. I quite like it, but I am very sociable in that sense and not at all a private person.

Im just musing really. But would you love it or hate it? AIBU to like being someone everybody knows?

Not being unreasonable if that's what you like. I'd personally hate it 😂

Not for me! My sil (and mil for that matter!) is known by everyone, and so is a v good friend of mine :) the good friend is lovely and people know them for that! The helos are quiet, little nods, small chats! Sil is a bossy old boots! And though everyone knows she's coming, most hide!!! 😁😁

If you r like my friend, I guess I could cope with being like that! But sil? Not for me :)!!

*hellos

You do you but I'd hate it, stopping to chat to absolutely everyone sounds like hell.

I moved away from my home town to avoid it, but I'm enjoying building it up in my new home.

I didn't like people who knew me growing up mixing with my family mixing with new people I met. I do like people who know me as a grown up sensible person knowing others who know me as a grown up sensible person

I once had three or four jobs in my local community (think youth worker, mental health assistant, playworker) and I absolutely loved that I could walk down the street and smile and say hi to all the different people I knew through work, including the sullen gangs of youths hanging around on the corners, who were actually quite lovely.
I know someone like you OP, I admire them but I am not actually good at developing and attending to relationships outside of work.

I used to manage a pub in town and knew lots of the other workers in all the other pubs and bars. I didn't mind it at first but eventually you couldn't even just go out for a quiet drink and mind your own business without someone gossiping. I eventually hated it and left the profession and the town altogether.

Oh god that reminds me of years ago when i worked for a high street recruitment agency. Temps had to get their timesheets in by 6pm on a Friday to get paid the following Friday. How many times on a Saturday would i be wandering around Tescos doing my weekly shop and a temp would thrust their timesheet at me in the hope i would process it for them.... I was so glad when I moved offices.

I have this problem to a certain extent due to the job that I do and I honestly fucking hate it. I am an introvert at heart and I hate the unnecessary small talk and banter. I HATED wearing a mask when we had to but they bloody did me a favour.

I’m always very interested when I’m around people with this depth of local knowledge — a friend has managed restaurants in my home city since the 80s and knows everyone in hospitality, and vast numbers of regular customers, and half the city knows him, and another architect friend knows all the architects, engineers, builders, and the history of all the old and new houses, buildings and developments, and has brilliant stories.

The closest I’ve come is being a lecturer in a small university city, which meant I ran into my students all the time., whether I was buying a pregnancy test or on a slightly drunken night out.

I get this when I go back home - only because I get stopped and asked "are you X daughter?"
Apparently I look so much like my mum (and my mum is well known through her job) that people recognise her from me

OP, I would totally hate it. I love the anonymity of cities - no need to speak to anyone, which is fab.

I’d hate living in an anonymous city, I think.

I also never have to queue to get into a venue and get a discount in every cafe and some of the pubs and shops. It’s pretty sweet.