Is there a gender-neutral way to say sir or ma'am in English?

I received this question asking about gender neutral terms for sir or ma'am in English via the "Ask Dan" section of the website and I know it's difficult to know what gender neutral terms to use these days at work, so here you go:

Dan. I work in retail. Greeting and interacting with customers is the most important thing I do. Mam and sir are so outdated, though safe. Some peoples gender isn't obvious and I don't want to label them based on physical appearance anyway. Are there some safe words to use for a gender neutral title?  Is there a Gender-Neutral term to Say Sir or Ma'am in English?
I am in Australia some Customers don't mind a darl, mate or sweetie, but some really get upset. When you speak to hundreds of people a day and want to appear friendly what gender neutral alternative is left?
Thanks for your time and for helping me use more gender neutral language.
Sindy

You'll find the answer to is there a gender-neutral way to say sir or ma'am in English in today's video.

The main thing you want to keep in mind is that people don't notice if you're leaving out the formal "sir" or "ma'am" if you fill in the void with something else. For example, if you normally say, "Have a great day, Sir" then when you aren't sure of the person's gender, instead of saying that, fill in the void with a few more words so the phrase has the equivalent or more "beats" to it. For example, "Have a wonderful day," or "Make it a great day," both have equal or more "beats" to it, so if you say it in place of, "Have a great day, sir," it's not noticed as different from the rest of the sayings you normally use to the average listener.

So while the answer to is there a gender-neutral way to say sir or ma'am in English is technically No, you can still maintain your professional tone and savvy rhythm while skipping the whole "I don't know if you're a boy or a girl" faux-pas.

Make sure to leave your comments here and let me know what you think, or if you have any other effective communication skills questions I can help you with, let me know by emailing me at [email protected].

Thanks!

Dan