DEAR MISS MANNERS: Is there a gender-neutral alternative to "sir" and "ma'am"?
I was in a retail establishment this morning, and a staff member walked past me pulling a flatbed cart full of potted plants. One fell off the back, and the staff member did not notice it, so I instinctively called out, "Sir, you dropped something!"
They stopped to thank me and put the plant back on the cart, and when they spoke, it became apparent that despite their physical appearance, I may have gotten their gender wrong.
I felt a little embarrassed, but did not want to call attention to either my dilemma or their physical ambiguity by apologizing. It would be so easy if there were an ungendered way to call out for someone's attention, short of "Hey, you!"
GENTLE READER: "Excuse me!"