Do any of you mind if someone you don’t see often forgets your name? What’s the big deal about asking their name and offering up your own name again in case they might not remember your name either? I always thought it was an act of politeness and etiquette to give your own name again.
In fact, you can just give your own name and hope the other person follows suit, but if they like the “upper hand” they might just not do it I guess. If someone comes up to me and says, “hello, we met before, my name is Gail.” I would respond by saying, “yes, so nice to see you, I’m JL.” I think it’s even better to just come out and ask for their name and offer your own.
I don’t always do it mind you. If I’m going to talk to them for a brief moment and not see them again for 5 years I might not bother. If they are actually in my social circles or work circles and I will bump into them again and again, or if I am going to wind up likely talking to them for an extended period of time that day, I’d ask their name.
I have to assume a lot of people actually do get offended or insulted if someone doesn’t remember their name if so many people are afraid to ask.