"Sweetie" = Cringe

I just went to the hardware store...I asked the lady where I could find the gas cans. She said, " Aisle 15 sweetie" Really? Sweetie? I'm not 12 years old and i think terms like "hon" and "sweetie" should be outlawed. Unless you are a grandma or an old Aunt or Holly at the store...because I love Holly. No one else should say that. I am 30 years old and hearing those terms makes me cringe....and the girl who called me that was much younger than me which makes it double-y wrong.