Hello Sweeties...Michigan Talk and Creepy Talk

Being from Michigan, being called "sweetie" or "sweetheart" never bothered me; it is not seen here as flirting; it is just what waitresses say to customers, or what we say to children, or to other women.
Come to think of it, I rarely hear a man say it to a woman unless they are involved.
However, unless we are engaged, don't call me 'babe' or 'darling,' because I am neither to you, stranger.
This doesn't happen to me so much anymore, but I always hated it when some guy I had never seen before would say it.
It seemed creepy.
Funny how different parts of the country experience ways of speaking and how it is interpreted.