I am pleasantly suprised that more people aren't offended, I thought they would be.
I wouldn't care call any female love, honey, sweetheart (unless she called me it first) because people have been punished because of the sexual harassment side of it, but my manager is an ex-fireman, so he has the sense of humour you can have a laugh with. I'll call him pilchard, numb nuts, anything. I do love hearing the petnames though, it shows someone at least likes you.
I call everyone mate though, even if I don't particularly like them. That's the cockney in me (Anyone who says I am from Essex is getting red-repped
). I enjoy being called it though... i'd rather be called mate than sir in a shop.