I love my neighborhood for that reason. They don't know my name, but they know me, and the bagger who usually carries out our groceries knows our regular parking space and our car.
This is a huge city, but just like NYC it has neighborhoods where you get to know your customers.
I think it's partly an age thing; older salespeople and other employees seem more attuned to familiar faces and things than the younger ones, who do most of their inter-im-personal interactions by text and on FB (which isn't about faces, is it?)