I've notice a curious repurposing of the word 'there' recently as follows (some examples):

(on the phone) "What's your name there?" (note: my name here is the same as it is anywhere else...)

(on the phone) "Thanks for waiting there."  (note: where else would I wait if I am talking to you on the phone?)

It seems entirely superfluous and a quite recent trend. Anyone else noticed and why is it suddenly happening?