I’m a retail manager in a large department store. This store likes to advertise all sorts of discounts that apply to almost nothing, or require opening a credit card, or have some other bullshit attached to them. Then they advertise 30% off and it applies to 10% of the merchandise with the other 90% taking no discounts whatsoever.
It’s frustrating and confusing, I assume deliberately.
All the time I get foreign customers who hardly speak English at all. They see these large advertised % offs and try and purchase stuff. Then they refuse to take no for an answer. It is very annoying because I have no means to explain to them that this is the case.
I try not to be rude, but I honestly feel that if you can’t understand the fine print and a manager is telling you otherwise, you need to shut up and deal with it. I’m sick and tired of arguing with these people for what seems like hours.
Again, I try not to be rude. I try to explain things as simply as possible, but many of these people only know a few words. When I told my friend about this he told me I’m a racist bitch. I don’t think that I am. My frustration is not towards these people’s race, but towards the department store for its bullshit and towards the people for attempting to argue with something that they unfortunately can’t understand due to language barrier.
So reddit, am I the asshole here?
Conclusion
Could this manager’s frustration with confusing sales and language barriers be justified, or does a darker accusation of prejudice lurk beneath the surface? The internet weighs in on a retail nightmare that has everyone talking!
Here’s how people reacted:
No matter how culturally accepting your country is, you still have a native/common language and if someone is there as an immigrant, work visa, traveling they need to understand the language barrier.
I’m not sure if your company has this, but they might have a translator service to help, worth looking into. I worked for a company and was on the phone a lot. We had employees on staff that were solely for translating Spanish calls. We had to go to a third party for other languages though which cost. Depending on the up sale of these cards it probably isn’t available.
It isn’t their fault that they can’t understand intentionally misleading and confusing sales language. They shouldn’t have to hire an interpreter just to go shopping at a big box store. But at the same time, if you start taking your frustration out on them, then you move squarely into the territories of asshole.
With that said, your corporate office are the biggest assholes by putting you in this position. I’m really sorry you have to deal with them.
So, not an asshole but you’re only making it more difficult on yourself imo
Depending on how long you plan on staying there you might want to learn a little of the language that foreign customers speak for your own sanity.
If you focus on how things “should be”
instead of how things are you’re going to be miserable. You are not going to be able to change their fluency in English.
Also it could be great for your resume
When I am on vacation I avoid shopping at all costs.
Here would be my guess as to why this happens though (where I worked it was mostly Asian tourists), the shopping norms of Asia I have seen portrayed in pop culture involves a lot more negotiation of prices. Haggling if you will.
Where as here a price is a price and don’t forget to calculate tax.
And I hardly think the customers should be blamed for not being good little victims.
This isn’t an obligation that you have to do, you aren’t as asshole to not do this, but there might be a profit to be made.
The casinos by mine have advertisements and signs in Chinese and Arabic. They don’t need them, but their have Chinese and arab customers who make them good money and a little goodwill can be a good investment.