Overly attentive shop attendants. I can't stand them. But with so many shops and indeed so many people working in each, you can't blame them, it must be pretty boring much of the time.
No sooner do you enter, there's one by your side watching every move you make, pointing out clothes you don't want. It often scares me away. I don't really enjoy clothes shopping so the hard sell in a language I don't know is often too much to bare.
But needs must so today I found myself in another swanky clothes store in Guiyang trying to buy some pants (that's boxer shorts to all those who call traffic cones, pylons). My stealth tactics, which sometimes buy me a few minutes unnoticed, were in this case ineffectual. Before I knew it, not one but three shop girls were “helping out”, showing me different styles and having a great time discussing something among themselves.
I get the impression this place doesn't see many westerners, since looking up I see there's another group of assistants peering at me from across the room.
Right, so I'm a 34” waist so that's a medium. Easy, I'll be out of here in two minutes.
They hold up a box.
“No no they're XL, that's too big for me,” I protest in vain. They have no idea what I'm saying, but seem quite insistent.
Having managed to communicate 34 (“san shur sur”) I'm immediately upgraded to XXL.
“Really? XXL! You sure?”
Nods all round, and then another round of giggling. Oh well, who I am I to complain. Besides it costs Y20 ($3) and then its over.
They were right by the way. Perfect fit.
-Peter (Guiyang, China, June 2008)
P.S. The pants pictured we actually saw in a supermaket (that was the spelling) in Rongjiang a few weeks ago.
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