China - The number of greeters at retail stores in Shanghai

During my recent trip to Shanghai, I noticed that chinese retail shops (clothing, convenience, supermarket, pretty much all shops) employed a large number of shop girls/ greeters. Even at the airport duty free shops there were a dozen greeters to every store. Shanghai seemed to have a greater number of greeters compared to other asian cities I visited- Seoul, HK, and Taipei. How much do these greeters in Shanghai (usually female) make? I ask about wage because I can't imagine commercial rent or other overhead charges are cheap.

In the US, retail workers are typically students working part time. Is it the same throughout Shanghai and Asia?

They probably make between 1000 and 2000 rmb per month. Wage in China is much cheaper than those in Korea, HK or Taiwan. When I was in Beijing, I notice several wanted ads in restaurants, offering 1500-2000 rmb per month, including residence. Most people who work in these jobs aren't locals, and the wage in Shanghai is still higher than what they will make in their home towns.

I'm inclined to believe the "greeters" at Sunrise Duty's high end stores (PVG T2)
get paid a sales commission.

With these dedicated brand stores there is plenty of markup to pay the employees to do more than greet.

Gucci
Dior
Lancome
Chanel
Shiseido
Este Lauder
Guerlin
Omega
Bvlgari
Lladro
Lalique
Hunting World
Celine
Dunhill
Samsonite
Tumi

During my recent trip to Shanghai, I noticed that chinese retail shops (clothing, convenience, supermarket, pretty much all shops) employed a large number of shop girls/ greeters. Even at the airport duty free shops there were a dozen greeters to every store. Shanghai seemed to have a greater number of greeters compared to other asian cities I visited- Seoul, HK, and Taipei. How much do these greeters in Shanghai (usually female) make? I ask about wage because I can't imagine commercial rent or other overhead charges are cheap.

In the US, retail workers are typically students working part time. Is it the same throughout Shanghai and Asia?

All over China, but most prominent I've noticed in Shanghai/Beijing.

They probably make between 1000 and 2000 rmb per month. Wage in China is much cheaper than those in Korea, HK or Taiwan. When I was in Beijing, I notice several wanted ads in restaurants, offering 1500-2000 rmb per month, including residence. Most people who work in these jobs aren't locals, and the wage in Shanghai is still higher than what they will make in their home towns.

2000 rmb is only about $313 USD/ month. Kinda surprised restaurants could afford to throw in housing as part of their compensation. An apartment/ studio per employee? I'm curious to know what the housing accomodations and experiences are like though.

2000 rmb is only about $313 USD/ month. Kinda surprised restaurants could afford to throw in housing as part of their compensation. An apartment/ studio per employee? I'm curious to know what the housing accomodations and experiences are like though.

That's right, non skilled labour in China is dirt cheap compared to developed countries, although the wage is rising these years. Company provided housing would be in the forms of dormitories with a couple of people per room.

Company provided housing would be in the forms of dormitories with a couple of people per room.

That would be generous.

I have seen 4-6 people per room. Well actually its 8-12 as they
sleep in alternate shifts in same bed.

When you have close to a half million employees...better make that
a couple dozen per room. :cool:


FOXCONN SHENZHEN (http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/06/11/article-1285980-09FFBFAD000005DC-122_636x456.jpg)

That's right, non skilled labour in China is dirt cheap compared to developed countries, although the wage is rising these years. Company provided housing would be in the forms of dormitories with a couple of people per room.

Is there some distinction between which companies, or types of companies, will provide housing and which will not? It's hard for me to imagine that a multinational employer like McDonalds would provide direct housing to employees, or that a mall clothing store like Giordanos is providing housing to all it's young staff.

Having lived in the US my entire life, the idea that a restaurant or retail company would provide housing to its staff is so unbelievably interesting to me.

Factories (some) supply dormitories or a form of subsidized housing.
Not retailers.
Mom and pop restaurant might have some living quarters for some
employees.

2000 rmb is only about $313 USD/ month. Kinda surprised restaurants could afford to throw in housing as part of their compensation. An apartment/ studio per employee? I'm curious to know what the housing accomodations and experiences are like though.

Accommodation is v. expensive in Beijing/Shanghai, so many low paid jobs throw in housing: probably dormitory style, and not salubrious. To put 2000 RMB in context, graduate students earn about that much as their stipend; those with a Master's degree just over 3000/mo (in a university), and post-doctoral scientists about 5000 RMB/mo. When there is so much competition for jobs, there is sadly v. strong downward pressure on salaries.

tb

What's the reasoning behind having so many greeters/ shop attendants present? And I found it odd that the greeters simply stood in place at designated spots throughout the store, not moving around or socializing with each other, when the stores were empty.

The customer service experience in Shanghai/ China/ Asia was very different than the retail experience of America, and even of Europe. How shop attendants presented themselves seemed very controlled and managed. One thing that struck me was how shop attendants kept their hands clasped in front of them when idle and not behind them.

They have a specified area. Keep the goods in order there.
If you ask them where something is and its not in their section they may often reply "
Meiyou" dont have. Which doesn't mean its not in their store, could be just an aisle over. But...true "they" dont have it.

For retail their function could be loss prevention. In restaurants could be appearance to make the place look more impressive. But it does appear to be overstaffing of some sort.

Is there some distinction between which companies, or types of companies, will provide housing and which will not? It's hard for me to imagine that a multinational employer like McDonalds would provide direct housing to employees, or that a mall clothing store like Giordanos is providing housing to all it's young staff.

Having lived in the US my entire life, the idea that a restaurant or retail company would provide housing to its staff is so unbelievably interesting to me.

I work for an MNC that uses a staffing agency for some more mundane basic admin/office tasks such as preparing mailers, pasting fapiao/receipts in some company stipulated format, etc. We pay the agency 3000RMB for a full time worker, I think the worker gets maybe half that, but they have housing provided for. So I won't be surprised if many companies do so indirectly when using employment/staffing agencies.

Even though the dorm conditions may appear dreary to us, when you talk to these workers, they are quite happy to have a decent job, in my case it would even be a job in a safe, comfortable working environment. Those who need housing are always from other cities and provinces, and this arrangement provides them with a social support network they otherwise would not have on their own.

The shanghai and Beijing natives won't work such jobs.

For someone who came from other cities, a job with stable pay with meals and accommodation would be awesome for them.

The shanghai and Beijing natives won't work such jobs.

For someone who came from other cities, a job with stable pay with meals and accommodation would be awesome for them.

Are you still talking about retail jobs like the greeter/ floor salesperson at a mall clothing store or duty free store? I can understand the disdain locals would have for low paying factory assembly jobs. But for retail...?

What sort of entry level job would a Shanghai or Beijing native work at?

Dorms are not perceived as a bad thing. Allows for working more hours and making more money. They don't travel to the coastal cities expecting a vacation.

Are you still talking about retail jobs like the greeter/ floor salesperson at a mall clothing store or duty free store? I can understand the disdain locals would have for low paying factory assembly jobs. But for retail...?

What sort of entry level job would a Shanghai or Beijing native work at?

I was referring to the greeters job.

The natives are generally better educated and thus even in retail jobs, they start off as retail executives or perhaps managerial levels in retail jobs.

They are also selective in the places they work, only wanting to work in international chains, luxury brands..

I was referring to the greeters job.

The natives are generally better educated and thus even in retail jobs, they start off as retail executives or perhaps managerial levels in retail jobs.

They are also selective in the places they work, only wanting to work in international chains, luxury brands..

How would working as a flight attendant be regarded in China? It's heavy in front line customer service similar to the greeter/ shop attendant jobs described earlier.

What sort of entry level job would a Shanghai or Beijing native work at?

It depends on their education, and their parent's connections, so it varies greatly. People from Beijing and Shanghai tend to be better educated, one reason is that university entrance exam requirement is lower for those from Beijing and Shanghai, so higher percentage of them goes to university. Another reason is that more education resources is allocated to the big cities, such as more experienced teachers, and better books and equipment.

How would working as a flight attendant be regarded in China? It's heavy in front line customer service similar to the greeter/ shop attendant jobs described earlier.

Great stepping stone. You must realize that people here are not morons; they are merely making the best of the cards that they've been dealt.

Great stepping stone. You must realize that people here are not morons; they are merely making the best of the cards that they've been dealt.

I had been hoping someone would indicate whether or not the position of flight attendant was as coveted within Chinese culture as it is within some other asian cultures. I had read that some SE Asian flag carriers were paying their fa's more than some entry level white collar jobs, making the fa position sought after by young, well educated college graduates. And I've heard repeatedly that being a fa for Korean Air, or a korean fa for any airline, is highly coveted and extremely competitive to obtain. Former Korean Air fa's have marketing jobs open up to them that they otherwise would not have access to. There are also the opportunities to meet very eligible wealthy bachelors while at work in the sky. Korean culture places very high social status on Korean Air fa's and the job of fa.

But there was the earlier comment that store greeter positions heavy on the front line customer service function were avoided by the well educated Shanghai and Beijing natives. And working as a fa requires significant work as a customer service agent.

I had been hoping someone would indicate whether or not the position of flight attendant was as coveted within Chinese culture as it is within some other asian cultures. I had read that some SE Asian flag carriers were paying their fa's more than some entry level white collar jobs, making the fa position sought after by young, well educated college graduates. And I've heard repeatedly that being a fa for Korean Air, or a korean fa for any airline, is highly coveted and extremely competitive to obtain. Former Korean Air fa's have marketing jobs open up to them that they otherwise would not have access to. There are also the opportunities to meet very eligible wealthy bachelors while at work in the sky. Korean culture places very high social status on Korean Air fa's and the job of fa.

But there was the earlier comment that store greeter positions heavy on the front line customer service function were avoided by the well educated Shanghai and Beijing natives. And working as a fa requires significant work as a customer service agent.

The kind of clientele for the average store greeter is very different compared to an FA. I would say an FA is more on par with a luxury brand/store agent. If anything, an FA has the opportunity to travel and would also need to know english and in many cases another language such as japanese or french/german. There are plenty of real life examples of pretty FAs finding themselves a rich husband from the premium class pax list!

I had been hoping someone would indicate whether or not the position of flight attendant was as coveted within Chinese culture as it is within some other asian cultures.

Chinese airlines are growing fast enough that pretty much any reasonably attractive girl with motivation has a decent shot at becoming a flight attendant. For the most part, college graduates seem to have grander aspirations these days. Furthermore, at the flight attendant school that I work with, many of the graduates end up accepting career path office jobs at airlines/hotels/FBOs instead of taking to the skies.

They probably make between 1000 and 2000 rmb per month. Wage in China is much cheaper than those in Korea, HK or Taiwan. When I was in Beijing, I notice several wanted ads in restaurants, offering 1500-2000 rmb per month, including residence. Most people who work in these jobs aren't locals, and the wage in Shanghai is still higher than what they will make in their home towns.

My wife was just notincing a help-wanted sign in a restaurant window a couple of days ago. The high end of the jobs went up into the mid 2000's. She didn't say anything about it including residence.

An observation: They're really narrowly trained!

I was in the grocery buying various things. For some strange reason she rang up a bag without asking me. When I indicated I didn't want it (why didn't she either ask or note the bag strap over my shoulder??) she was a bit flustered.

She never did void it off, just spent at least 30 seconds trying to figure out what the correct change would be with the price of the bag removed.

Huh???

An observation: They're really narrowly trained!

I was in the grocery buying various things. For some strange reason she rang up a bag without asking me. When I indicated I didn't want it (why didn't she either ask or note the bag strap over my shoulder??) she was a bit flustered.

She never did void it off, just spent at least 30 seconds trying to figure out what the correct change would be with the price of the bag removed.

Huh???

That's the cashier you are talking about right?

For items to be void, they need a supervisor to do it. (At least that's what I see) and I think she didn't want to bother her supervisor to void a plastic bag!

For pride issues I guess.

That's the cashier you are talking about right?

For items to be void, they need a supervisor to do it. (At least that's what I see) and I think she didn't want to bother her supervisor to void a plastic bag!

For pride issues I guess.

But that means her drawer isn't going to balance at the end of the day.

But that means her drawer isn't going to balance at the end of the day.

I'm sure she just added the 0.4 RMB from her pocket to make the balance.

tb

But that means her drawer isn't going to balance at the end of the day.

At my local convenience store, as a matter of habit, I leave those random mao on the counter. As such, when confronted with 15.30 purchases, I simply provide 15 and walk. The counter girl was confused at first, but now she gets it.

I'm sure she just added the 0.4 RMB from her pocket to make the balance.

tb

Or like most international stores, variance within a predetermined limit doesn't raise any flags unless its habitual. of course Chinese don't seem to have a lot of trust towards one another especially those that are preceived as having a lower status so they may be more strict.

Or like most international stores, variance within a predetermined limit doesn't raise any flags unless its habitual. of course Chinese don't seem to have a lot of trust towards one another especially those that are preceived as having a lower status so they may be more strict.

What sort of indicators do the Chinese use to judge the status of each other? What about within the examples of the shop workers being discussed?