This is just like the discussion of tipping habits of African-American customers.

The following is a direct quote from Ebony magazine, a publication fo African-American readers)
"Are Black People Really Bad Tippers?"
http://www.ebony.com/news-views/are-...#axzz2dh3HAFie

That was the point of my reply.

I'm confused.

:confused:

I was pointing out that the words you posted in the link, "Chinese tourists refuse to give back stainless steel cutlery", are not from the article.

It was in the original headline. Which was later corrected to the current one.

Ethno-ignorant Americans travel to "foreign" lands without making an effort to adapt. Why should it be any different with ethno-ignorant Chinese travelers who believe "the cash holder makes the rules"?

I agree that it shouldn't be any different, but unfortunately it is. In reality, if you have money you can get away with a lot of things. That is just the way the world works. While travelers should adapt to the place they are visiting, they may not, and destinations that adapt to travelers will receive more travelers.

Exactly right. The article also mentions the Chinese deputy premier admonishing his countrymen for their bad behavior. The rest of the world would be waiting a very long time for the U.S. Vice-President to ask Americans not to act like boorish yahoos while overseas.

It isn't. Ethno-ignorant travelers of any nationality generally have a less enjoyable time on their foreign vacations than more culturally-sensitive people (unless the ethno-ignorant never venture away from the expensive and confining cocoon of a resort property or fully-guided tour).

I come back to this question everyday when I'm at work.

I work at the Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora,IL, and we get a diverse international customer base.

I have to say, and I'm not trying to be mean, but the groups of people that give me the most trouble are people from China, India and the Middle East. They expect us to wait on them, break corporate rules for discounts , etc etc.

Some times it makes me want to pull my hair out. But then I take a step back and realize two things:

-Language/lingo barriers cause them to act like this sometimes. Alot of the international customers speak little or no english, suprisingly alot of Europeans I get are the same way, especially ones from Spain and Portugal. Even local customers have language problems. When I am ringing some one up, this causes problems because they dont simply understand how discounts work at our store or how things are marked down.

- Cultural barriers hamper us providing them a good service. Some expect us to become personal shoppers for them. I'm happy to grab you things while I'm on our sales floor but I am not required to be your personal lshopper. Finding the balance during our busy days is pretty hard at times.

It honestly makes me sad to see some visiters acting like this. I would never do it personally when traveling abroad, nor have I ever.

Not all the customers I get from these groups are mean. I have lots of customers from those regions who are nice, respectful and understanding.


My job teaches me alot about human nature everyday :)

I don't know whether the ignorant have a less enjoyable time but they are vastly more obnoxious regardless of nationality. There is also a group dynamic. The behavior of any nationality in a foreign country tends to be far worse when in a group than individually.

The very worst offenders are unadventurous dullards from cruise ships when they are deposited ashore. They are foreigners, in groups and are venturing away from the confining cocoon of their ship. Nationality doesn't matter.

One of the most interesting places to observe ethnic differences in behavior is at casinos. Just about every characteristic, especially the negative ones, seems to be magnified there. :td:

Very true.... Chinese gambler never tip even when they've won. It's customary to tip $100 if you win $1500 or more at the table.

Using tipping as the standard of cultural sensitivity? You might enjoy the DiningBuzz "argh I hate tipping rabble rabble" thread.

Not to say that tipping isn't expected in casinos, but I see far more people than just the Chinese who don't understand casino tipping etiquette. There are so many oblivious gamblers of various nationalities.

I feel like we should re-title this thread, "I'm not a racist BUT...."

So, do forum members get a discount :p