The Louis Vuitton boutique along Passeig de Gracia in Barcelona gets a lot of Asian customers. We went to that store three times and out of the hundreds of people that went in and out, I only saw two blonde hair twice. All black hair. Their biggest customers are Chinese, mainland Chinese.
While my sister and I were choosing shawls, there was a Chinese woman (not the one pictured above) who was growing impatient because the Spanish sales lady couldn’t understand what she was saying. The Chinese customer approached me, probably thinking that I was Chinese and could speak the language. She started talking fast, I talked slow “Sorry, I don’t speak Chinese”. I was the least sympathetic.
The more she became impatient. She was pointing at the woman and her voice this time was louder. I could feel her frustration. She looked and sounded angry. The sales guy who was attending to me uttered “You can afford to buy Louis Vuitton, why don’t you spend more money to learn English”.
Of course that’s a little mean but he has a point. Chinese people are now wealthy to travel and shop all over the world. You see them clearing out the shelves of Chanel and even Hermes. You see them carrying loads of luxury brand shopping bags. Without them, LV will have to slash down their annual growth forecasts.
With their growing affluence, they should be conscious too to learn some things that could go handy with being wealthy. Manners, social graces, and since they are now world travelers, a little English could be helpful.
May I see that green scarf? Puedo ver que la bufanda verde?
可我看到绿色的围巾吗?
Do you have another color? ¿Tiene otro color?
您是否有另一种的颜色?
How much is that scarf? ¿Cuánto es que la bufanda?
有多少是围巾吗?
Learning to speak even a little English is helpful when you travel in another country. 学习即使是很小的英语很有帮助。 当您旅行到其他国家。
Buying a scarf or a shawl is easy, especially at the LV store in Barcelona. All the available designs, all the colors are neatly arranged in the glass display cabinet and wooden drawers. You don’t need a good English to be able to choose and buy one or a dozen.
Two basic steps in buying a bag or scarf:
First— POINT with your finger, not with your mouth, which one you like.
Second— PAY—- Give your credit card or cash.
Optional:
Third—- once the orange shopping bag is handed to you, nod your head a bit (this is the equivalent of saying thank you).
See, it’s so easy to shop. Two easy steps, Point and Pay.
