Intercultural is very important in nowadays society, it helps us to get along with other people from other countries having different cultures. It is essential as there have been an increasing number of foreigners coming Singapore to work and invest.
One of the intercultural conflicts that I encountered during my work as a sales assistant is when tourists, who mostly come from western countries could not understand why lingerie such as briefs and panties could not be tried on. When we tried to explain that it will be unhygienic to try on, they will be furious with it and started arguing that they could do it in their own country and why it was impossible here. When they knew that briefs and panties could not be exchange, they started to disagree and started asking how they are going to purchase a correct size. Some of them would understand in the end but others insisted to look for manger to complain about it. On the other hand, Singaporean and Asian tourists would understand why such things could not allow.
It would be very hard for the western people to understand the norms in Asian countries; many conflicts are hence resulted due to the lack of understanding about the other party cultures and beliefs.
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4 comments:
Hi Chiew Yen,
I agreed with you that it is hard to get westerners to understand our Asian way of thinking. Their concepts are quite different from us. It’s good to ask your boss to persuade the customers politely that it’s unhygienic to try the undergarments before purchasing. After all, you are working in Customer Service line. It is wise to carry a smile on your face at all times.
I had the same experience with you but in a different way. When I was working as a part timer, my company threw me a farewell party. All of the staff was invited to the party. All of the staff was Chinese except one of us is Malay. Due to our ignorance, we didn’t prepare the food to be halal. Pork was used as one of the ingredients. She was rather frustrated with us for forgetting her presence in this party celebration. We were very sorry about that. We end up ordering some Pizzas for her. She did understand and did join in the celebration. Glad to see that she didn’t walk off the place without a word, but with a warm hug for me.
Thus, communication effectively doesn’t involve only concentrating on what the other half is trying to say. Knowing and understanding the cultural of the other person does play an important role too.
Cheers!
Wendy
Hi Chiew Yen,
This is situation, an intercultural conflict becomes a little unavoidable. On one hand, the customer feels that as a consumer, he is king, and the sales worker should submit to his or her cultural norms and practices. On the other hand, the sales worker has to follow procedures and is thus unable to accede to the customer's requests.
This is not a case of miscommunication, but rather that of a cultural clash. In this case, effective communication may help reduce but not solve the problem.
I guess the only way to resolve this situation is for the manager to reject the customer is a polite and nice manner. In any case, there is a saying which goes, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do".
Hi Chiew Yen,
I totally agree that it's unhygienic to try undergarments on! And I find it pretty puzzling why westerners get to try them back home. Now I know I'll never buy undergarments in their countries!
I feel that as tourists, they should do their "homework" before visiting any countries, not only ours. Of course, that applies to us when we go overseas. We should also have an open heart and willing to accept other cultures and customs.
Just my two cents worth!
Cheers,
Jaymie
First of all, I really have to say I did not know that you could try on briefs and panties in the Western countries! Goodness! Haha.
If you ask me, they should follow our ways. I mean, different in skin colour we may be, but biologically our system works the same, and therefore our "counterparts" in the West similarly come in contact with the underwear and... I don't even want to think about it. Surely this isn't just a culture issue but a basic practice of human hygiene?
I don't see how difficult it is to understand that.
Their argument might be buying an incorrect size, but as far as I know, panties & briefs come in S,M,L,XL only. Surely you know which alphabet you belong to, and if not, get one and if it's too small, get a larger size and vice versa! =P
Anyhow, I have to agree that some Westerners' attitudes tend to be on the "up-side" (if you get what I mean) when dealing with us Asians. Hope that changes with time. Local customs and practices have to be respected anyhow.
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