Juniper Armstrong

If you decide to come to China, beware: SERVICE PEOPLE STALK YOU! When entering any store to do a bit a shopping, you end up with a shadow who follows you everywhere you go. This is not just a phenomena that they reserve for westerns, everyone gets a stalker (it is a communist country after all--> Equal stalking status is granted to locals as well). As someone who likes time to browse the selections, this is very disconcerting to have someone hovering RIGHT beside you. I am sure that they think that this is 'excellent customer service' but to be honest I often get put off by this behavior and end up not buying anything.

The staff probably do this for two reasons: Number one, there is actually enough people in China, and you can employ them cheaply, so that every customer has a sales associate/stalker. Number two, this probably cuts down on shoplifting- you definitely need excellent slight of hand skills to lift something in front of the eagle eye of these clerks.

At a small store in any western country there might be a staff of 2 or 3...here there are AT LEAST twice that many. I bet peter pan never guessed his shadow was truly a little chinese woman trying to make him buy sugared almonds...