Waiguoren Analysis

“Waiguoren” and occasionally in a hush tone “Laowai,” from a few annoyed costumers, are two terms uttered every so often while interning at Hotwind, a widely-known fashion store in Shanghai. As the semester forges ahead, my classmates and I are grasping a greater understanding of how consumerism is shaping people’s lives in Shanghai today, through our first-hand perspective working in a Chinese retail outlet. We are fully immersing ourselves in an uncommon and unheard-of working environment for an American college student studying abroad in China. Although this experience is one of a kind, I have gained a great deal from this rich involvement in Chinese society. I have understood something I would not have fully gain if I worked at the regular …show more content…
The different dynamics and hierarchies found in this type of labor practice when recruiting young and appealing women that are used in the establishments . To an extent, this could be connected to my immersion in the company as I am also an advantage for the store, and they have the opportunity to showcase me while I stand trying to sell shoes. Even right from the start, my identity is foreigner, Wiaguoren. People addressed me as the Waiguoren. There is never a day that I hear my coworkers identify me with that words or costumers when they notice me clearly. The results are important to mention. Because I am a foreigner, I am watched by my coworkers and manager more than others. In several situations, I do not take care of an issue on my own because when I have a problem with a costumer, a coworker rushes to the situation and takes over for me. My problems are solved even without me asking. Thus, making it could make me feel a tad useless and like a burden to the store and my coworkers. In my opinion, I would be tired of helping the foreigner that should be more prepared to be working in retail. I noted on my second day and third day on the job, in my field notes that I felt like a burden, but I was receiving this feeling from my coworkers that they seemed happy to assist and would teach me new words and help with my pronunciation. In addition, there were times where my identity and language difficulty caused me to get in problems where the costumers would question my service. One memorable one was with this well-dressed middle-aged woman who asked for a stocking. Similar woman like her often question my service, often making me wonder if I am doing my job properly. In addition, Hsu does the same thing, but mentions Western identities and notions can provide some type of social leverage. Perhaps, I am an advantage to the store to make more money. I am