I was in a branch of Boots where I was trying to buy a beard trimmer.
All 3 of the shop assistants I asked lacked the English to be able to help with this most basic request.
Am I racist for being sligtly miffed and having to find said device myself.
I would have mimed trimming my beard, but thought it might be offensive to Jews or Muslims
Quote: sootyj @ April 4 2012, 8:48 PM BSTI was in a branch of Boots where I was trying to buy a beard trimmer.
All 3 of the shop assistants I asked lacked the English to be able to help with this most basic request.
Am I racist for being sligtly miffed and having to find said device myself.
I would have mimed trimming my beard, but thought it might be offensive to Jews or Muslims
I don't think you're racist. It's the same pissing carry-on as getting onto somebody in a call centre and they can't understand you/make themselves understood. If people have to work with the public they should be able to speak the language of the country. You wouldn't (would you?) employ a deaf/dumb shop assistant and that surely comes to the same thing.
I used to work as a waitress in a really disgusting chain of italian restaurants and at one point I was the only waitress who could string a whole sentence together in English. I had no problem working with Polish or Slovakian people, but their lack of English meant they couldn't do their job properly, so I had to do the work of 5 people. I don't think it's racist to expect people in customer-facing jobs to speak the language of the customers well enough to do their job. Though 'beard trimmers' might not be a phrase they have encountered before.
EDIT: Crap! that sounded really racist! I meant they wouldn't have encountered the phrase because it's not something that comes up in conversation very much and they'd probably never been asked about them before. 
beard and trimmer aint exactly Shakespeare
I suspect its also about employing the only people willing to do minimun wage
Quote: Harridan @ April 4 2012, 8:56 PM BSTEDIT: Crap! that sounded really racist! I meant they wouldn't have encountered the phrase because it's not something that comes up in conversation very much and they'd probably never been asked about them before.
True if they're all in the Taliban,that's what you're saying isn't it?
Re: English as a second language shop staff / call centres / delivery fast food.
This is why none of the political parties are taking a stance on immigration. It has nothing to do with racism, it keeps wages down as they know the foreigns will quite happily work for minimum wage and sleep 5 to a room.
And if they're here illegally, you can throw health and safety out of the window. They can burn themselves, fall off a ladder, etc. - with no official investigation, no fines and no compensation either.
It's win-win for the super rich!
Handy vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6cpU_iIqLs
Quote: Renegade Carpark @ April 4 2012, 8:59 PM BSTRe: English as a second language shop staff / call centres / delivery fast food.
This is why none of the political parties are taking a stance on immigration. It has nothing to do with racism, it keeps wages down as they know the foreigns will quite happily work for minimum wage and sleep 5 to a room.
And if they're here illegally, you can throw health and safety out of the window. They can burn themselves, fall off a ladder, etc. - with no official investigation, no fines and no compensation either.
It's win-win for the super rich!
Minimum wage? 5 to a room? God RC, you must move in the upmarket side of town !
Quote: sootyj @ April 4 2012, 8:48 PM BSTI was in a branch of Boots where I was trying to buy a beard trimmer.
All 3 of the shop assistants I asked lacked the English to be able to help with this most basic request.
Am I racist for being sligtly miffed and having to find said device myself.
I would have mimed trimming my beard, but thought it might be offensive to Jews or Muslims
Are you being serious? How does being 'miffed' that the staff of a shop in England can't understand English when you ask them a question make you racist? 
Uh oh! Enoch Stott is here!
Quote: Ben @ April 4 2012, 9:23 PM BSTUh oh! Enoch Stott is here!
'If they're brown, make 'em leave town.' Is on my family crest; though it's in Latin.
If they're a semite they're in for a fight.
Quote: Matthew Stott @ April 4 2012, 9:31 PM BSTthough it's in Latin.
My Primary School teacher was Peter Griffiths
Quote: Matthew Stott @ April 4 2012, 9:19 PM BSTAre you being serious? How does being 'miffed' that the staff of a shop in England can't understand English when you ask them a question make you racist?
It's his liberal guilt.
Did you do lots of 'beard trimming' gestures before you gave up?