Employees within the U.S. firmly refuse to serve those that minimize in line and direct them to the tip of the queue, whereas their Vietnamese counterpart typically don’t intervene.
Drawing on over 20 years of dwelling within the U.S., I typically discover myself evaluating Vietnamese and American social behaviors. And I’ve observed that when it comes to public conduct, Vietnamese folks appear to lag behind these in different nations, significantly in queuing etiquette at supermarkets.
When I’ve confronted line-cutters within the U.S., they normally apologize, and the grocery store workers promptly ask them to hitch the again of the road.
There have been cases the place line-cutters hurried to put their objects on the counter, however the workers would nonetheless insist that they respect the queue order, typically even involving grocery store safety to implement this.
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Folks queueing at a retailer in Vietnam. Picture by VnExpress/Anh Tu |
Alternatively, throughout my visits to Vietnam, I’ve noticed a stark distinction in dealing with related conditions. Regardless of my complaints to the grocery store workers about line-cutting, they typically took no motion, processing the line-cutter’s fee first.
There was one time after I expressed my frustration vehemently to the workers who ignored a line-cutter, earlier than finally leaving the shop with out buying something and deciding to by no means store there once more.
These experiences spotlight a big cultural distinction. Returning to Vietnam typically means having to compete for a spot in line, not like the orderly queuing I’m accustomed to overseas.
This makes me ponder whether or not the observe of scholars lining up beneath supervision in faculties interprets to orderly queuing in on a regular basis life with out such oversight.
I ponder if others have had experiences just like mine. What are your ideas on this matter?