Are there more rude people in Taipei these days or is it just me?

I’d change that might to a definitely. Like you say they just follow people around the shop to help you if you need to buy something. If you say you don’t need help and that you will call if you need help then they will leave you alone. They are definitely not especially following foreigners around out of some racist shoplifting paranoia. Can’t believe people come to that conclusion…

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Exactly; they’re not there to just man a cash register, especially in nicer stores. Part of the point of a brick and mortar in the age of online shopping is to let customers see products/try them on, and to have knowledgable staff ready to give advice, explain the product, and to make sales. They’re trying to ensure you’ll buy something by being helpful and attentive; they don’t think you guys are going to shoplift, unless you just look especially shady.

Their job is tiring enough considering they likely have to stand all day for little pay, and occasionally deal with rich people (who often treat clerks like trash). The least you can do is to be nice to them.

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From my experiences, there are too many sale associates at especially at the mall stores. I see a lot of them cackle all day with each other or they’re on their phones. A lot of times I just tell them I’m browsing and I’ll ask them if I have questions, usually they just back off. But I guess having more service is better than none.

One issue that I chuckle at is when I buy something, the associates takes my money and runs off to the cashier for maybe 5 mins. Maybe shoplifting isn’t as prevalent, but I wonder how efficient that is. A few times I walk into an empty store in the mall and the associate comes back with a lunchbox or boba saying he was taking a break.