I saw a foreign girl working in TaiPing Yang Sogo in Taipei a while back. She was working at a French cosmetics counter. No, she wasn’t a make up artist, she was selling the stuff.
Anyone know the story?
Student?
Can they do that?
Then I saw this blonde bloke in the Taichung Sogo selling Jeans.
Same thing - what is the story?
Maybe these people are not foreigners
I don’t know. What are the odds of a 20 something year old westerner being a naturalized Taiwanese? Apart from Poagao, but that was some time ago, right?
Are they students that are allowed some part time work, and can that part time work be in a department store?
Really, I have no idea. I can’t be the only one to have seen them and wondered about it. I guess I should have asked them. 
I don’t know. What are the odds of a 20 something year old westerner being a naturalized Taiwanese? Apart from Poagao, but that was some time ago, right?
Are they students that are allowed some part time work, and can that part time work be in a department store?
Really, I have no idea. I can’t be the only one to have seen them and wondered about it. I guess I should have asked them. [/quote]
They could be:
Brian
It’s something I’d like to see more of. It was… a breath of fresh air, it really was. I guess I’ve been in the sticks for too long.
As sad as it would be, what with the pay and all, but imagine getting greeted with a western face at say… the 7-11 
This place needs more of a melting pot going on.
[quote=“Bassman”]
This place needs more of a melting pot going on.[/quote]
I think everyone agrees on that one! Well said :bravo:
exactly.
Used to have a colleague who looked completely Caucasian. She’s blonde with light green eyes, apparently her appearance from her father who’s a white soldier of the US. The girl was brought up by her grands, never spoke one word in English, her mother tongue was Chinese dialect (Min-Nan-Yu or Taiwanese).
True story, a bit of regret about she didn’t allow me to write her a story for real.
I never met this one.
I saw a young whitie at Windance in Shinju.
He owns a model train selling operation, employs locals and had just called in to check up on it.
Very enterprising.
I am the person ironman is talking about. Actually we sell model cars and are about to start selling DJ equipment too. I never met another westerner with a stand in a department store, but I know of a few Japanese working in them. Also mainlander and Vietnamese married to locals. Interestingly the mainlander onthe 5F in the same shop (Windance) gets really good sales, although that is probably down to her ability, as I am sure having a SiChuan accent must be a negative for her here. On the rare occasions when I have worked there by myself I tended to get terrible sales because people were afraid to talk to me unless they already heard me talking Chinese. When I have a Taiwanese next to me it has the opposite effect, people are curious about a westerner working behind the counter in a shop here and then we tend to get our best sales. Still overall working in a department store is something I avoid doing. I usually find it even unbelievably boring.
Not in a department store but I once met a guy in Gaoxiong (Kaohsiung) who at first glance looked like he was of African origin. Turns out he was half Taiwanese, USA soldier father who I think he never knew much of. He spoke some but definately not native English. He was a physical education teacher in a local high school and I think he only had a local ShenFenZheng or passport.
Why? You moved all the way to Taiwan to find other foreigners to serve you in department stores?
Actually I have discovered that having a non-westerner face greet me at 7-11 usually means I’ll get better service here than I ever did back in the U.S…
Care to elaborate? Why? What’s the benefit? Lower crime? Higher social conscience? More tolerance? Higher wages?
Bassman, don’t be shy, why don’t you ask her directly and tell us the story?
maybe off topic, but saw another foreigner working in retail.
at the Carrefour across from the Nangang Train Station there has been this white dude in his mid-30s who works with the stock boys setting up display cases and moving boxes around. Maybe he is in retail management, but just odd going there and seeing a white dude working there. He knows Chinese too, totally blew me away. Funny actually cause my gf always joked about me working there too.
I think he started working their recently, only saw him starting in January.
Is she cute?