deodorant drama

On a daily basis I am learning several new things. One thing that I keep learning more about is the importance of customer service here in Vietnam. There is so much importance placed on customer service here that it is almost counterintuitive. Let me explain. When you go into a store you get instant attention and it is like you are being shadowed at all times. You know when you have that feeling you are being watched...it never goes away here. Anyway, I tend to like to look at items and not be bothered by clerks BUT here in Vietnam it would be poor customer service if there wasn't at least one, if not two people bothering you. This is where I get somewhat frustrated and decide to leave the store (not good for sales, thus counterintuitive). I guess I just need to adapt and, to my credit, I am starting to wait it out a bit. My exit time has lengthened...

I do have a story though. I brought two sticks of deodorant with me but it is coming to the time that I will need to get some new deodorant. Now, I have decided to start shopping for deodorant early due to the fact that I have issues with scented products and I know my selection here in Vietnam is going to be limited. You see, there is an obsession with being 'white' here. There are whitening creams, lotions, waxes and, you guessed it, deodorants. I don't know how I feel about whitening anything in the first place, second of all, we all know how deadly deodorant is supposed to be anyway, and finally I don't want white armpits! Seriously! So, I have two blatant obstacles to overcome...the sented factor and the whitening factor...but if you count customer service there are actually three obstacles to overcome, let me explain:

This is how my experience went. Went to store, picked out deodorant while being stalked by clerks. Got antsy. Decided to just grab something that was non-whitening and looked somewhat familiar (Dove deodorant). Took deodorant home, wore it next day to school, ended up with a scent headache. Dove deodorant is not my friend. Gave deodorant to Krista. Went to next store, only carried Dove deodorant and whitening deodorant (might have to be a Smelly Nelly... ). Decided to try store that is close to school. Get into store and I am immediatly flanked by two clerks. I try to shake them in the shampoo isle, but they are good. They eventually catch me in deodorant land. I am just trying to buy a non-whitening, non-super scented deodorant folks, it shouldn't be complicated. I am smelling the deodorant. I just want to smell the deodorant, find one that is not going to make my olfactory system overload and get the ****out of dodge. The one clerk pulls a ladder out of thin air, she's the magic clerk that can pull a ladder out of thin air - every store should have one. Anyway, she does this because she is too short to reach the top shelf of deodorant, she proceeds to take deodorant down off the shelf and rub it on my arm. She rubbed it on my arm. Now, clerk number two is on the other side working the lower shelf. I was not liking the smell of the first brand of deodorant that I was assaulted with so clerk number two got me with something equally unappealing on the other side. Brilliant. Now I have two types of deodorant on me that smell really bad, and as I am politely saying no thank you to one clerk I get plastered with a new brand of deodorant by the other clerk. Four different smells are on me before I can get out. Perfect, four smells that I don't like on my arms. I reek like a bad version of a Yardley London store. Needless to say, the 'customer service' scared me away without purchasing my intended product. At least my arms won't perspire?? :S

I guess I will have to have a better plan of attack if I am going to succeed at this mission. Perhaps some sleeves and maybe a decoy...