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Q: What kind of morons work in Metro in Hefei?
You understand how important Metro is to those of us who have to eat cheese, butter & something that at least remotely tastes like sausages. So today I was asked for my passport to shop in Metro. I explained that I don't bring my passport when I go shopping & even if I had it I don't want every Tom, Dick & Harry to touch it. They asked me for my name & phone number, I refused to provide this info either. I said, "I'm here to shop. I'm not giving my phone number or any other private info to you" They called the manager. I looked around, there were some other foreigners waiting there. I couldn't believe they didn't let them in. They pissed me off, so I just left & went to another supermarket.
It's not my first time to shop in Metro. I never had problems there, they gave me a slip of paper & didn't ask for any private info. What's Metro like where you live?
Wow!
This really is odd? Why would shopkeepers care about our passport?
What did the other foreigners say?
I too would have left and gone elsewhere.
ElenaDob:
Other foreigners didn't say anything. They looked like illegal immigrants waiting for their fate. They were meekly waiting. I was the one who initiated the brouhaha & left.
GuilinRaf:
Good for you!
I too am very reserved when it comes to my personal information. Even if I had had my passport with me, I would not have shown it to them.
Police, hotel clerks, banks, those I can understand. But shopkeepers?
Metro in Shenyang wanted a signed, stamped letter from our University. Not sure why, but I've heard about metro having quite a few rules
-That being said, we did get an actual card with our picture on it, similar to an American Costco, Sam's Club, Bj's, type place. Not sure what they call these things in other places.
andyinshenyang:
I think it pretty much depends on who happens to be working on the front desk on that day! When I got my card in Shenyang I gave them a fake passport number, a shortened version of my name and a false telephone number and work place. The whole process from walking in to getting a card was a little over a minute.
You are supposed to register, and get a card to shop there. To register, you need a letter from your employer, and your passport.
i had a recent episode like this at papa johns pizza, the wife wanted to pay with a china merchants card for a discount and they wanted my phone number, and bank account number , i politely said screw you and the discount and my wife was mad at me for the rest of the day and i politely told her to screw off to. chinese have no logical understanding of privacy.
with 6 years of canadian education, i expected my wife to know better.
I would do anything for some 'ben' Metro in Urumqi, but unfortunately here is only Carrefour, without anything 'Western' to shop inside.
My cholesterol must be way down, because of 'no butter' diet.
ElenaDob:
I decided to stick to my guns & not to reveal my private info even for cheese & butter.
The one's that can't find anything better to do....
That kind of sucks! I haven't seen a metro in my city or it's probably I usually don't go to that place. I usually go to Carrefour or Walmart!
Why bother with Metro when you can buy cheese off the internet??
I've never had to go through that crap. They probably get annoyed at us foreigners who don't bother witht their silly rules, but I'm also pretty sure they like our money more 
Metro is kind of ''Supermarket '' only for hotel ,restaurant,catering shops.
They do not wish to do full retail sales.
