Robinson's Supermarket Nuvali

    
     This is the view from the French Baker in Robinson's Supermarket Nuvali.  Honestly, I would have preferred having ACE closer to us than True Value, but then their aesthetics are still appreciated over Ace's. 

     True Value: I just wish the staff didn't just give me a blank look and do the blame thing when I simply suggested to correct the label on the huge Christmas tree for sale. It read "Dog Glass Fir" and I thought I was going to be helpful by spelling it out for them...as, you know, the man's name Douglas perhaps?  I'm not from North America so I really don't know what a real Douglas fir is, but there weren't any customers and I was in jobless-pakialamera mode. I was also pretty sure it wasnt "Dog Glass". I guess, also, the educator in me wanted children who might read it to learn the right name.

     Instead the customer service people were quick to 'blame' the guy quietly sorting the rest of the trimmings as the one who printed the label.  It was kind of embarrassing for him, I think, so I quickly slipped away after muttering to just fix the typo.  Honestly, I thought maybe the labels are based on supplier's labels; that maybe they're printed out for all branches out of some central inventory system.  So the guys had no clue what I was talking about.

     Why do we often have this kind of reaction---to say "ay, si ___ gumawa niyan eh".  Perhaps they were embarrassed too to have a customer point a simple thing (and insignificant, really, in my view) out. I hope it doesn't start from schooling...when rather than aid each other, and support each other, students mock each other for their mistakes or teachers ridicule rather than teach.  A simple thank you, ma'm, and taking down of the sign would have sufficed.  They could confer with the staff responsible for it in private. 

"ate"

     Something really struck me about the shopping style in Paseo de Sta. Rosa, and moreso in SM Sta. Rosa in our first year.  Customers called the sales girls "ate! ate!" and not "miss" as I did all my life.  What was interesting was, I would study the customer calling "ate" and see that she, the customer was actually a middle-aged woman, and the sales girl inevitably not over 30.  If it happened to be a salesman, of course then the customer would say "kuya". Ate Tagalog for "older sister" and kuya for older brother. 

     I remember thinking, I must have missed a "Pinoy Big Brother" paradigm shift beginning from bedrest till birth and throughout my child's infancy.  Is this the norm in Metro Manila now too?  Then again, I do use the Ilonggo "manong" and "manang" frequently when addressing strangers like, the maintenance people, if I don't know them yet, or vendors on the street.  I use it only when they look older than me, though. I also never use "sister" or "sis".

    The most amusing thing about this "ate, kuya" phenomenon is that it was used to address my toddler...who was visibly the only child with me.  We walked into ACE Hardware, which usually has the sales associates lined up along the aisles, like in SM, greeting repeatedly.  So we walked in, and "hi, ate!"..."ate, anong gusto mo..." "ate ate ate!" . My kid was bewildered. I wondered if she thought she had a little sibling hidden somewhere.

    Seriously, it was quite an unusual thing for me, hearing strangers call the toddler customer "ate".  And I really feel like it is a new thing, or confined to the province.  I would appreciate you telling me when this started, and if it has been happening all over the country.  It's not a life-changing thing, it's just interesting.

    Then again, with the opening of more foreign brands shops in Paseo 4, 5 and Solenad 2, I noticed that calling the sales people "ate", and sales people calling US "ate" isn't the norm.  I do note, that the customer service training of these popular retail chains is even better than before. They do serve well.  And here in Sta. Rosa, the sales people are so friendly, many of them have struck up conversations with me.  It's probably due to my lugging the toddler around, but I find that the neighborhood really is friendly.  And for some reason, many of the service crews, waiters, and sales people are residents of Cabuyao, Laguna next door. That ought to be the subject of another post.