Metro: No kids under 1.2M in this Store?——Germans please answer
This is an email i sent to Metro, the big German store just now. It opened its tenth store in China, which gave me the most unpleasent shopping experience ever. Is there any German who knows this shop? Is it true that no kids under 1.2m is allowed to enter?
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am an ordinary Chinese woman with a 4 year old boy. It was my first time to shop at Metro in Guangzhou China, and it was quiet a shock when Metro staff told me that my son can not enter the supermarket because he is not tall enough. I have been to quite a few countries (Europe included, not Germany though) with my young kid, and today was the first time that he is refused to enter a SUPERSTORE. According to the company regulation, (the manager emphasised that this is the regulation decided by Metro Germany), only kids above 1.2 meters will be allowed to enter the store.
I do not know why your company comes up with this “bizarre” idea, but I was told that this is for the sake of “security” reason, as running kids may cause potential “danger” to the store. I feel bewildered at this explanation, as I saw some 5 year old boys were riding bicycles in this store while a woman was waiting outside the store with her three-months-old in her arms. (It was quite chilly outside by the way). I always think kids who run around most wildly are not the kids under 1.2 meters high.
Later I returned home and searched on the internet with the key word “Metro” and “1.2M Child” in Chinese, only to find it is not only me who complains. I do think this strange restriction has caused pervasive negative effect to the image of your company.
If this is really the company??s tradition from Germany, I will respect it and will have to choose not to shop ever again in Metro China, since my kid is too “short” for Metro. At the same time I do think this regulation can be carried out with more humanist concerns, such as setting Children’s waiting area or playground outside Metro, to show that younger kids is also properly taken into consideration by Metro.
Thank you for the due concern that you pay to this email.
With Regards.
Wang, Xiulu
Xiu Wang
02 Nov 2006 15:03
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[Skip to the latest comment]redleaf
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22 Dec 2006, 15:28
Wensean Chen
did you get response from Metro?
22 Dec 2006, 15:29
Xiu Wang
Wensean, I am so sorry that your comments are completely jammed on this blog. I do not know why, but this blog is really very unfriendly with Chinese character, and all my previous entries in Chinese were completely ruined as well…That is actually part of the reason why this blog turns out to be in English, as I personally enjoy Chinese more. :-)
I did get a very polite reply from Metro South China, explaining it is out of “safty” rather than “security” reasons, and it is a practise both in and outside China. I dont want to publish that letter on the web, as I am not sure whether it is appropiate to do so. But I did reply them one more email, which they did not reply.
In a conference in Manchester, I had the chance to ask some participants, and they confirmed that Metro does have this strange company policy. I have to then call this a conclusion based on “cultural difference”, though I am still not convinced that this policy is legal, or at least, is right.
23 Dec 2006, 02:37
Xiu Wang
This is my last email to them which I have not get a reply so far.
Dear XX,
Thank you very much for your email. I could have written to you in the first place if the contact information of Metro China is also made available on your Chinese website. Anyway thank you for your prompt handling of this complaint.
Although I agree with your Health and Safety reasons sounds much better than “security” reason, I am afraid that it is still not convincing enough. I guess many other superstore/hyperstore have large trolleys, customers go there to make large purchases, large amounts of stock are also moved throughout the trading hours in most stores that I visited. It would be considerate to put up warning signs so that parents will be legally responsible for any consequences that maybe caused due to their negligence. But what Metro is doing now is inconsiderate, and perhaps even discriminatory for the kids under 1.2M, as well as their mothers (considering the high probability that many mothers need to shop alone with the kid).
And also if you have time to go around the shops personally, I think it would not be hard for you to see what I saw the other day: Kids around 5 or 6 running wildly, and even riding bikes in Metro Cash and Carry; Mothers with 3 mouths old was waiting for her husband outside in the parking lot (repeat, parking lot, not with in store, there was not even a bench for the poor mother). I can not imagine any Chinese woman, no matter how careless she might be, will have her 3-month-old crawling in your store and then accidentally bumping into a pile of stocks). The fact is that 1.2m as a borderline age does not give Metro any “health and safty” guarantee, as you might have wished. It’s not like an adult store which might assume any one above 18 as rational independent agent who can take responsiblity for their behavoirs, isn’t it?
I am not interested to know if the rule is also enforced outside China or not. I do not need to know an American/German is also bearing with this rule to feel happier as a Chinese. A rule can not be respected only because it is accepted (in China or outside China). A rule can only be respected when it is reasonable. And in this case, I think this rule of not allowing a kid under 1.2 m to enter a superstore/hyperstore/cash-carry store failed to be reasonable at all.
But I am not trying to argue. I respect your right to feel this rule as genuinely reasonable. Aswhat I have suggested, this rule perhaps can be enforcedly with more concerns for younger kids and their mothers: waiting areas, Kids playground, toy cars, even chairs, whatever that might make the poor waiting mother and young kids feeling better. They are much more faithful and valuable customers than I am to Metro.
Please, respect them, and take care of them.
Good luck with your business in China.
Wang, Xiulu
23 Dec 2006, 02:40
redleaf
thanks for your message. I like to send my article to your email since here doesn’t show chinese characters. I was mad. I got similar shopping experience as same as you met before. yesterday we went to metro with my 6 month baby. ...I will send you chinese article by email if you send me email let me know your email address. by thr way, wensean is my husband. www.vcih.com is our website. redleaf
23 Dec 2006, 15:14
redleaf
info@vcih.com or redleaf@vcih.com
23 Dec 2006, 15:16
xiulu
You have a very nice website. really like it.
24 Dec 2006, 02:58
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