[Leica] Leica Japan stories

[geordiepete211 at yahoo.co.uk (Peter Cheyne)]

W.R, I think I would have done the same as you, just on instinct.

Many Japanese people have been wonderfully warm and kind to me in my  
nine years here, but no amount of cultural politeness can mask the  
cool, unfriendly types one meets here or anywhere else.  I suppose  
your salesman thought he was being funny.  He lost a sale though.

To add a bit of context, in Japan, a Leica store is like a barrel for  
shooting fish.  The local customers pay prices higher than anywhere  
else in the world, so the salesmen are probably used to foreigners  
looking, then asking to handle items they won't buy because they will  
buy it cheaper in their home country.  The hired sales staff might not  
know their prices are inflated, and mikght just think foreigners are a  
waste of their time and sales energy.  Still, no excuse for rudeness!

Cheers,

Peter