US shopping malls: Not interested in Arabic-speaking tourists?

[LawrenceChee]

Lawrence Chee:

Here are real jeans you can buy in US. I ain't a shiek, but those Dolce Moleskins costs about $3,500, the Roberto Cavalis about $1,200 and the D-Squared Camp Chippawa about $1,500. The other D-Squared are US rack, from a mall, that only sell for about $550 to $695.

The next picture are 3 pairs of crap jeans I bought in Hong Kong purporting to be Dolces and 2 pair of Armani. Candidly, I won't but anything Italian in Asia because high end Italian tends to be fake.

You might own some expensive trousers but you've also shown you've got absolutely no class.

I don't need class. Life is good!!!! Class is over rated. Hot babe, fast cars and fancy clothes are much better.

But, lol . . . at least don't cut out what I was responding to if trying to bash me. Have a dill weed talking about brands I buy which he has no clue about to try and make some ridiculous point. At least I put up or shut up.

The point is the Arabs don't feel the service levels are welcoming or up to par

If you have shopped and lived in Asia for a while you probably understand why everything from hotels, airlines to premium services are just much better in Asia and consistently win all sorts of awards

With a posting attitude like yours which is undoubtably American ....it's not hard to see why everyone ,myself included prefer to spend our top dollars in Asia and leave our purchases of everyday labels in USA where it is always at a bargain price and we can accept the drowdy service

Edited November 25, 2014 by LawrenceChee

[LawrenceChee]

The malls in Thailand and UAE caters better to them ...there is not much in a shopping mall in USA unless you want the lower end brands or generic brands

For the higher end brands the Arabs know the best service to go along with that price tags are the boutiques in Asia where the personalized service is matched by the price tags of those items

Yhellooo. What in the heck are you talking about? Lower end generic brands in the US. How about knock off, cheap counterfeit brands in Asia.

Gap , old Navy, Banana Republic, H&M , Polo , Nautical, Guess, eagle Outfitters etc etc .... All generic brands and not high end ....if you think these are luxury brands I guess you are not much of a shopper

Made in Asia without care for the proper OSHA and work protection laws or wages I certainly agree with that

For jeans, I wear D-Squared, D&G, Cavali. I may have a pair of Rag and Bone and Diesel here and there, but those I consider cheaper brands. Guess what, I buy them at US stores.

Have you ever been shopping in the US or are you just taking out you lower orifice on this issue like other issues. Suits, I don't think I have anything less than $4,500 purchased in the last 5 or 10 years. All of my shirts are custom tailored. pllleeaasse, my cheapest shirts are hand made Tom James that are custom fitted everytime I pick out a fabric. Trying to talk to me about clothes is like trying to argue with me about exotic cars. Banana Republic actually has some pretty cool clothes.

Dude, I am also married to a Russian that imports designer clothes to Russia as a side business. They are brand whores more than anyone I know. You are about clueless when it comes to . . . well just about everything.

I tell you what, you take 5 pictures of tags of your jeans and I will do the same and lets see who knows something about designer clothes.

Rather low class talk aiant it ?

Jeans are not the only designer items here and that's is why I cringed whenever I see what my colleagues from the states would wear sometimes to a formal event ...the interpretation of formal wear is lost on most ...take a lead from your Brit cousins they have formal dressing down to a T

[AyG]

The point is the Arabs don't feel the service levels are welcoming or up to par

If you have shopped and lived in Asia for a while you probably understand why everything from hotels, airlines to premium services are just much better in Asia and consistently win all sorts of awards

It doesn't make sense to lump all of Asia into one service category. Service in Japan is almost invariably excellent. Service in Malaysia, however, can be very dodgy - particularly given that female shop workers, even in very upmarket places, usually don't have much English. And as for service in Pakistan and Bangladesh? Forget it.

[Scott]

I strongly suggest you get back to the topic, which is a pretty mundane one about Arabs shopping in the US.

Continued flaming will earn suspensions. This topic really isn't worth getting into trouble over.

[F430murci]

Yhellooo. What in the heck are you talking about? Lower end generic brands in the US. How about knock off, cheap counterfeit brands in Asia.

Gap , old Navy, Banana Republic, H&M , Polo , Nautical, Guess, eagle Outfitters etc etc .... All generic brands and not high end ....if you think these are luxury brands I guess you are not much of a shopper

Made in Asia without care for the proper OSHA and work protection laws or wages I certainly agree with that

For jeans, I wear D-Squared, D&G, Cavali. I may have a pair of Rag and Bone and Diesel here and there, but those I consider cheaper brands. Guess what, I buy them at US stores.

Have you ever been shopping in the US or are you just taking out you lower orifice on this issue like other issues. Suits, I don't think I have anything less than $4,500 purchased in the last 5 or 10 years. All of my shirts are custom tailored. pllleeaasse, my cheapest shirts are hand made Tom James that are custom fitted everytime I pick out a fabric. Trying to talk to me about clothes is like trying to argue with me about exotic cars. Banana Republic actually has some pretty cool clothes.

Dude, I am also married to a Russian that imports designer clothes to Russia as a side business. They are brand whores more than anyone I know. You are about clueless when it comes to . . . well just about everything.

I tell you what, you take 5 pictures of tags of your jeans and I will do the same and lets see who knows something about designer clothes.

Rather low class talk aiant it ?

Jeans are not the only designer items here and that's is why I cringed whenever I see what my colleagues from the states would wear sometimes to a formal event ...the interpretation of formal wear is lost on most ...take a lead from your Brit cousins they have formal dressing down to a T

Huh??? You have so much hate and contempt for anyone from the West. It blinds you. They say people tend to hate what they cannot have or that of which they are jealous.

As far as the silly shopping topic, everything is cool here. Many US cities have some of the best shopping in the world. If you don't want to shop here because you don't like Americans, so be it. Don't. Lol, you don't even need to tell us about it! We will be just fine if you shop here or if you don't shop here, but to say we have only generic brands is silly, sour grapes stuff.

Edited November 25, 2014 by F430murci

[Chicog]

Malaysia, Indonesia, Kuwait, parts of India, Morocco, Jordan, Egypt.

Hatred of kafirs is a fundamental pillar of Mohammed's teachings. Pretty much all that varies is the openness with which it's expressed.

You must be quite special. Apart from India and Indonesia, which I've never visited, I've had nothing but the best treatment in the above, + Oman, Bahrain, Dubai, UAE and Tunisia.

I do have friends that work across Indonesia and they love it.

I'd skip Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria at the moment, plus bits of Pakistan.

But they are somewhat extreme.

Perhaps they don't like you because of your somewhat stereotypical and demeaning attitude towards them?

[Brigante7]

Honestly I think the story is giving too much credit to the customer service of America. Unfortunately USA malls are too interested in reducing costs and staff and putting everything online. Getting assistance in stores is nonexistent. And trying to get executives to return calls? Good luck. It's not only they don't want to cater to foreign customers. It's just typical bad customer service, but on the executive level.

If I was a rich tourist I would go to Thailand where there are 10 staff attending me at once. Thats customer service done right.

To me good customer service is being left alone in a shop so that I can browse in peace. If I require any help then I'll ask.

Brigante7

[Naam]

And to be honest, as a kafir, if I want to go on a shopping spree I'll go to a kafir country, rather than to a Moslem one where I'm despised as a non-religionist. No surprise there, really.

please list the Muslim countries you visited where you were despised

Malaysia, Indonesia, Kuwait, parts of India, Morocco, Jordan, Egypt.

Hatred of kafirs is a fundamental pillar of Mohammed's teachings. Pretty much all that varies is the openness with which it's expressed.

my conclusion: you have a vivid imagination

[Scott]

Off-topic post removed.

[Chicog]

Going back to the OP, it all seems a little bit precious.

The eventual answer from the organisation was:

eTN did speak to the company's media spokesperson Kevin Berry. Mr. Berry did not think General Growth Property member malls cater much to travelers or had a major role in the travel and tourism industry.

which, while I think it's short sighted, is perfectly reasonable if they're filling the mall with their existing customer base.

Also, one Hawaiian mall, being in a very tourist driven state, was very keen to welcome rich Arabs.

Strikes me that the author of this piece is either an Arab with a chip on his or her shoulder, or someone kissing the rich Arab behind.

Edited November 25, 2014 by Chicog

[LawrenceChee]

Yhellooo. What in the heck are you talking about? Lower end generic brands in the US. How about knock off, cheap counterfeit brands in Asia.

Gap , old Navy, Banana Republic, H&M , Polo , Nautical, Guess, eagle Outfitters etc etc .... All generic brands and not high end ....if you think these are luxury brands I guess you are not much of a shopper

Made in Asia without care for the proper OSHA and work protection laws or wages I certainly agree with that

For jeans, I wear D-Squared, D&G, Cavali. I may have a pair of Rag and Bone and Diesel here and there, but those I consider cheaper brands. Guess what, I buy them at US stores.

Have you ever been shopping in the US or are you just taking out you lower orifice on this issue like other issues. Suits, I don't think I have anything less than $4,500 purchased in the last 5 or 10 years. All of my shirts are custom tailored. pllleeaasse, my cheapest shirts are hand made Tom James that are custom fitted everytime I pick out a fabric. Trying to talk to me about clothes is like trying to argue with me about exotic cars. Banana Republic actually has some pretty cool clothes.

Dude, I am also married to a Russian that imports designer clothes to Russia as a side business. They are brand whores more than anyone I know. You are about clueless when it comes to . . . well just about everything.

I tell you what, you take 5 pictures of tags of your jeans and I will do the same and lets see who knows something about designer clothes.

Rather low class talk aiant it ?

Jeans are not the only designer items here and that's is why I cringed whenever I see what my colleagues from the states would wear sometimes to a formal event ...the interpretation of formal wear is lost on most ...take a lead from your Brit cousins they have formal dressing down to a T

Huh??? You have so much hate and contempt for anyone from the West. It blinds you. They say people tend to hate what they cannot have or that of which they are jealous.

As far as the silly shopping topic, everything is cool here. Many US cities have some of the best shopping in the world. If you don't want to shop here because you don't like Americans, so be it. Don't. Lol, you don't even need to tell us about it! We will be just fine if you shop here or if you don't shop here, but to say we have only generic brands is silly, sour grapes stuff.

Quoting a cringe in dress code is not hate ...although without generalizing I realize Americans are rather closed up to feedback and tend to take comments to the extreme ....

No one is claiming american malls have only generic brands ...my postings say that luxury service is better served in Asia where the service standards are higher ...not about product availability or choices

As for generic brands for the price again my posting encourages people to go to american malls as the prices is ridiculously low and great value

[impulse]

Had an import business a few years back. Selling fishing gear.

An advertising agency offered to get me prime coverage in some "top magazines", for just a few thousand $$ a week. One of them (the only one I recognized- and I had to chuckle) was Cosmopolitan.

I declined. They persisted. I ignored them.

Reading the OP, I guess I'm lucky they didn't accuse me of hating Uptight Yuppie Women....

Edited November 25, 2014 by impulse

[F430murci]

Yhellooo. What in the heck are you talking about? Lower end generic brands in the US. How about knock off, cheap counterfeit brands in Asia.

Gap , old Navy, Banana Republic, H&M , Polo , Nautical, Guess, eagle Outfitters etc etc .... All generic brands and not high end ....if you think these are luxury brands I guess you are not much of a shopper

Made in Asia without care for the proper OSHA and work protection laws or wages I certainly agree with that

For jeans, I wear D-Squared, D&G, Cavali. I may have a pair of Rag and Bone and Diesel here and there, but those I consider cheaper brands. Guess what, I buy them at US stores.

Have you ever been shopping in the US or are you just taking out you lower orifice on this issue like other issues. Suits, I don't think I have anything less than $4,500 purchased in the last 5 or 10 years. All of my shirts are custom tailored. pllleeaasse, my cheapest shirts are hand made Tom James that are custom fitted everytime I pick out a fabric. Trying to talk to me about clothes is like trying to argue with me about exotic cars. Banana Republic actually has some pretty cool clothes.

Dude, I am also married to a Russian that imports designer clothes to Russia as a side business. They are brand whores more than anyone I know. You are about clueless when it comes to . . . well just about everything.

I tell you what, you take 5 pictures of tags of your jeans and I will do the same and lets see who knows something about designer clothes.

Rather low class talk aiant it ?

Jeans are not the only designer items here and that's is why I cringed whenever I see what my colleagues from the states would wear sometimes to a formal event ...the interpretation of formal wear is lost on most ...take a lead from your Brit cousins they have formal dressing down to a T

Haha, here is what I wear for somewhat formal events. Not jeans . . . and really just a shameless plug for my hottie wife who is in a brides maid gown for a beach wedding.

[F430murci]

Maybe should have Arab sale day on stones to encourage them to shop in US stores.

----------

The Islamic State group stoned two men to death in Syria Tuesday after claiming they were gay, a monitor said, in the jihadist organisation's first executions for alleged homosexuality.

"The IS today stoned to death a man that it said was gay," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, adding that the victim was around 20 years old.

He was killed in Mayadeen in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, near the border with Iraq.

The Britain-based Observatory said IS claimed it found videos on his mobile phone showing him "practising indecent acts with males".

In a separate incident on Tuesday, an 18-year-old was also stoned to death in Deir Ezzor city after the group said he was gay, the Observatory said.

Activists on social media said that the dead men were opponents of IS and that the group had used the allegation as a pretext to kill them.

The United Nations said this month the IS had carried out several executions by stoning of women in Syria it accused of adultery.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/islamic-state-militants-stone-two-gay-men-to-death-in-syria/ar-BBfO9zE?ocid=iehp

[kieran2698]

The malls in Thailand and UAE caters better to them ...there is not much in a shopping mall in USA unless you want the lower end brands or generic brands

For the higher end brands the Arabs know the best service to go along with that price tags are the boutiques in Asia where the personalized service is matched by the price tags of those items

I'm assuming you haven't been in a high-end US mall recently.

Look at the brands in the Fashion Mall in Vegas - one of the ones mentioned in the OP - and you'll find they are exactly what wealthy Arab shoppers seek.

(and yes, that includes Victoria's Secret!).

Yes , because Victoria's Secret is just oh so hi so. Do they also sell Nike's and have a Mac Donalds?

[LawrenceChee]

Yes I agree ...if you buy a body mist in VS in USA it's $20 for 8 bottles ($2.50) on sale ....same bottle in Siam Paragon was retailing for about $19 each

My same advice stands ...for generic brands such as Gap, Outfitters , banana republic , nautica and polo head to the USA malls where if you buy a lot you save a lot of money vs buying it in Asia where it is treated as a premium brand at times because of the presentation and rents in the mall

[kieran2698]

We don't need them, don't want them and never will.

Stay at home in your sweltering sandbox, ride your camels, herd your goats and make more babies with your wives and slaves. My fervent prayer is that oil and gas fall to $5.00 a barrel

So they should learn to say "Do you want that Burqa in Black or Dark Black?"

The last person to try to dramatically lower the price of oil was Saddam, didn't work out too well for him. Keep praying, you're praying for your own country to stop controlling the market.

[spidermike007]

My heart does not bleed. The royal family supports the Wahhabi faith, which may be one of the least tolerant and most hateful, on the planet. Also the royals give millions to the extreme mullahs, and sponsor schools that educate and create terrorists. They prevent women from going out into public alone, or from driving, voting, etc. So, am I supposed to be tolerant of these freaks of nature? I do not think so. I am fond of a lot of Muslim people. But, I truly despise the Saudi regime.

On a slightly different note, the Muslim faith is suffering from a PR crisis. Part of that is due to the moderate Muslims not speaking out enough, against the super freaks like ISIS, and Al Queda. ISIS is nothing more than a band of horny rapist guys, who are making a fortune from terror, and are having the time of their lives kidnapping and raping young girls and terrorizing the local people. This of course has nothing to do with Islam. Since mass rape needs legitimacy, they do it in the make of Islam. But they do not know who God is, and God has never heard of any of these crocodiles. The sooner this plague is wiped out, the better. These pigs do not deserve the oxygen they breathe.

[AyG]

On a slightly different note, the Muslim faith is suffering from a PR crisis. Part of that is due to the moderate Muslims not speaking out enough, against the super freaks like ISIS, and Al Queda. ISIS is nothing more than a band of horny rapist guys, who are making a fortune from terror, and are having the time of their lives kidnapping and raping young girls and terrorizing the local people. This of course has nothing to do with Islam. Since mass rape needs legitimacy, they do it in the make of Islam. But they do not know who God is, and God has never heard of any of these crocodiles. The sooner this plague is wiped out, the better. These pigs do not deserve the oxygen they breathe.

Islam teaches that Mohammed was the perfect man and role model chosen by Allah, so anything that Mohammed did is acceptable behaviour from Allah's point of view. And Mohammed was rather into rape, paedophilia and murder - at least if the Koran is to be believed. And, of course, the Koran is the literal word of Allah, unquestionable and perfect for all time.

Therein lies the problem: moderate Muslims who speak out against rape, paedophilia and murder done in the name of Islam are as seen as criticising their "prophet". Not something that makes one popular in Moslem communities. Indeed, to do so could be a life-threatening.

"Horny rapist guys, who are making a fortune from terror" sounds very much like Mohammed's original followers (from the Medina period - not the Meccan period). And it's far from coincidence that Mohammed promised 72 virgins (and the less often mentioned 28 young boys) for the sexual pleasure of those* who died for their religion. After all, sex sells - particularly when you're not getting any.

Given the utter dreariness of a strict Islamic life (no music, no dancing, no pictures, no pork, boring, no chance to ogle attractive women, limited sex, incessant praying, no alcohol, the petty rules about which shoe to put on first and how to wipe your behind, &c., &c.) it's not surprising that the religion's young men seek a little fun by rioting in the streets, raping white girls, murdering those of other sects and religions, and generally having a fun time, all in the name of Islam.

* Technically not "those", but "men". Women who die for their religion are simply promised the pleasure of watching as their husbands deflowers the virgins and b*gger the boys.

[spidermike007]

On a slightly different note, the Muslim faith is suffering from a PR crisis. Part of that is due to the moderate Muslims not speaking out enough, against the super freaks like ISIS, and Al Queda. ISIS is nothing more than a band of horny rapist guys, who are making a fortune from terror, and are having the time of their lives kidnapping and raping young girls and terrorizing the local people. This of course has nothing to do with Islam. Since mass rape needs legitimacy, they do it in the make of Islam. But they do not know who God is, and God has never heard of any of these crocodiles. The sooner this plague is wiped out, the better. These pigs do not deserve the oxygen they breathe.

Islam teaches that Mohammed was the perfect man and role model chosen by Allah, so anything that Mohammed did is acceptable behaviour from Allah's point of view. And Mohammed was rather into rape, paedophilia and murder - at least if the Koran is to be believed. And, of course, the Koran is the literal word of Allah, unquestionable and perfect for all time.

Therein lies the problem: moderate Muslims who speak out against rape, paedophilia and murder done in the name of Islam are as seen as criticising their "prophet". Not something that makes one popular in Moslem communities. Indeed, to do so could be a life-threatening.

"Horny rapist guys, who are making a fortune from terror" sounds very much like Mohammed's original followers (from the Medina period - not the Meccan period). And it's far from coincidence that Mohammed promised 72 virgins (and the less often mentioned 28 young boys) for the sexual pleasure of those* who died for their religion. After all, sex sells - particularly when you're not getting any.

Given the utter dreariness of a strict Islamic life (no music, no dancing, no pictures, no pork, boring, no chance to ogle attractive women, limited sex, incessant praying, no alcohol, the petty rules about which shoe to put on first and how to wipe your behind, &c., &c.) it's not surprising that the religion's young men seek a little fun by rioting in the streets, raping white girls, murdering those of other sects and religions, and generally having a fun time, all in the name of Islam.

* Technically not "those", but "men". Women who die for their religion are simply promised the pleasure of watching as their husbands deflowers the virgins and b*gger the boys.

Certainly testament to what I said about Islam's PR problem no doubt about that.

[MexicanFarang]

What happened to that Shopping mall in Dubai, with an indoor ski slope?

[NeverSure]

-snip-

With a posting attitude like yours which is undoubtably American ....it's not hard to see why everyone ,myself included prefer to spend our top dollars in Asia and leave our purchases of everyday labels in USA where it is always at a bargain price and we can accept the drowdy service

I'm just certain that losing your business will absolutely bankrupt the United States of America.

But that's the way life is sometimes.

9/11. Never forget.

[NeverSure]

Yes I agree ...if you buy a body mist in VS in USA it's $20 for 8 bottles ($2.50) on sale ....same bottle in Siam Paragon was retailing for about $19 each

My same advice stands ...for generic brands such as Gap, Outfitters , banana republic , nautica and polo head to the USA malls where if you buy a lot you save a lot of money vs buying it in Asia where it is treated as a premium brand at times because of the presentation and rents in the mall

Now his I can agree on. I find Thailand to be expensive because almost everything I buy except cheap Thai food, rent and some utilities cost more in Thailand than they do in the US. There is no financial benefit to moving to Thailand. It would have to be for the lifestyle.

[Naam]

Yes I agree ...if you buy a body mist in VS in USA it's $20 for 8 bottles ($2.50) on sale ....same bottle in Siam Paragon was retailing for about $19 each

My same advice stands ...for generic brands such as Gap, Outfitters , banana republic , nautica and polo head to the USA malls where if you buy a lot you save a lot of money vs buying it in Asia where it is treated as a premium brand at times because of the presentation and rents in the mall

Now his I can agree on. I find Thailand to be expensive because almost everything I buy except cheap Thai food, rent and some utilities cost more in Thailand than they do in the US. There is no financial benefit to moving to Thailand. It would have to be for the lifestyle.

you are referring to your personal situation but forget the financial benefits (unfortunately not available to U.S. citizen/persons) people enjoy who would pay 40-50% income tax plus 19-22% VAT on goods and services in their home countries. these people can afford in Thailand a rather luxurious lifestyle all paid for (and more) by the income tax they save.

if somebody tells me "Thailand is expensive" my answer will be roaring laughter

[MJP]

Yet again a topic descends into race hate and baiting. This is getting so dreary now. Not all Muslims are rapists and terrorists and not all rapists and terrorists are Muslims.

spidermike007 sums up the issue of painting all Muslims with the ISIS brush very well with this quote . . .

On a slightly different note, the Muslim faith is suffering from a PR crisis. Part of that is due to the moderate Muslims not speaking out enough, against the super freaks like ISIS, and Al Queda. ISIS is nothing more than a band of horny rapist guys, who are making a fortune from terror, and are having the time of their lives kidnapping and raping young girls and terrorizing the local people. This of course has nothing to do with Islam.

[Chicog]

-snip-

With a posting attitude like yours which is undoubtably American ....it's not hard to see why everyone ,myself included prefer to spend our top dollars in Asia and leave our purchases of everyday labels in USA where it is always at a bargain price and we can accept the drowdy service

I'm just certain that losing your business will absolutely bankrupt the United States of America.

But that's the way life is sometimes.

9/11. Never forget.

Oh dear. Do you have a small violin or trumpet playing in the background? It would help with the atmosphere.

[Chicog]

What happened to that Shopping mall in Dubai, with an indoor ski slope?

Nothing, it's still there.

http://www.malloftheemirates.com/

[Chicog]

The malls in Thailand and UAE caters better to them ...there is not much in a shopping mall in USA unless you want the lower end brands or generic brands

For the higher end brands the Arabs know the best service to go along with that price tags are the boutiques in Asia where the personalized service is matched by the price tags of those items

I'm assuming you haven't been in a high-end US mall recently.

Look at the brands in the Fashion Mall in Vegas - one of the ones mentioned in the OP - and you'll find they are exactly what wealthy Arab shoppers seek.

(and yes, that includes Victoria's Secret!).

Yes , because Victoria's Secret is just oh so hi so. Do they also sell Nike's and have a Mac Donalds?

[Scott]

Inflammatory posts and replies removed.

[jpeg]

Do high end shoppers from anywhere else feel "discriminated" against because signs aren't in their native language? Nope. They realize in America people speak English, and should expect everything to be in English. When I go to China, do I expect them to cater to my English speaking ways? Or if I go to saudi Arabia? No of course not. Why should America have to pander to them?

Because every other bloody country must pander to them. Prayer rooms exclusively for Muslims in airports, a large swathe of land in Africa just fended off a wealthy Muslim potentate from using the land as their own personal hunting ground, after evacuating the Masai. And don't get me started on those loud mouthed burqa clad women berating Thai staff for not accepting a tenth of the 'asking'