Trader Joe's at Wisconsin & Stanford in Bethesda

[Anonymous]

Wow, OP.

[Anonymous]

It's cultural. They are speaking Romanian.

[Anonymous]

I am a polyglot and speak 18 languages.

[Anonymous]

Frankly, at that TJ’s, I’m just happy to have survived the parking lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What language were they speaking?

It's French. A lot of the workers there are African. I like it!

I'm all for normalizing not speaking English! I'm born here and speak English fluently, and I love speaking to my kids in another language. Some people act weird about it, and then when I flip to English they really are so confused. I can literally hear their world expanding.

It's not French.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was just about to post that it's probably French. We are French and love speaking to a couple of staff members in French. However we rarely go now, because the parking is terrible and the newer TJs in Bethesda is closer to our house.

I have lived in multiple countries, OP, and have been surrounded by Britishers, Germans, Spaniards, Japanese, etc. I attended an international private school in Paris. It's culturally and emotionally important for immigrants or foreigners to connect with others in their native language. When I hear Americans talking to each other in France, or in any other non-US country, I am happy that they found each other and can talk their own language together. Even if they're loud, even if there are others right there who cannot understand them. It's not rude. It's healthy.

You should extend some grace, instead of being xenophobic (and racist, because I know who you're thinking of).

I'm picturing in a cafe or running into each other on the sidewalk. No one would object to people speaking any language they want then. Don't pretend this is about racism or xonophobia because it's not. It's about basic manners, where the people around you feel included.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also if OP was upset about the volume and not xenophobic she would just say they were Louis when communicating

Who's Louis?

It's not about the volume -- it's about the language. It's just as rude as whispering. If they enjoy speaking in their native language with each other then do it in the breakroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I bet OP thought they were speaking Africanese. And now she knows it's French all the wind has been taken out of her sails because Paris has been on her bucket list forever. And now she's just staring at her sun-faded Eiffel Tower poster...

Are you in college PP? That's the last time I thought of a poster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is what annoys you about that Trader Joe’s??

I thought this was going to be about the microscopic parking lot.

Seriously though, I kind of love listening to people speak in languages I don’t understand. I hear sounds instead of words and it sounds melodic.

Doesn't that issue have its own thread? It should. They need another parking level above. The spaces are bike size not meant for huge Bethesda SUVs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was just about to post that it's probably French. We are French and love speaking to a couple of staff members in French. However we rarely go now, because the parking is terrible and the newer TJs in Bethesda is closer to our house.

I have lived in multiple countries, OP, and have been surrounded by Britishers, Germans, Spaniards, Japanese, etc. I attended an international private school in Paris. It's culturally and emotionally important for immigrants or foreigners to connect with others in their native language. When I hear Americans talking to each other in France, or in any other non-US country, I am happy that they found each other and can talk their own language together. Even if they're loud, even if there are others right there who cannot understand them. It's not rude. It's healthy.

You should extend some grace, instead of being xenophobic (and racist, because I know who you're thinking of).

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was just about to post that it's probably French. We are French and love speaking to a couple of staff members in French. However we rarely go now, because the parking is terrible and the newer TJs in Bethesda is closer to our house.

I have lived in multiple countries, OP, and have been surrounded by Britishers, Germans, Spaniards, Japanese, etc. I attended an international private school in Paris. It's culturally and emotionally important for immigrants or foreigners to connect with others in their native language. When I hear Americans talking to each other in France, or in any other non-US country, I am happy that they found each other and can talk their own language together. Even if they're loud, even if there are others right there who cannot understand them. It's not rude. It's healthy.

You should extend some grace, instead of being xenophobic (and racist, because I know who you're thinking of).

You don't know OP's background. OP could be like you who cherishes the many cultures in the greater DC area or has lived in various places around the world as many in greater DC have. Looks like you missed the point: it's the type of experience and customer service expected in a "typical" grocery store in the US. Employees were probably not doing anything offensive or saying anything offensive. If at a French store it is that kind of environment Americans soak up as being part of the experience of going into a store run by French speaking immigrants or French-Americans. Not necessarily at a Trader Joe's.

Don't twist yourself into a pretzel here. You're defending the indefensible and trying to parse which particular location is OK for not speaking the majority language of a given country. THAT is complete nonsense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was just about to post that it's probably French. We are French and love speaking to a couple of staff members in French. However we rarely go now, because the parking is terrible and the newer TJs in Bethesda is closer to our house.

I have lived in multiple countries, OP, and have been surrounded by Britishers, Germans, Spaniards, Japanese, etc. I attended an international private school in Paris. It's culturally and emotionally important for immigrants or foreigners to connect with others in their native language. When I hear Americans talking to each other in France, or in any other non-US country, I am happy that they found each other and can talk their own language together. Even if they're loud, even if there are others right there who cannot understand them. It's not rude. It's healthy.

You should extend some grace, instead of being xenophobic (and racist, because I know who you're thinking of).

I'm picturing in a cafe or running into each other on the sidewalk. No one would object to people speaking any language they want then. Don't pretend this is about racism or xonophobia because it's not. It's about basic manners, where the people around you feel included.

You do not need to be included in their conversation. Are you so lonely that you’re looking for inclusion just anywhere, including in TJ employee banter? Work on your own social skills and build your own circle so that you’re not looking for inclusion in random places.

[Anonymous]

Many of the workers at that TJ's are Senegalese. They are so lovely, always offer to help and I enjoy shopping there. I asked about it one time and had the most interesting conversation. We discovered that the person behind me in line had family from the same place in Senegal as the cashier and it was the sweetest moment.

You could have just asked them and maybe you would have had a nice interaction and not felt like the world revolves around you and what you perceive as rude.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was just about to post that it's probably French. We are French and love speaking to a couple of staff members in French. However we rarely go now, because the parking is terrible and the newer TJs in Bethesda is closer to our house.

I have lived in multiple countries, OP, and have been surrounded by Britishers, Germans, Spaniards, Japanese, etc. I attended an international private school in Paris. It's culturally and emotionally important for immigrants or foreigners to connect with others in their native language. When I hear Americans talking to each other in France, or in any other non-US country, I am happy that they found each other and can talk their own language together. Even if they're loud, even if there are others right there who cannot understand them. It's not rude. It's healthy.

You should extend some grace, instead of being xenophobic (and racist, because I know who you're thinking of).

I'm picturing in a cafe or running into each other on the sidewalk. No one would object to people speaking any language they want then. Don't pretend this is about racism or xonophobia because it's not. It's about basic manners, where the people around you feel included.

You do not need to be included in their conversation. Are you so lonely that you’re looking for inclusion just anywhere, including in TJ employee banter? Work on your own social skills and build your own circle so that you’re not looking for inclusion in random places.

You don't know basic manners. I suppose you also say, "How does it affect YOU if I yawn widely without covering my mouth?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also if OP was upset about the volume and not xenophobic she would just say they were Louis when communicating

Who's Louis?

It's not about the volume -- it's about the language. It's just as rude as whispering. If they enjoy speaking in their native language with each other then do it in the breakroom.

Previous poster feels if original poster (OP) is not xenophobic and OP only had an issue with the loud environment at that TJ, OP would have described it using a name like Louis instead of: "employees who were speaking loudly and constantly in a language that is not English."