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This morning, I went for a job interview at Laura's, a clothing store in the Eaton Center. It was my "second" interview, so I was pretty optimistic that I'd got something (a few evening shifts for the Christmas season?). I went about fifteen minutes early, but had to wait an extra fifteen because the woman being interviewed with me was late (forget about showing up early to start the interview on time...). Then we sat around for another ten while the interviewer got the paperwork together. I was surprised when this woman showed up. She was there at my first interview, and spoke in an incoherent Indian accent. During that interview (we did it together), she kept talking about how she was a "newcomer" and a "new immigrant" (repeating her sad state of affairs in as many ways as possible) and "in my country, this is what we do" etc. The interviewer (a black woman) kept giving her encouraging comments like "good job, good point," etc. Still, I thought for sure she was out. After all, one of the requirements of a saleswoman is to assist the customers that are here and now, not a faraway there.
So, I was surprised, and a little shocked, when she showed up again today. As part of the interview, we did an "add to this piece of clothing to make it a complete set" exercise. We got a pair of grey pants and a camel colored coat and were asked to work with each separately. I thought speed was part of the exercise, so I finished both in about fifteen minutes. The Indian woman was still roaming around the store, so rather than sit and wait, I looked through the merchandise. While I was doing this, she kept coming up to me asking where to find things. I didn't know where items were either before I started the exercise, and had done a quick survey of the clothes at the beginning of the exercise - they were pretty logically set up by color scheme. So, I either ignored her or said I didn't know. This time, I was sure she was out.
Not so fast. She was asked to come in on Monday and Thursday afternoon, as I was, to which she responded that she couldn't make it on Thursday because she was taking classes. Then her time got changed to the morning.
After all this was over, we saw the store's General Manager, whose title we knew only after she gave us information about the I.D.s and other papers we needed to bring in. I actually thought she was another shop assistant, and wasn't paying her much mind. Her manner was ingratiating, and she also had a strong (Iranian) accent.
As I left the store, I began to understand why the saleswomen were all non-English speakers, some with heavy accents. I'm sure this GM had quite a bit to do with the hiring decisions, as did the black woman who interviewed us (who never gave us her title).
I always have trouble having my questions answered correctly whenever I come to this store, mostly from the accented saleswomen who range from Mexican to Iranian. None has ever helped me with my questions on garment type, pairing items together, or simple questions about where to find things. I realized that they really didn't know much about "add[ing] to this piece of clothing to make a complete set." There is a Polish woman whom I seek out, who has a better understanding of English and of the clothing.
This is multi-culti Toronto at its best. My assessment is that through discreet affirmative action and some Human Resources decision to hire heavily accented "new" immigrants, these women ended up in this relatively mid-level store without much talent or expertise. But I think it is more clever than that. By assembling these heavily multicultural women, some of whom sound like they just "came off the boat," the store's managers probably think that this can attract similar shoppers, even if they have to trek downtown from their immigrant enclaves in the northern outskirts of Toronto. I think I was also part of the multicultural scheme, and that I would help this fellow immigrant interviewee who speaks no English during her time of distress (team work was considered #1 during the interview).
But the reality is that Laura's doesn't attract those kinds of shoppers, who are probably more at home with the down-priced merchandize from Wal-Mart. Matching a deep brown wool coat with a forest green silk scarf is not at the top of their fashion (if they even use that word) list. A grey, polyester waterproof coat of synthetic insulation, with a knitted acrylic scarf would fit their requirement for battling the Canadian winter which they dread so much (all non-white immigrants, even several generations down, have this irrational fear of winter).
So, for all their attempts at inclusiveness and multi-culti hiring practices, this particular store (and probably all of Laura's branches) will get the usual white customers, many of whom know what they want and avoid these odd, accented saleswomen, and find their own items. They would be too polite to complain for fear of being called racist. That's how I used to shop, anyway. I did a small survey of the clientele in today's interview, and yes, they were of the demographic I would expect, independently going about their ways without so much as glancing at the saleswomen.
Fortunately, Laura's clothing quality hasn't gone down. I think this will continue to happen, despite the efforts of the stores' "brains" to adjust the stores to what they think is appropriate for Toronto, and Canada.