People here have always been super helpful and friendly but some days ago we went to Continente and had our first bad experience.
The lady at the till rang up our items and then started to speak to us in Portuguese so I politely told her "nao fala Portuguese".
Transaction complete, she turned to the next customer without giving me my stamps for the promotion dishes.
I asked for the "selos" and she went off at us. All I understood were the words "Selos, nao fala Portuguese and estrangeros". I simply replied "desculpa".

The customers behind us looked embarrassed but we left.

We have not seen her since but can only vision on what occurred after we left and in hindsite we should have waited.

We are convinced that the customer behind us or even the others that heard it all must have given her a lambasting that attracted the attention of management and that was the end of her job.

So sorry about that Ukram .It must be very rare to have that happen here. It did happen to me in the Netherlands more than once when I explained as a very new ex-pat that I didn't speak the language. The salesgirl simple turned on her heel and walked off leaving me standing there.on one occasion It could be that the woman was embarrassed at not speaking English.(maybe a condition of the job she glossed over) Who know's people can be rude because someone was rude to them. However it doesn't excuse her so hope she was called to task for it.

I'm more concerned about how you felt as a non-speaker of the national language. I agree with you that staying there and asking the cashier or her supervisor as to what exactly she said 'after all you don't speak therefore you cannot report what exactly she said and meaant' and clarifying the matter and perhaps getting an apology or the clear understanding that your lack of Portuguese bothered her.
I'm perfectly fluent and this much I know.
Cashiers or other supermarket staff are generally blue collar workers who rarely took English language courses beyond elementary/high school. They speak a bit of English (and most do a great job, since in Spain, Bulgaria, etc rarely do cashiers, speak 3 words of English). I rarely defend the Portuguese, but must say that almost every citizen here welcomes foreigners. I don't believe this person meant to discriminate you or that she was upset you're not fluent in her language. In the Algarve there can be tourist fatigue. But you live in the North. So I think it was just a matter of her not presenting you with the stamps thinking you were a tourist who therefore wouldn't need it. Without any bad intention.
Please don't let this incident change your view.
I wouldn't jump to the conclusion she's lost her job either. Portugal does not have the same culture of customer service as anglo-saxon countries, and how staff treat customers isn't a factor in their evaluation. Believe me I know Portuguese culture and society! So, next time please stay and ask questions until you decipher the whole situation accurately. And please don't feel like you need to learn Portuguese. Unlike many other nations the Portuguese don't expect that of resident foreigners. They take pride in speaking English and love to practice their skills.

Unfortunately, what you actually said to her was "Don't speak Portuguese", not "I don't speak Portuguese" (eu não falo português) - so it's just possible she thought you were telling her to shut up. Not an excuse for bad manners, but.......

I could be wrong, but I think that promotion has ended.
We got a pyrex measuring cup.

Some people are rude, that transcends national boundaries.

I'm having a little chuckle here at your expense, sorry but you did tell her "don't speak Portuguese!" She probably thought," cheeky bugger, I'll speak Portuguese if I like!"

Seriously though, if that's your first bad experience here in the north, you're doing well and don't let it affect you! I could write a book on some of the crap I've had to put up with at work here from Portuguese who emigrated to France and come here to Portugal for their holidays, they're way worse than the French themselves! My theory is they are treated like sh!t in France and come here somehow disgruntled and feeling a bit superior and don't like foreigners in their homeland!

Rather than trying to say you don't speak Portuguese, why not try speaking a little Portuguese? After all, you are in Portugal. I find that when I get to the point where my knowledge of their language starts to break down, the Portuguese become very helpful and either break into a little English or get someone over to help. It work especially well over the telephone.

I'm afraid you could be right there gedscottish. It's a natural human reaction when you have experienced discrimination yourself ,you can pass that on when you get back to your homeland. Afraid I have been a tad guilty of that when returning to the uk and finding Dutch people on 'my patch' Not rude to them but not inclined to be friendly either.. That was long ago when young and sensitive . thankfully have more understanding now

The behaviour of the emigres is not just confined to their attitude to foreigners - they also have a reputation for treating those who remain in Portugal badly, complaining about everything and generally showing off. In the north, you must have noticed the number of inappropriate houses built to show how much money they have made and how superior is/was the architecture of their adopted country. Those returning from the UK tend to be known as "caga libras".... I'll leave you to translate.

Oh, and it's not just when they return either.....from experience in the UK, the Portuguese community abroad tend to display the same "qualities" amongst themselves.

She was probably just being friendly - the northerners can get a bit "warm" sometimes in a way that sounds quite alarming until you get to know them. Facial expressions don't always give away a lot either but they're very big-hearted in the main. If it's loud, you're fine.

It was probably a sort of double sympathy rather than embarrassment. Part for the cashier and part for you, poor foreign folk lost in a language you don't understand. They all know what it's like to be an immigrant - if they haven't been one themselves a member of their close family will have. If you want an overt display of sympathy, try bursting into tears - you'll probably end up with a few dinner invites.

BTW "desculpa" is the noun form ie it means "an excuse" rather than "excuse me", so you were unintentionally adding insult to injury. "Desculpe" or "perdão" is the way to ask forgiveness for your sins

....and I have found that a little frustrating! I wanted to learn Portuguese, not necessarily to be fluent, but to make myself understood. Unfortunately, all the Portuguese people I know tell me not to bother as learning English is more important to them. So instead of them helping me with Portuguese, I have to help them with English! However, when I use the limited Portuguese words I know, their faces light up, and they say, "You speak good Portuguese now," but they say it in English of course!

I guess that depends on the people .... around me in the Alentejo there are few who speak English, so I continue murdering the Portuguese language - I have learned by ear, not by tuition, so like the Hong Kong tailor, I copy everything, mistakes as well

Something to remember is that the Portuguese think their language is VERY difficult to learn, so they don't expect a foreigner to be fluent - but they do appreciate it when you try to speak it. To me, Portuguese is as difficult or easy as any other western European language - and a lot easier than some, but then I have a grounding in French and Castilian, which helps with pronunciation and grammar to a great extent.

Unfortunately, any conversation is likely to go beyond what has been learned - and it's about culture, not just language - so the best "excuse" is not to tell them "I don't speak Portuguese", but to say to them "Sorry, I don't understand that - I'm a foreigner" ("Desculpe, eu não entendo isso - eu sou um estrangeiro (or "uma estrangeira").

Well I'm in the Algarve of course, and the Alentejo is very different indeed!

And, yes I agree with you totally. All the Portuguese people I know think their language is too difficult to learn, but as I said they do like it when I make an effort!

We have lived here in the suburbs of Viana for almost 2 years and our local Continente is a large hyper store with many staff. Not a single one of them can string 2 words together in English. Taking the matter up with management will be a fruitless waste of time.
We are the only foreigners in this area so they know us by now. Blue eyes and blonde hair.

Now some may ask why we don't learn Portuguese. Well...who do we practice it on? Locals cannot interact with us.
If we need advice or translations of letters we pop into the SEF office down the road and they are always pleased to see us and practice their English. They seem disappointed when we leave. Unfortunately we cannot do that too often.

There are many Portuguese in the old city center that speak English but we hardly ever get to go there. Most of the staff at Continente there speak good English.

I'm sorry but that is a very poor excuse to not learn a little bit of the language of the country you have been living for 2 years.

Its also a bit disturbing the unspoken wish in your comment that it should have cost the poor cashier her job