If they're Chinese they can no longer shop at a Beijing clothing store banning "annoying" Chinese shoppers. UPI/Stephen Shaver | License Photo

BEIJING, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Locals are furious since a Beijing clothing store has banned Chinese shoppers, with employees calling them "annoying."

The store has posted a sign saying: "Chinese not admitted, except for staff."


"We didn't want to hang up the sign in the first place and lead people to think we Chinese look down upon ourselves. But some Chinese customers are too annoying," a salesperson told the Beijing Youth Daily, pointing out that the wholesale store mainly sells to foreigners.

Workers also complain that "Chinese women often try lots of clothes but end up buying nothing," and that a surveillance camera revealed a Chinese customer lifting a foreigner's wallet, which the store had to pay for. Another said the decision was aimed at preventing competitors from copying designs.

The move has ignited a storm of controversy on the Weibo social media site, with one angry poster asking: "Is this still China?" and another complaining about "bullying on my own doorstep."

Others are calling for the shop to be shut down. But while the sign might be discriminatory, it's not against the law because China doesn't have a law against racial discrimination, according to a legal expert.