This one's for Dave....

Okay normally I like to keep my opinions to myself unless asked for them (my rant about Bell being the exception) but here's something I have to make a couple of comments about...
I'm sure by now, you've already heard the story of the London woman who was fired for giving away a 16 cent timbit (if not go here... )

First.. I think most people are in agreement that firing her over a 16 cent timbit was a pretty bonehead move on the part of management... a warning would have been sufficient. (Although giving away a timbit to keep a regular customer happy should be applauded as a fine example of customer service, something Tim Hortons stores tends to lack... how many times have they gotten your coffee order wrong?).. but has anybody considered that the timbit probably wasn't really the reason she was fired?

I think there is far more to the story here. Management wanted her gone for one reason or another (whether it was personality conflict, or whatever) and they didn't have a reason to fire her (just so we don't get confused here, in Canada they don't need a reason, they just have to compensate you according to labour guidlines ie severance pay) She worked there for three years, so if they fired her without cause they have to give her three weeks severance pay. Now, if they fire her for expressly going against company policy, they don't have pay-up....
I'll bet they've been watching their surveillance tapes for a while, waiting for her to give them a reason.

Now second... and this is the part that really gets me... everyone seem's to be "applauding" Tim Hortons as a corporation for giving her job back.... now I want you all to seriously consider this... do you really think Tim Horton's would have given a rat's ass if the woman hadn't gone to the papers and garnered province- (if not nation-) wide media attention? I doubt it. I think this is a fine example of just how much power the purchasing public has....

Now if only we'd use it for good and not evil.... and by evil I mean, lining up through the parking lot and down the road for an increasingly inferior product. As recent as a decade ago Tim Hortons was a great place for a snack. Now their prodcut costs more, is smaller, and the quality has seriously gone down hill. In this area, they have effectively wiped out the competition, and as soon as that was done it was like they said, "F*** it! they have no where else to go, let's sell them crap!"

And sadly, like lemmings leaping to their doom, consumers continue to line up day in and day out for a crappy cup of coffee... whatever happened to making a cup before work and putting it in your travel mug?

Maybe with the price of gas, the lemmings will all wake up and realize how much time and fuel they are wasting, not to mention money.... if you don't count the wasted gas, consider this a 2-cup a day habit (and for many it's higher) costs approx $20 a week, thats $80 a month... that's more than I pay for hydro! Hell, that's just a little less than my insurance payment. That's just over $1,000 a year.... that's just sad... doubly so if you're one of those donut, bagel or sandwich people.

Something to think about.

Don't be lemming... just say no to donuts