Grocery Store Manager - Bah Humbug!

[schnyder]

Tis the season to be nasty apparently!! This afternoon the general manager of a large store in Towne Centre Mall decided to go off on an older Volunteer doing good in her community. This is the season of the Salvation Army Kettle program,-whether you are a supporter of it or not they are there ringing cheer and collecting money for the needy in our communities.
for many years now the volunteers have been given the opportunity to 'ring their bells' indoors at this large store- management changed and they are now told to stay outside...fine they have moved their kettles outside.
This afternoon however a store employee saw the volunteer outside and invited her inside the store and even carried in the donation kettle- the store manager then stormed up to her telling her, in a very loud voice angrily, that she was to be outside!!
After explaining she had been brought in by another employee he continued to rant in front of staff and customers.

As a long standing customer of this store for over 36 years as well as a business owner I am sickened by this and will be returning my rewards card to the store as I will no longer be shopping there. Anyone who would treat someone like this especially a volunteering senior citizen in the community will not have my support.

[psychprof]

Seriously?!! It's bloody cold outside. What's the problem with inside? Did he/she give any reason as to why a senior citizen who is volunteering to help the community must stand outside? It's hard enough to get volunteers without this sort of deterrent.

If it's the store I'm thinking of, the employees have been very unhappy with said new manager.

[sassybee]

Pretty bad...why can't they be inside? Is this because the staff can't stand listening to the bells all day? I say a lovely man with the kettle, at Save On I believe, and he was ring his bells very quietly. I thought that was nice he was doing it so quietly.

[Anonymous123]

Why is this thread in the West Kelowna section?

[watchkat]

Why is this thread in the West Kelowna section?

I believe it is called the Westbank Towne Centre
Address: 2475 Dobbin Rd, West Kelowna, BC V4T 2E9 .......the one over by the Chevron and Shopper's Drug Mart.
Not the Town Centre Mall on Bernard...there is no grocery story in that one.

[Bsuds]

Wrong name for the shopping mall?

[schnyder]

Yes it is the Towne Centre Mall in Westbank - therefore it is in the West Kelowna Forum.
And the Save-on has not let them ring the bells at the Westbank location for over two years now either

[samsquench07]

Just curious, how come I have never seen these people ring the bells at Tim Hortons? Or have I just not noticed?

[Bearto]

While I certainly sympathize with the situation of being a volunteer, I also have to look at the entire situation and based on the fact that I wasn't there my opinion is based on that.. First off, I find it suspect that the OP was there for both events and if so, it couldn't have been long between events so someone needs to really think about what they did.

Some stores have a policy that these types of collections do not happen in store and if so the manager was doing his job and following policy. The fact the volunteer came back in despite the store "manager" requesting that the donations be collected outside showed not only a lack respect for the store manager in his original request, a lack of respect for the store employee as well who will undoubtedly as well suffer some negative feedback as well. The employee in turn showed a lack of respect for management by not checking first if it was allowed (maybe that's why they are *bleep* off they used to get away with things under the old guard, I know one of the employees first hand so ummm yes)

That store location offers quite a bit of protection from the elements and regularly has groups soliciting for donations in all kinds of inclement weather. Volunteers need to dress for the weather that's what I told my scout troops so no matter their age or charity no one should ever assume a business will grant you a warm and dry space to do it.

If the volunteer had listened in the first place, nothing needed to happen IMO.

[sassybee]

The gentleman WAS at the Save On location, just a few days ago. He was outside however, and still doing it quietly. He was at the entrance to save on, not the exit. Maybe Schnyder wasn't there that day.

[schnyder]

This happened today...The volunteer was doing her job outside and did tell the employee who told her to go inside that the manager was against it. The store employee said out loud "that's nuts" and proceeded to grab the kettle and take it indoors...
The volunteer (77 year old lady) simply followed him in...

[Anonymous123]

Why is this thread in the West Kelowna section?

I believe it is called the Westbank Towne Centre
Address: 2475 Dobbin Rd, West Kelowna, BC V4T 2E9 .......the one over by the Chevron and Shopper's Drug Mart.
Not the Town Centre Mall on Bernard...there is no grocery story in that one.

Thanks for the clarification.

[Bearto]

This happened today...The volunteer was doing her job outside and did tell the employee who told her to go inside that the manager was against it. The store employee said out loud "that's nuts" and proceeded to grab the kettle and take it indoors...
The volunteer (77 year old lady) simply followed him in...

Well again based on your interpretation of an event that you say were at for both occurrences I would say the only one that appears at fault here was the employee for not listening to and respecting the volunteer and the manager. This however did not preclude the volunteer from seeking out the manager again to see if what this employee said was okay or not but instead continued on and thus the volunteer suffered some unfortunate confrontation. I ask, how was the manager to know what had just transpired? Did the employee go get the manager and straighten it out? Did you bother to talk to him about this issue before roasting him on a public forum?

I in no way support a public flogging until it's warranted, and in this case I think its wrong..

[fluffy]

Can there really be any decent excuse for publicly humiliating another person ?

[eMeM]

Can there really be any decent excuse for publicly humiliating another person ?

Your statement can be interpreted either way. Well played, Fluffy... Well played.