what happened to the motto the customer is always right?

Another Day another Dollar Store

pic taken 6-8-2015

     

        I was in Canton at the Canton South Dollar Store in the plaza adjacent to Mc. Donald’s and I noticed this flagrant violation of a fire code violation, that in the event of a fire could cause a loss of life if there was a rush for the doors . Numerous fires over the years have resulted in loss of lives when management has chosen to block access to a door.

    I imagine the door could be opened in an emergency but for some reason the management of this particular Dollar Store chooses to block the door instead of fixing the door as they should. It is rough opening the door but it will open. They are fully aware there is problems with the door but choose to use this method of preventing patrons from using the door instead of fixing it as they should. Apparently the local fire officials’ are ok with it as nothing has been done despite the flagrant way they are blocking the door. A loss of life could surely result in an ignorance of the fact, although I am sure someone in the Canton Twp. local fire department or their family surely use the store, As local shopping stores are being pushed out by the discount chains like Dollar Stores , and Save a Lot and i am sure they too need food like everyone else and refuse to drive 10 miles to get it.

      I made mention to them and they basically told me to mind my own business. I say screw them they are in the business of providing a service to the general public and have a responsibility to make sure their shopping experience is a safe one. The reason there is two doors opening outward is a design feature to prevent specifically in the case of a fire, people being crowded at the door, possibly being trampled in the process of an emergency escape. I understand full well why we have safety codes like this in effect for public buildings.

    Numerous times in American history major loss of life has occurred during a fire from people trying to exit a business and the bodies usually pile up on the inside of the doors that are blocked. To purposely intend to block the doors, or knowingly not fix a maintenance problem with the doors is putting the management of that facility at risk of manslaughter charges or even worse murder charges in the event there is  fire and loss of life. a fire at this facility could easily be a possibility, as one time I was in there and I could hear a ventilation fan in the ceiling squealing so loud it was drowning out the sound of the canned music in their facility. I mentioned something to an employee and they said they were aware of it but no one was doing anything about it. They also were irritated by the noise but were helpless to do anything about it. Well it has probably burned up or someone finally found the switch to turn it off. I never hear it anymore. A history of ignoring problems is evident at this facility.

     These places like the Dollar Store and other chains let local managers make the decisions that affect the profit and loss of a store. I imagine the margins of profit are slim and it all depends on the flow of traffic to make a profit at a store like this. They have to come in from the door and of all things why should you even attempt to put the patrons at risk. I have seen the manager get mad because people attempt to use the wrong door, not seeing her hand printed sign. Her ignorance of the laws is no excuse for treating patrons like this, but is typical of what is happening to consumers as it seems the companies selling products are becoming more and more abrasive to consumer spending.

    A few weeks ago I went on a rant about the Coke truck and him parking his semi in front of the gas station and blocking access to the store making all the consumers walk around the truck to get into the store. Guess what? I was in Save a Lot and guess who was there but the Coke man delivering Coke products inside the store. I wanted some apple juice out of the pop aisle and came around the corner and there was the Coke man inside the store with his over sized coke semi cart transporting half the product off his semi and stocking the shelves, Completely blocking the aisle keeping me from what I was after. All he had to do was move his cart over but instead he just looked at me. I asked if he was going to move the cart when I indicated I was after some product down the aisle, and he just looked at me again like I was crazy. I said to him "Fuck it I will go around." I went to the other end of the aisle and by the time I made it half way up the aisle towards my destination, he had moved the cart to another section in the same aisle still blocking me from getting what I wanted.

    When he saw me coming he knew I was pissed and tried to make an effort to get his semi cart over to the side of the aisle , as I passed he says" I can’t get a break." as if i was hassling him and inconveniencing him, After all i did walk around., and besides he is getting paid to do this job by consumers like myself. 

       I said to him "Why do you need a break?  We are the consumers of your damn product hogging the aisles. We are the ones needing a break." Whatever happened to the customer is always right. When did we take second fiddle to company’s profits, be it Coke or Dollar Store, or any of them out there . We are at their mercy in some regards, But they are still dependent on us to pay for their product. Maybe a solution may be to run the Coke truck at night . Surely his semi and his semi Coke cart could surely negotiate and block aisles and gas pumps at will and still deliver the product much more efficiently  without interfering with anyone’s sensibilities. Coke has a shelf life of 100 years or until it eats the sides of the can out, surely stocking shelves and blocking gas pumps could easily be done at night without affecting the quality (?) of the product.

      Why should we the consumers make amends for any company? Especially when it inconveniences us or compromises our safety when shopping at their facility. this same coke truck no doubt is the one parked ion gas stations hogging the front of stores making patrons walk blindly into traffic. We are supposed to give this guy a break? I say he needs to find another job like flagman where stopping people and inconveniencing them is an everyday occurrence. As far as the manager at the dollar store goes. When they finally lock the doors because of her ignorance she will get hers then,. hopefully nothing ever happens seriously before then.