to a certain spring garden buissness with a french name…this morning i walked by your buissness entrance to see a security guard standing in front of your door refusing to a let an obviously homeless person in.I noticed this blatent act of discrimination(telling the security guard that if said homeless person was wearing a suit they would welcome him with open arms)When i found out he only wanted to buy some comfortable socks i took it upon myself to confront the store owner inside…she stated the person made her staff feel uncomfortable…well people like that(the store people) make me uncomfortable!!!Does that mean they should not be allowed out of thier store???
This article appears in Aug 7-13, 2008.
Discrimination is wrong. But the situation that businesses must face with the homeless (or beggars since many make plenty of money and have a mailing address) is extremely complicated in downtown Halifax. And as such, it’s very hard to make a judgment based on a single incident.True maybe the person was just going in to Le cha… to buy a new pair of pants, in which case he or she should have not been harassed. However, there may have been a lengthy history of that homeless person entering the business to ask customers for change, to use the facilities (in an unsanitary manner), or to just plain steal – in which case the security guard was acting properly. I have no idea what was going on, so I really can’t make a judgment, but my point to you “Discrimination Sucks” is that you have no idea either. Crime also sucks!!! So I think the real issue here is why do downtown businesses need security guards in the first place? If business owners and their customers don’t feel safe – this city has a very big problem.
The business owner was within her rights – its private property and she has every right to refuse entry to anyone. Push the issue and its goes from a verbal “please don’t come in my store” to a “no trespass order” which the police will enforce.The store owner has to look at whether letting this person inside is worth the customers she may lose by him being there, the stuff he might steal or any other reason that makes him undesirable to her business. She did nothing wrong.
Owning a store is like owning a home. only difference really being that you let more strangers into your store. Would you let a klansmen into your home even if you knew he wasnt going to be violent?Its funny, you politely turn away relgious people from your house and that isnt discriminiation, but a private store owner isnt allowed to turn away a vagrant. Odd double standards in life. I agree with Ex-Hali
I can give a prime example of what a business operator faces when barring a customer – when I operated a Needs store in ’07 I took over a location that was overrun by crackwhores, drug dealers and shoplifters. Once I started getting those critters barred from the property the real customers starting coming back in and sales increased while inventory losses were cut by 90+% in the first 30 days alone. I was thrilled to see the area residents come back and they felt safer in the store without the scum wandering the aisles or begging at the entrance. It also helped with staff retention.When I left the new franchisee decided to let all the scum back in and Sobeys was left with a store in worse shape than when I took it over. She lost her staff, lost her shirt from shoplifting and finally walked out 90 days later on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
I would have just asked him what his size was and went in to buy him the socks. Discrimination is going to happen. When you’re homeless, you’re going to resort to whatever you have to do to survive.
that doesnt surprise me i find alot of spring garden stores are like that
Thank you ex-hali. Its easy to tell who has been around the block around here, eh? Pabst Blue Ribbon!
I work at the store in question, and that homeless guy had stolen a watch from us the day prior to that. So, that’s why we weren’t allowing him into the store. We don’t even sell mens socks, and I told him that the first time he tried to get in. Trust me, we are not jerks, and we don’t ‘discriminate’, we protect our stock and staff.
That guy should have been billy clubbed in the throat!I’m sorry but if you don’t present yourself in a manner that would make it acceptible for you to enter the establishment then you don’t go in!They said if he wore a suit he would be welcomed. Meaning either if he has a job and could pay for shit for a change or change his appearance maybe they would reconsider the harassment he probably continually makes or the shit they have to put up with. Are you at that location eight + hours a day looking at that guy do what he does? You are there for the tiniest sliver of time that those people have to face day in and day out. Let’s see how polite you are if someone SQUATS near your doorway. How safe would you feel if everyone who comes to visit have to go through his gauntlet. How many people would come to visit you then?Fuck him, send him to a shelter and force him into a job program.
Gimpy why dont you do us all a favor and go crawl back under that rock, you shitskid.
Sorry, taken by a homeless guy harassing people in front of a store, so I guess your’re stuck with me. Now, isn’t it ironic that you have such venom and vitrol for someone like ME and yet you are appaled by my statements…What is that word again…Oh yes, HYPOCRISY!Now you can’t comment on any unkind treatment because you arn’t tollerent worth a shit.GOOD DAY SIR!