Rites of Spring #38 - Blip or trend - shortchanging in the cafe and bakeries · Sunday June 20, 2010 by colin newell
I want to be very careful when I introduce this topic – I do not want to inflame any cafe or bakery owners.
Because this is a very inexact and unscientific observation.
Totally…
So here goes… Brace yourself.
More often, I seem to be catching staff at some of the local cafes and bakeries “short changing” me…
By a very consistent 1 dollar.
Not 2$ or 50 cents – but 1 dollar. Always.
This has happened to me 3 times in the last month.
Today, when it happened again, I called the staffer on it.
They happily gave me the dollar that was skipped and
even said… “I thought I did not give you the right change…”
I was courteous about it and although I was thinking to myself: “If you thought about it, why did you not mention it til you were handing my purchase and I would be heading out the door?”
Did not say it though.
My thinking is: It’s a buck. It’s trivial. I generally put a all of my small change in the tip jar when – a.) I am buying a coffee
b.) Buying whole bean coffee or
c.) Buying a food product in a bakery.
So. Help me out here folks.
Are you seeing the same thing?
If you want to name names, do not do it here – send me an e-mail.
Casual observations are welcomed here – but do not point fingers at individual businesses.
I have been observing cafe culture since the late 80’s and this is one of the odd trends – could all be in my head… or coincidence.
Would love to hear from my readers.
Thanks!
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Rites of Spring #37 - Most stupid story I have heard this month · Saturday June 19, 2010 by colin newell
Part of my morning ritual – listening to Gregor Craigie of CBC on the Island while he interviews folks, delivers the news and coaxes the weather and sports out of his cheery colleagues at 90.5 Mhz
My part of staying informed obviously.
Particularly on Monday’s when there is no paper because the Times Colonist is eliminating papers to serve us better.
Anyway.
The CBC story this morning ( in June I think…) was Gregor interviewing one of Thrifty Foods brightest executives explaining why Thrifty Foods was shipping Island produce to the mainland for storage and inevitable shipping back to Vancouver Island.
Right.
Smarty pants Thrifty Foods exec explains… We were bringing over fruit and vegetables and stock from around North America… and (get this) sending empty trucks back over to the mainland!
Gregor bit his lip and girded his loins and replied…
“Wouldn’t it be better to have a cold storage facility on Vancouver Island for produce destined for Vancouver Island?”
Good digging there Gregor!
Reply.
It did not make sense for Thrifty Foods to send empty trucks back to the mainland when we have perfectly good cold storage facilities over in the Vancouver area.
Jesus. Of course. Psyche. Why didn’t I get that? (bashing my head against wall like Dobbie of Harry Potter)
For the record, our Island proud company, Thrifty Foods, is now owned and operated by Sobey Foods of Ontario.
Which explains the wizard like thinking above.
Good journalism Gregor! You really held that exec dudes toes to the fire.
This reminds me of the local hospital society that sends their dirty laundry to Calgary, Alberta for scrubbing… as opposed to using a local laundry – which simply would not make sense… would it?
No. Of course not.
Rites of Spring #36 - B.C. Mudslide - so what the heck went wrong · Friday June 18, 2010 by colin newell
A week ago today (Last Friday) an Osoyoos hiker near the Testalinden Lake, Oliver B.C. noticed the water was over spilling the earthen dam and contacted a local B.C. tourism office…
which in turn alerted the RCMP…
and then the RCMP notified the provincial government…
…two days before Sunday’s catastrophic mudslide…
And then. Nothing.
Until Sunday… then… Whoosh!
The RCMP informed the forests ministry because the hiker said the overflowing water was muddying a road beside the lake…
…which the RCMP thought would be a forestry road. And they were right.
Our honorable Minister of Public Safety, Mike de Jong, was not available for comment.
A dam gives way, wiping out five homes near Oliver causing millions of dollars of damage to homes, farms and infrastructure – and nothing from our leaders.
Grower Kathy Mercier, who raised grapes for Toronto-based wine giant Andrew Peller Limited, experienced a near total loss on her seven-acre property.
“Think of a giant lava flow, that’s exactly what it looks like. And it stops right on top of my Merlot,” said Mercier.
She also ran a popular B&B in the area – and it was crushed by a combination of mud, tree trunks, refrigerator sized boulders and random automobiles.
Mercier, whose insurance will not cover the devastation, said her neighbors recall regular inspections of the lake decades ago, but in recent times those checks dwindled and then all but stopped.
Affected residents in Oliver may be eligible for disaster assistance compensation of 80 per cent of their losses above $1,000 to a maximum of $300,000.
Good thing this didn’t happen here in Victoria – 300G would cover the loss of the garage… hardly a home or property.
Humor aside, this incident illustrates vividly the Provinces general disinterest in British Columbia residents, small business and so on. Gordon Campbell and his ilk are only concerned about making deals with huge corporations and bankrupting us all in the most creative fashion possible.
Currently Gordon and his boys are wrapped up in the B.C. Rail scandal (taking his eye off of what is obviously more important.)
Til that scandal and who-knows-how many other scandals wrap up (in the courts and beyond) – this is the kind of emergency response I guess we can expect.
This all makes living right here on the West Coast dead center in a subduction zone… kind of scary.
Good luck everyone.
Rites of Spring #35 - Victoria's Best coffee - come on - applause · Sunday June 13, 2010 by colin newell
Someone has to get this title… so let’s do it with a picture.
I refuse to use Twit-Pic because… hey, I have my own server and I like to keep my hands on my photos – real possessive that way…
Anyway – if you asked me right now where the best damn cup of coffee is in Victoria B.C. Canada — Victoria as in downtown or near downtown Victoria (not Vancouver Island which is another category…)
I would say… without a moments hesitation…
Discovery Coffee – either on Oak Bay (where I practically live…)
or on Discovery Street downtown.
And although the music is often too loud (even for a middle aged short haired hippie like me…)
The coffee is… I beg your pardon… Fucking dope.
It just is. Enjoy life. Drink Discovery coffee. And listen to those around you.
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