Tuesday, June 02, 2009

Mayor Hazel and Ingle's

Jan has been moaning and groaning on our walks the last few days. She claims it's from standing on her feet Friday and Saturday to help distribute VFW Buddy Poppies. We think it's old age. After all, she is older than all of us and our 9 lives together.

Well, our friend Sherry sent us a video link that puts Jan to shame. (Okay, she sent the link to Jan and we appropriated it.) An 88-year old mayor with energy to spare -- and no whining when her dogs try to walk her. Of course, we don't actually know whether she has dogs, but if she did, she wouldn't be whining about walking with them. She'd probably be racing them down the road -- and win!

But since we mentioned the VFW, we'll take a minute to update our post A Sad Day. We hope you caught the message, that it wasn't just about the VFW being denied permission to fundraise on Ingle's Markets property. It was about the entire community being tossed out on their butts. The fire departments, most of which are volunteer, can't do another Boot Drive to raise funds. The little kid with cancer is denied a car wash to help pay his medical bills.

Friday night Jan learned that a couple months or so ago, Ingle's Corporate sent a memo effectively ending community involvement of any kind. Corporate sent the District Manager personally to post "No Soliciting" signs on the doors and to remove -- get this! -- the community bulletin board where folks could post lost animals, pets needing a home, church events, etc. Guess Ingle's, like other big corporations, has lost perspective and relegated the local community to the litter box. And we all know what goes on in a litter box!

Anyone using the email form on Ingle's website to complain, even if they specifically mention they don't live in Ingle's territory, receives a canned response:

Thank you for contacting us. Due to our increased concern for safety we have ceased activities of this kind at all of our locations. We would like to thank you for your understanding. Many groups and organizations have benefited from Ingles' giving in the past and we are hopeful that you will find other opportunities to meet your current need. A copy of our Community Giving Policy can be found at the following link http://www.ingles-markets.com/donations.php . Please check there to see if this may be an avenue for your organization. We appreciate your shopping at Ingles.
Customer Service
Ingles-Markets.com
Phone: 866-226-7168

Now, first of all, this is not about seeking money from Ingle's so their response is a slap in the face to anyone receiving it. A friend of Jan's replied, asking if Ingle's had even bothered to read his original message and he received the above for the second time. So, basically, no one is reading the messages. It's just an assembly line -- one message in, canned response out.

A Viet Nam vet cc'd Jan. We don't think he'll mind if we use a couple of lines from his message: "I wrote ingles supermarkets costumer service department about their most questionable corporate decision from their web site. .... I nicely explained without any form of vulgarisms that their corporate decision was a kick in the hind ends of disabled veterans of the USA." We imagine he received the same canned response.

We hope our post didn't get the local Ingle's manager in trouble with Corporate. And with no disrespect to him, since he has nothing to do with Corporate decisions, we think this decision was a kick in the hind ends of all Ingle's customers and their communities. Unforatunately, it reflects a growing trend. Non-involvement.

Enough said! Now to our fun video. You will enjoy this energetic mayor of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.



If the video won't play, click here.

18 comments:

  1. We're sorry to hear 'bout the mean people at Corporate. That's sad.

    Separately, yes, we've commented on the Daily Tripods blog in the past. We don't have a blog of our own. Is there any way to undo the link so that they don't keep getting messages about our friend, Tux? If people want to email us, we can be reached at momma's email at colleen.mcdonald (AT) comcast.net. (If you could encode it to keep the nasty spammers out, she'd be happy.)

    Charlemagne and Tamar

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  2. I have been trying to patronize more locally owned business, who still understand the value of supporting the community and receiving loyal customers in return.

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  3. We hads the mom answer the corporate fing, we jus find dem to be meany heads! They deserves poop on their pillows!! We gots plenty to put there too!!

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  4. Khanadians are hearty souls/soles, 'eh?

    Mom and I hope folks will hit those kind of businesses where it matters: by NOT shopping at their stores.

    My mom has not purchased a Hershey's produkht since they sold 'us' out -

    Hugz&Khysses,
    Khyra

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  5. There certainly has to be more than that one store in your town that you could take your business somewhere else. Try if you can to get all involved and make a protest by not shopping at their stupid little store. If you hit them where it counts maybe they could that allowing a little community fun raising isn't such a bad thing. Can you get the media involved? Maybe a local radio or television station that would like to get this out front for all to know. This just isn't right!!!!!

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  6. Happy birthday to dear Crystal! Hugs and purrs from the topcatrules girls XXXOOOXXX

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  7. Just want to tell you how much we love your mom (and all of yous) for taking this issue to heart. Khyra's right - boycott the store.

    Yay for Mayor Hazel - what a girl! And Canadian too. Wow.

    xoxox
    Chef

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  8. If we had that store we owuld boycott it...and we LOVE LOVE LOVE that mayor and she puts PL2 to shame..Love A+A

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  9. While we didn't see the "Sad Day: post, it is truly sad when corporations decide to withdraw any form of help from their community. Hopefully another place will be found, one that will be supportive of the community.

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  10. we are so glad we don't have an Ingles here. our local supermarket, Wegmans, is very giving to our community - the catholic college and the catholic schools and children's charities. however, they do not allow things like car washes on their property (that we know of, we have never ever seen anything like that at any wegmans) because of safety reasons, and we can understand their not wanting to put children in harms way. but at least they do other things to get involved in the community

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  11. That's a sad story.

    The movie on the other hand brought a smile to our Human's faces. What a cool lady!

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  12. I want thank you so much for coming to wish me a Happy Birthday, it made my special day the best it could ever be!
    Purrs and headbutts,
    Sabrina

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  13. Stopped by as I just realized that I missed Chrystal's birthday. I hope you had a nice quiet celebration at your place.
    Love all of you bunches!

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  14. That video is a real hoot - what a grand lady. T.

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  15. Hmm.. sorry to hear that those corporate big-wigs won't budge on their decision. That's silly and sad.. from a doggie's point of view!

    Maybe we should stage a massive boycott!! What do you think guys??

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  16. I love the video. Go, Hazel! I think it is very sad that Ingles won't even allow a community bulletin board in their stores any more, much less a little fund raising. I'm with the others; if Ingles won't support the community in any way, why should the community support them by giving them business?

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  17. Oh fanks fanks fur comin ta see benny's barkday partay yesserday!

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  18. How sad. Corporate America is seriously losing touch with the very people who support it!

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