Please be polite to retail workers
I work at a large retail home improvement store in Langford. During the past month and a half, we have seen a huge increase in customer traffic in our store. Many people are polite and grateful for the fact that we are there, but there has been an increase in the number of unpleasant, abusive incidents toward us. I understand that people are frightened and frustrated; but, gentle customer, before you take out your anger and frustration on the employees right in front of you, please consider the following:
Retail employees work long, difficult hours on their feet, often trying to help multiple customers at the same time.
Most retail employees would also rather be home gardening or doing home renovations, but we do not qualify for any kind of subsidy or paid leave.
Store-level employees are not responsible for the policies mandated by companies/government.
This situation is unprecedented 鈥� we are all flying by the seat of our pants and doing the best we can.
We are human beings and want the same respect and care that you want.
We don鈥檛 get any extra pay for taking abuse 鈥� so if you curse us on the phone or in person, we will move on to the next customer.
You鈥檒l get more with honey than with vinegar!
We look forward to helping you with the same respect we request.
Craig Bugden
Sooke
Please wear mask on public transit
Re: 鈥淢ake masks mandatory in businesses,鈥� letter, May 9.
Thank you to the writer requesting everyone to wear masks (or face coverings) while shopping 鈥� and for thinking of the safety of others.
As a consumer I can limit my activity and contact to what I feel comfortable with and am in and out of the store in a relatively short time. The customer service people are working many hours and helping numerous people everyday.
I would also like to request that people wear a mask while riding public transit. Even though transit is making an effort to limit riders it is still very difficult to social distance.
I will be returning to work soon and really appreciate these considerations. I will be wearing a mask to protect our customers and smiling at them with my eyes.
Nancy Davis
Victoria
Praise for Nanaimo auto dealership
My father, who will be 88 years young this summer, was concerned about the logistics of bringing in his Subaru for a recent service call during this time of physical distancing due to the COVID-19 virus.
Imagine my surprise when he told me the Nanaimo dealership where he bought the car provided 鈥渃omplimentary pickup and delivery of client vehicles鈥� to a home or office for service needs.
I told him the complimentary pickup-and-delivery service would only be for those who lived in the Nanaimo metro area. He lives in Qualicum Beach, about 50 kilometres from Nanaimo.
He said, no. His dealership was planning on having two representatives drive all the way out to Qualicum Beach, drive both vehicles back to Nanaimo, perform the service, return his vehicle (cleaning and sanitizing all high-touch surfaces in the process), then drive back to Nanaimo. And that indeed is what happened.
On his behalf and mine, I would like to publicly thank that dealership and those within the Subaru company who were instrumental in formulating this policy.
Issues arising from this pandemic have caused some companies in sa国际传媒 to step-up in providing exceptional service and showing that they care.
Ron Tyler
Calgary
Who profits from聽pandemic?
It seems someone always profits from whatever arrives: war, virus, shortages of whatever.
Every country in the world is going quadrillions of dollars in debt. I assume that money is borrowed from someone.
Who are they?
What is the rate of interest?
What control of our way of life do we surrender?
Whitney Moyer
Colwood
A great opportunity to clean up downtown
The pandemic is a golden opportunity for Victoria to clean up the main tourist area along Government Street, parts of Douglas Street, Johnson and Yates streets and Chinatown.
The tourist trade will be considerably down this summer. Buildings could be sandblasted where needed, all streets and sidewalks could be power washed, and maintenance painting including some buildings, crosswalk lanes and traffic lanes could be done.
Summer student jobs could be set up to give the downtown area a terrific cleaning which hopefully will attract local citizens back to the area. And while you鈥檙e at it, increase police patrols in the area so that locals (and tourists next year) can feel safe.
It鈥檚 past time for Victoria to return to its tourist glory days and be ready for an amazing 2021.
J. Ric Turpin
Saanich
Continue prescription renewals by phone
For years I have wondered why patients are required to go to their doctor鈥檚 office for a prescription renewal. Many people are on prescription medication for life, and the renewal of these prescriptions is pro聽forma.
Doctor鈥檚 office visits put people at risk as they force you to sit waiting in a room full of sick people.
Until recently, renewing prescriptions by phone was forbidden. Now most doctor鈥檚 consultations are done by phone to avoid spreading COVID-19.
Hopefully, sa国际传媒鈥檚 health providers will learn from this experience and allow standard prescription renewals by phone after the pandemic is over.
Doctor鈥檚 offices will always be hot spots for disease transmission, so let鈥檚 reduce exposures by using the phone whenever possible. Less travel is also better for the environment. A win-win.
S. I. Petersen
Nanaimo
Comments out of touch with reality
I wish Saanich-Gulf Islands MP Elizabeth May would take a bit more time to ground herself in reality before making statements like: 鈥淥il is dead.鈥�
Oil consumption is down right now as most of us are trying to follow our health officials鈥� guidelines and staying close to home.
Not like the prime minister, who lectured us 鈥渞egular Canadians鈥� on this topic and then headed off to be with his family at their cottage on the Easter weekend 鈥� but I digress.
Interesting to note that May seemed to have no problem hopping on that private (carbon powered) government jet to get to Ottawa recently.
I guess flying commercial like the 鈥渞est of us鈥� is not an option that she wants to consider at this time. Be nice for the rest of us to have that sort of 鈥渞ock star鈥� option at taxpayers鈥� expense.
Like other politicians it seems to be business as usual and: 鈥渄o as I say not as I do!鈥�
Vince Kreiser
North Saanich
Beer on golf course almost essential
I play golf at a local course. I get it, I am privileged.
What I don鈥檛 get is a liquor inspector arriving and shutting down the sale of beer at the half-way canteen on the 10th hole. Do health authorities really believe that consumption of a brew, somewhere out on the course, three miles into a six-mile walk would lead to an outbreak of hugs, handshakes and high fives? That social distancing, easily accomplished on patches of grass of more than 300 metres by 40 metres, would suddenly disappear?
Health authorities were already too slow to open up courses. At first, only two players to a hole. You could place two dozen players on any given hole and triple social distancing. Okay, it鈥檚 now four to a hole.
I am not degrading the awfulness, indeed the deadliness of COVID-19. It is more serious than anything we have seen in a lifetime. We have to take all necessary and reasonable steps to prevent its spread. As a senior, I would double down on that.
But when the thermometer is approaching 30 degrees, as it did Saturday, a cold one would have been refreshing. Not essential, but so close you could almost taste it.
Bill Mitchell
Victoria
Word play in the time of COVID-19
As I was riding on Hollywood Crescent I saw a sign that said 鈥淵ard Sale鈥� and I thought: In this time of social distancing, shouldn鈥檛 it be 鈥淭wo-Yard Sale鈥�?
Bill Carere
Oak Bay
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