EDITOR,
Three times now I have gone to a particular laundromat and three times the business has been locked up and pitch black. I stood there with one lady and child waiting for her taxi as she had taken a taxi there and assumed it was open. Yet you look on the wall inside the business there is a large sign of the hours of operations and on it clearly shows the times it opens and closes. But apparently this business likes to make up its own hours and not inform their customers of such things.
But this is a larger issue. This is rampant all over Squamish. Businesses posting their hours of operations but yet you go there and there is not a soul to be seen and not even a "back in five min" note stuck to a window to let you know what is going on. People wonder why many don't shop the small business in town and why the downtown core is emptying out no accountability and poor business practices.
More and more people are driving back to Vancouver again because the businesses here are overcharging and many have such bad attitudes when you walk through the door. The clerks half the time do not even acknowledge that you've just walked through their door. Many of workers in Squamish have taken the attitude when it comes to customer service that you, the customer, are simply an inconvenience in their day while they stock the shelves.
Never mind the tipping issue. I went to one restaurant, had to send my food back twice, the waitress had a crap attitude and then got huffy when she saw we didn't tip. She went as far as to ask the manager standing there why we don't make it mandatory for people to tip. Seriously? In front of customers yet.
The District of Squamish issues these business licences and then washes their hands of it. Why is the DOS not holding these businesses accountable for their business practices? DOS complains about low shopping in the downtown core. What do you expect when they close the entire street at 5 p.m. and aren't open the days they put up as "hours of operations"?
This practice of "doing what I want because it's my business" has got to stop. DOS needs to step up and start inspecting these businesses.
Jason Bechard
Squamish
