Don't run your business like this

a recent example of what NOT to do

Guys, it’s the middle of summer, and I am not teaching, so it drives me a bit nuts when a great example comes up and I have no classes to share it with.

Just indulge me and be my class for today, m’kay?

The Gourmet Warehouse

Let me say, first of all, I love this business. I have often referred to The Gourmet Warehouse as “my Disneyland” because, for me, it’s the happiest place on earth. It’s a kitchen/specialty store, and I always spend way too much when I’m there. For foodies like me, it’s the best spot in the city to source kitcheny things. I’ve also worked with them before in the past.

But the other day, owner Caren McSherry posted on her instagram that an methadone clinic was opening down the block and she had created a petition to protest this, and was asking people to sign it. The post no longer exists, because the comments, dear reader, were nothing short of savage. By the time the post was taken down there were well over 200 comments, and I don’t believe any of them were positive or supportive.

I wanna say, for the record, it is a really difficult time for smaller businesses right now. And the location of The Gourmet Warehouse is somewhat problematic, just outside of the DTES. They have had well documented issues with theft. Staff safety is a concern, as is, of course, losing merchandise, and they have some pretty pricey/high end stuff there. So I can understand the frustration of a shop owner thinking “oh no, a methadone clinic is going to make the problem worse.”

However, the proposed development (you can read their proposal here) for Philosophy Pharmacy is not a “methadone clinic.” It’s a fully operating pharmacy, and would be located next door to a Life Labs, which makes a lot of sense. Perhaps they will dispense methadone as part of the city’s program, but even if they do, people on methadone are trying to get OFF of drugs.

I’ll be honest, I saw the post right when it first went live, and my first thought was “oh, this isn’t going to go well.” And it did not.

The takeaway here is this: business (and life) is nuanced, but social media often is not. I can empathize with the problems this business is facing, but this type of post will be seen as hostile and, well, just downright mean. Imagine you’re selling $300 pots and you are complaining about people who are unhoused, but trying to get their lives back together. Yeah. That’s not going to go over well.

If you’ve read this far, thanks. And I promise I’ll be back to something much lighter and fluffier next week!