His daughter went in to the restaurant and asked to use the washroom. According to the writer, the person his daughter addressed was, "rude, ill-mannered, and boorish."
The person yelled at his daughter and told her that she should visit a gas station down the road - but offered no directions. The person in the restaurant was so agitated, the writer's daughter was quite taken aback and left the establishment immediately.
The writer vowed never to return to Beiseker, promising to tell all his acquaintances to do likewise. He has also informed Travel Alberta that Beiseker is anything but "The Friendly Village"!
Is this the kind of image we wish to promote?
Years ago, I noticed that there were a proliferation of "Washrooms are for Customers Only" signs in the windows of businesses, and not just in Beiseker. I was never a fan of them, as I figured that someone who comes in to use the washroom is more likely to buy something than someone turned away at the door by a sign.
ReplyDeleteOf course, it's entirely the business owner's prerogative whether their washroom is available for public use. Maybe for some business owners irritated at the prospect of visitors using their washroom, those signs are a good idea -- as they'd help avoid negative experiences like this one.
In the meantime - Could something be done to help respond when someone has a negative experience in town, to share that feedback and try and recover something positive from bad experiences like this? Is there a tourism group or something similar that could help with that?
The summer they were working on Highway 9 was exceptionally bad for travellers being held up and making a short trip that much longer. We had lots of people come into the Pharmacy to use the washroom and they would say they had tried other places but were turned away. One day a lady was so grateful she said we were her heros, unfortunately people that are upset are more likely to send an email then the ones that had a good experience. It is too bad that many of the businesses won't let thier washrooms be used I have met lots of nice, interesting people while they wait for a turn.
ReplyDeleteI've had many comments about this issue over the last couple of days. Maybe another solution might be to have the village partner up with the Chamber of Commerce to build a set of public washrooms at Legacy Park.
DeleteWe could also advertise the presence of public washrooms at the campground. Although the washrooms at the campground would not bring people into town. The Legacy Park idea would get the folks into town! That way they would be able to see what a great little village we have here!
The bottom line is that tourism is becoming more and more important in this area. Any way to get those tourists to stop in Beiseker should be encouraged!