PRESSURE ON SUPPLIERS WORKS

Re: Vote with your feet, (Chilliwack Progress, June 29).

A few years ago a similar business existed in downtown Abbotsford.
Along with all the tools to use a variety of drugs the proprietor
would busy herself cutting up brillo pads to crack-pipe size to sell
for two bits each. I must admit my wife and I were somewhat shocked
that this trade was occurring in our city so close to home. The
steady traffic of obvious drug users and the placement of all this
equipment at the front of the store made it very clear that this was
the main purpose of this business.

Well we left and decided that we weren't going to just leave it and
not go back, but maybe do something about it. After some
consideration we returned another day and instead of being focused on
what had offended us we had a good look at what else was in the store
and not surprisingly there was a lot of the other things that you
would expect in a store like this with many brand names you would
also expect to see. It didn't take long to find the appropriate
contact names and addresses of a number of the brand name suppliers,
a short note with a picture attached and an explanation of what was
happening with the suggestion that perhaps they did not want to be
associated with this activity.

For the next few days as I drove past there on my way home from work
I could see that this approach worked. The store window view was
changing! The Coca Cola cooler was gone, displays advertising brand
name ice cream bars were taken down, milk products were removed and
on and on. The business was gone shortly after.

Now maybe it was on its way out anyway, but I do know that some of
the replies that came back from a number of the suppliers I contacted
showed they were very supportive and there actions proved it. If the
business near you cant' be a good neighbor after being asked and
given a chance, then give this approach a try and I think you will
find almost all suppliers want to be good neighbors.

Ken Baxter

Abbotsford