Poppy table placement concerns some shoppers
Posted Nov 7, 2012 02:21:21 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
There are concerns about a Dartmouth grocery store’s treatment of veterans during the lead up to Remembrance Day. Customers at the No Frills on Wyse Road say more should be done to make those selling the poppies more comfortable. The concern is that members of the Sommes’ Branch have been allowed to set up their table in the alcove of the store.
Branch President Bill Brooks says his volunteers haven’t complained. “Most veterans would prefer to be inside, and I don’t think there any businesses that actually have vets outside the building,” he says.
The poppy table at this No Frills is approximately two feet outside the main doors.
Angela Hayes is a customer and a friend of one of the vets handing out poppies.
“He’s gone home early a few days because it’s been too cold to sit there for his entire shift that he’s volunteered for,” she says.
Mark Boudreau is a spokesperson for Loblaws Inc., the company that owns No Frills, and says the store worked with veterans to come up with the best location for the table.
“You know, our understanding is their preference was that location, so they could better interact with customers coming in and out of the store,” he says.
He says there is no specific policy about where tables can be set up.
