… On the topic of Fresh Market in Vienna. For those who don’t know what this is all about, you can read some of these articles:
On the internet, Bill argues like a 17th century nobleman. This is almost a direct quote from his facebook page: “Wilt you not disclose thine most heinous intentions to the public? You attempt to corral those you consider nare-do-wells and dissenters to the depths of thine notes page? You would ask of us to continue our god given right to protest in private whilst thou plunders our land of resources and deprive our fellow man of his most righteous profession?
Yet thou refuses to answer for thine own claims of woe in stating that the common man hath offended thee with thy tongue? Expel these demons from thine soul and come clean on the stage of public opinion and share with us that which we have said to offend thee so!
We anger due to our thirst, and our thirst grows because of our anger, yet we seek only to provide thee with our truest of opinions on your unwelcome incursion into our domain. Whilst you accuse us of offending thee, with thine same tongue you play the accursed victim in a tragedy of thine own making!
(Here is where your argument stops making sense, but I am going to stay in character) We claim to provide feedback of the most important kind, that of your customers (though not a one of us ‘dissenters’ is actually now, or ever going to be, a customer.) In the made-up name of my fellow Viennans I vow to continue to air my grievance with you until satisfaction in the form of a duel is granted! With Norm as my honored and esteemed second!“
You also went on to mention that if they remove the clause from their contract that they’ll get great pr (its too late for that) and converted customers (you really think a single one of the people willing to post means post on their wall is going to shop there?) If they’re smart they’ll do what any company would do in this instance; keep their heads down until Norms gets teh boot and the vocal minority grows weary of complaining and seeing that nothing is going to come of it, and then they’ll go about business as normal. They’ll be removing their greatest and closest competitor, and while maybe, being generous, 10% of the old Norm’s customers won’t shop there, the rest of them will because this place will be closer. Then, as turnover happens in the local community it will make less and less of an impact until it makes no difference at all.
In my opinion they’re a bunch of dicks and I won’t go there – but from a business perspective we’re very temporary and a small minority.
And… it doesn’t take effect until mid 2015, so this initial backlash will die down before then. Of course it also means there will be another chance for the outcry to begin anew closer to the time it takes effect.