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The Poppy Selling Superthread- Merged

  • Thread starter MAJOR_Baker
  • Start date
'Nothing so low' as poppy box thefts
Eastview Legion vet dismayed by loss of donations
 
Ian Shelton The Ottawa Citizen  Monday, November 10, 2008

For a war veteran who dedicates his time to helping others, there's little more disheartening than the theft of a pair of poppy boxes on the weekend before Remembrance Day.

"I've been in the Forces, and I just feel that there's nothing so low as to steal from these people," said Bert Meunier, the Eastview Legion's poppy chairman.

The Second World War veteran and long-time volunteer was dismayed to learn Saturday morning that two of the small white boxes had been stolen.

A volunteer reported to Mr. Meunier that a box had been stolen from the Beechwood Avenue Loeb store.

Mr. Meunier later learned that a clerk and a customer at the grocery store started yelling at a young man when they saw him slip a poppy box under his coat, but the suspect quickly exited the store and escaped on a white bicycle.

After a spotcheck of nearby poppy box locations, it was revealed that a box located at a Guardian pharmacy was missing as well.

He immediately reported the theft to Ottawa police, who have declined to comment on the matter.

The Legion won't know if any others are missing until all the boxes are collected today.

Mr. Meunier said it's hard to say how much money may have been taken.

"(The boxes) could have $10 in them, they could have three or four hundred dollars in them. We can't be sure," he said.

Eastview is not the only Legion to be robbed of poppy boxes this year.

Police are still searching for a woman who was filmed removing a poppy box from the counter of a Tim Hortons at the intersection of Hunt Club Road and Merivale Road on Nov. 1.

Mr. Meunier said that in a decade of volunteering for the poppy campaign, he's seen donations disappear from virtually every kind of place the boxes are typically located.

As a result, the Eastview Legion has been trying new security measures, such as collecting donation boxes more often and even taping boxes to the countertops.

He hopes that a concerted effort by police will put an end to these thefts.

"If (the police) caught some of these people and they were dealt with severely, this would stop."

 
First Point:

Freedom of expression is something we as a military fight for. Not our freedom of expression, but our fellow Canadians. Please feel free to express yourselves by refusing to patronize McDonald's Restaurants. I never liked that clown anyways.

Second Point:

Anyone that steals the Poppy Fund box needs a good shaming. I think the stocks and pillories and rotten fruit (tomatoes) are called for.
 
From the Canoe.ca website:

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2008/11/10/7360926-sun.html

Eatery bans poppies for "safety reasons"...

CALGARY -- The grandson of a Second World War veteran and proud Canadian says he feels ashamed his employer won't let him wear a Remembrance Day poppy to work.

A server at Red Lobster at 2316 16 Ave. N.W. who wanted to remain anonymous, said he was shocked when his manager told him to remove his poppy while on the job.

"I wear a poppy every day and I went into work and the manager came over to me and said we aren't allowed to wear a poppy and not to argue about it," he said.

"I was completely appalled ... it's horrible -- it makes me feel ashamed."

As someone whose grandfather served in the Second World War -- and as a sea cadets instructor himself -- he said he has issued a complaint to the restaurant about not being permitted to wear the little red sign of respect.

"I believe it's a right as a Canadian to be able to wear it," he said.

But the restaurant's manager Jose Torres said while he agrees wearing a poppy is an important way to show respect for those who fought for our country, the rule applies to those who handle or prepare food and was implemented as a safety precaution for guests.

"We had an occurrence last year where one of the pins fell into food," he said.

"It's not a corporate policy ... we are making people aware ... just because it's already occurred before."

He said servers and cooks are asked to keep their poppy in their wallet or a safe place until after their shift is over, when they can put it back on.

George Bittman, chairman of the Calgary Poppy Fund, said while it's disappointing to hear some people are not allowed to wear a poppy, businesses and individuals do have a right to say no to selling or wearing them.

"This is a free country that men and women died for our right to express themselves," he said.

"We are disappointed but also they have a right to say no ... Red Lobster probably has legitimate right to say this has happened before."

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Well, I understand their right to do so, but at the same time, I also have the right to avoid eating in any place that follows this practice, and the right to encourage all my freinds and family to do the same.

I've seen alot of people who worry about the poppy falling off simply replace the cheap pin with a canadian flag or support the troops pin... there... problem solved....

anyways, just my .02   

Here's hopeing we all have a good remembrance day, and raise a glass for all those who didnt make it back...
Lest we forget.

- Tommy
 
Tommy said:
I've seen alot of people who worry about the poppy falling off simply replace the cheap pin with a canadian flag or support the troops pin... there... problem solved....
- Tommy

Unfortunately, your RSM will probably on your case for doing that.  Your poppy should have the black felt center, not a Canadian Flag, a Red Maple Leaf, nor a Support the Troops Pin.
 
George Bittman, chairman of the Calgary Poppy Fund, said while it's disappointing to hear some people are not allowed to wear a poppy, businesses and individuals do have a right to say no to selling or wearing them.

Ya it's also nice to be able to eat supper and not get a pin stuck in your throat.

Seems like a really good idea to me actually.
 
all i do is pass the pin back through a bit of the poppy so it is nice and secure
mine has never fallen off
 
Title of the story should be  The grandson of a Second World War veteran and proud Canadian largely over reacts at a work place saftey issue
 
George Wallace said:
Unfortunately, your RSM will probably on your case for doing that.  Your poppy should have the black felt center, not a Canadian Flag, a Red Maple Leaf, nor a Support the Troops Pin.

Well this person could because he is not working in the military when he was told to take it off.

What I do is you can take those little canada flags and break the pin off the back. The front looks virtually the same (the head is just slightly bigger but not noticable) and the back has the little piece like the name tags.
 
If the employee had been told to remove any other item because it was only mounted on a straight pin, it certainly wouldn't be news.  (And if it was, it would have been to praise the company for attention to detail in employee safety matters.)

Maybe it's time for the Legion to investigate a different fastener for the poppy, in order to avoid these issues.  But that might affect their profit margin on the poppy campaign, which is no doubt defended as stringently as the use of the poppy image/emblem itself.
 
The business that adopts a policy of removing a poppy for public safety reasons I have no issue with. At the same time they could approach their local Legion or veterans group and request Remembrance Day posters to be displayed, to emphasize their support.
 
I agree that this was probably a good move on the restaurant's part, and why can't the Legion produce a decent Poppy after all these years? Its a little hypocritcal to complain about people not wearing Poppies that regularly fall off your clothes. I know there are ways around this, but doesn't the number of people wearing other pins to hold on their Poppy illustrate the problem?
 
Are all pins covered by this?  Do the employees wear any sort of name tag (even a sticker)?  Obviously all of these must be covered.  If this restaurant is concerned about items falling into food (and I have no problem with that) then ALL measures must be in effect.  Their safety policy must be top notch as well in order to be consistent.

Show me the worker's comp stats that show this employer is one of the safest in Canada, please.
 
Otto Fest said:
Are all pins covered by this?  Do the employees wear any sort of name tag (even a sticker)?  Obviously all of these must be covered.  If this restaurant is concerned about items falling into food (and I have no problem with that) then ALL measures must be in effect.  Their safety policy must be top notch as well in order to be consistent.

Show me the worker's comp stats that show this employer is one of the safest in Canada, please.

I think I am likely going to notice say, a name tag in my soup.  The pin on the poppy is it comes today?  Perhaps, but not nearly as likely.  If I drop my DEU name tag on the floor, I can easily find it.  I've dropped sewing needles on the floor and spent several minutes trying to find them.

Also, after reading the threat title, and then the contents of the thread, I find the thread title somewhat misleading.  Poppies aren't *banned*.

~ Eatery tells employees that handle food "poppies are to be removed for customer safety reasons" ~ might be more suitable.
 
George Wallace said:
Unfortunately, your RSM will probably on your case for doing that.  Your poppy should have the black felt center, not a Canadian Flag, a Red Maple Leaf, nor a Support the Troops Pin.

I was referring to Civies.... Not soldiers...  On my uniform I bend the pin around so the Poppy cant be removed... I just re-use that slip-on each year.....

and before anyone jumps on me for being stingy... I still end up paying about 10-20 bucks each year for a couple of poppies.

where I have an issue is with the manager saying there is no way around it... why not try to find a better solution if you want to keep it on your shirt or jacket.  and Otto raises a point... what about name tags? are they pins?

I just think that they could try and make it work.... rather then an all stop, no poppies allowed policy...

but thats just me... and I can see I am in the minority here apparently...

 
I am not saying I don't agree that "something else can be done".  I do think they have a valid point, as I am sure the Vet's and the Legion as a whole would not want someone choking on a pin from a poppy either.

I believe they could use an alternative method to fasten the poppy.  Why, just the other day I was watching Gen (Ret'd) Hillier on the news, where he had his poppy fixed to his lapel with a little yellow "Support Our Troops" pin.

Where there is a will, there is a way.  Seems to me they've identified a problem, now just need to step off with the solution (fasten it with "solution A, B or C").
 
Eye In The Sky said:
I am not saying I don't agree that "something else can be done".  I do think they have a valid point, as I am sure the Vet's and the Legion as a whole would not want someone choking on a pin from a poppy either.

I believe they could use an alternative method to fasten the poppy.  Why, just the other day I was watching Gen (Ret'd) Hillier on the news, where he had his poppy fixed to his lapel with a little yellow "Support Our Troops" pin.

Where there is a will, there is a way.  Seems to me they've identified a problem, now just need to step off with the solution (fasten it with "solution A, B or C").

Thats where I stand as well.... I understand the safety concerns, but I'm not impressed by the "do it, shut up, and dont fight it" approach the bosses there took with it... the fact that they were not willing to listen to an alternative proposal iritates me. hopefully people will try a different approach to it next year....
 
Tommy said:
Thats where I stand as well.... I understand the safety concerns, but I'm not impressed by the "do it, shut up, and dont fight it" approach the bosses there took with it... the fact that they were not willing to listen to an alternative proposal iritates me. hopefully people will try a different approach to it next year....

All I will say, that if he needs a plastic flower to remind him, or to let other people know he is remembering, then that is a little out left field.

He is not really seen by the public, only his co-workers.  THe management has a point, as they are not banning others from wearing it.  If he has not demonstrated to the rest of the cooking staff, his respect for Vets, then he needs to learn the concept of speaking.

Sometime we can go a little overboard with this poppy concept.....

dileas

tess
 
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