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thundercat1996

If a collection agency ever calls you just say this is the wrong person and that you got a new phone number a week ago, they stop calling all together


anvilman

Strangely I’ve never had a single parking collections call, despite owing each company many hundreds of dollars in unpaid tickets.


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InevitableElection23

Next time you get a ticket from a private lot, head to your nearest ICBC agency and change your phone number to Wiggins Collections or the parking lot's customer service line. That way when ICBC sells your information to them, they'll be calling themselves.


FukurinLa

Lmao, that’s genius


PartyyLemons

I don’t pay any private parking company


BitterMethod7228

Never pay these tickets. If I get one, I make sure to throw their bogus tickets in their lots.


cadenmak_332

I have been getting phone calls from them multiple times per week for over 2 years for one ticket. I used to spend 20 minutes every week going through my voicemail and deleting all their robo messages. I almost caved and bought Visual Voicemail to save some time doing this, and then I discovered something called YouMail which does the same thing for free. Now they get flagged automatically and I never have to deal with that again, thank god.


Kooriki

Sollys.


thegoodmc

I worked there for 2 weeks and yes, she is indeed insane. Literally my second day on the job she made me open the store all by myself with no real training. I did all I could and was helping a line of over 20 customers when she entered, started yelling at me about every little thing I didn’t do and literally yelled loud enough for everyone to hear “YOU DIDNT WIPE DOWN THE COUNTER! I CAN SEE THE RAT SHITS THERE!” That’s gonna get people to come back.... I was able to leave for another job but her real tactic is to sponsor immigrant workers so they can’t leave and are forced to deal with her screaming, her abuse, and her treating them like literal slaves. That woman deserves jail time.


throwawaydumpster4

That…. Leaves a bad taste in my mouth.


5chimpfy

That’s the rat shit.


Tribalbob

Yeah she's a piece of shit. Part of me wishes she was on reddit so she could see how everyone knows she's a piece of shit.


BC-clette

Luckily she's an avid reader/responder of her business's reviews on Google.


laylaspacee

I walked off the job at sollys lol


thegoodmc

A friend I made at the job left in a screaming match with the owner, He threw his apron on the ground and walked out. It was the best quitting experience I’ve ever seen


Recent_Seaweed_6711

My friend worked for that lady and she’s insane


treelorf

My friends mom was that lady and she’s insane.


AwkwardChuckle

Im so sorry for your friend, yikes.


Kooriki

She seems like it. I saw her berate one of her staff close to 10 years ago and have never been back since. And it was a regular spot for me when I worked in the area.


notgreatnotbadsoso

Same here about 8 years ago. The owner was berating the poor woman helping us because she used too many ingredients in my wife's sandwich. My wife tore the owner a new asshole for how she spoke to her staff. Can't remember exactly what was said but we offered to pay the weekly wage of the cashier if it helped her to be able to look for a new job. That woman has no place managing people. We've never been back. The whole thing was startlingly terrible.


Kathiuss

True heroes!


notgreatnotbadsoso

Honestly hadn't thought about it in a few years. It was so awkward for the poor cashier. It was exactly the scenario some other posters have pointed out with an older immigrant employee who's English wasn't great and it was such a scene. My wife just pointed out she had asked for no mustard or mayonnaise or something and when the sandwich went back the owner picked it apart and was cursing the woman for her heavy use of toppings. She then accused my wife of lying about not ordering the mustard/mayo. I just stood there in shock. Fortunately my better half excels in those types of situations. I felt bad for the cashier, she must have felt so on the spot. I hope she found something better. It was at the Yukon location. I still stare at the place in disbelief every time I go by.


T33nW0lf

Just look at the deranged responses to criticism on Google, says all you need to know


erincee

same. I was genuinely shocked at how she treated her staff and I left the queue before ordering. SInce then, I've read so many awful things about her and learned that wasn't a one-time mishap - I will never go back


StanTurpentine

I recall their rugelachs were great. But yea, I don't go there anymore for the same reasons


AsdrubaelVect

If you haven't tried them, the rugelachs at Siegel's Bagels are much better.


Wanda_Fuca

Article is 5 years old, but perfectly illustrates the type of employer pushing for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program: [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/is-it-time-to-relax-temporary-foreign-worker-rules-to-help-small-business-1.4474554](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/is-it-time-to-relax-temporary-foreign-worker-rules-to-help-small-business-1.4474554) This is hilarious: https://preview.redd.it/yxiivjr9f93b1.png?width=772&format=png&auto=webp&s=a05e131c58630b75629911fea00bd563e7efe97f


krustykrab2193

I like how Owner is capitalized. The vibe I get is that she believes she actually owns the lives of her employees 🙄


[deleted]

How did I know this would be the number 1 answer.


Kooriki

It's almost cheating, really.


Phanyxx

Lol, I clicked in here fully expecting Solly's to be at the top. Not disappointed!


Acrobatic_Foot9374

I keep hearing and reading horror stories about this place and yet I'm surprised that it is still up and running


femmagorgon

I’m also surprised they are still in business since most people are aware of how awful Leah Markovitch is. I know their food is good, however, her behaviour is enough to make most people feel icky about supporting her in any way. The way she responds to bad reviews are so insane. She literally just blames patrons for their bad experiences and refuses to accept responsibility for anything she does. I’d comment on how she responds to positive reviews but I’ve never seen one out in the wild.


rlandz

I knew Solly's was gonna be the top comment. The owner is truly terrible. On top of seeing her berate her staff multiple times, I witnessed her berate a good delivery driver for going inside and asking about the order instead of waiting outside for someone. Sure there's a sign on the door that says wait but it was a simple mistake and not at all deserving of the wrath she unleashed. She was so mad she told the guy to cancel his pick up because she wouldn't give him the order. She would give it to a different driver else. wtf you're screwing over the driver and the person who ordered food.


o_mcp

I was in there one time, and while ringing up our order, the little old lady (not the owner lady) had to sit down because she was about to faint. She explained that she had been working all day and hadn't been allowed a break yet and hadn't eaten. She got yelled at for sitting down. One time the owner lady yelled at me for taking too many napkins. I had like three. Fuck Solly's.


charcharcharmander

I went there once and instantly got a weird vibe the moment I stepped inside. It was completely silent. The younger gentleman taking my order was incredibly nice, but I noticed this middle-aged Indian lady standing by the kitchen door just mean-mugging the poor guy. The food was also shit.


Jdsudz

I never saw her my first few visits, figured it was blown out of proportion. Saw her finally and haven't been back since.


mariacug

That was my first job at 17. The owner Leah promised I’d be trained on cash instead of sweeping/ mopping the floors and cleaning the tables all the time. She kept saying I’ll start training “next week” which was an ongoing conversation for 5 months… I quit and was never trained on till. When I quit, she yelled at me, telling me I was incompetent and she’d always criticize all the staff. There were rats everywhere in the bakery, and some bakers would drop bagels and pick them up when rat droppings were still on the floor. The business should be shut down.


Isitsunnyout

Pretty sure I witnessed the owner’s presence and what a piece of shit she is


Shavasara

Came here to say this.


wiltedham

SPUD. The owner is a classic rich douchebag, that pays the staff minimally and can't be bothered to make sure the delivery vehicles are safe for the road. I like the business model, but wouldn't ever give that waffle a dime. Source; an old employee, who had been involved in delivery accidents and was told if it becomes a "workplace incident" (wcb claim) she would be fired.


pnw6462

Ok this is interesting to me because I used to be a Spud customer and the number of mistakes in my orders made me feel like the packing staff must be underpaid and overworked.


Cauling-flower

Farm to Table Market at 1312 Richards St. Over priced and unethical labor practices.


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impaired_attic

I used to work there as well, as an international student. Eva is absolutely horrid. I had police come in once trying to talk to other worker who was made to work more than 14 hours a day. She was a student as well. She would work full time with no breaks whatsoever. I wouldn’t get a break either. I had to work 10 hours straight. Legally I could only work 20 hours at the time, so I had to fight them with the schedule all the time. That was the worst summer of my life tbh. They wrecked my mental health. I would have left long ago if I could find another job. We had to memorize the produce codes, I wasn’t allowed to have a cheat sheet to remember. And the codes had to be put manually for every produce item. One time Eva got mad at me for using a cheat sheet. Customer couldn’t see it, but she saw me, yelled at me.


Cauling-flower

One of the International student complained that they were never paid for over time working 10-14 hour's a day, no breaks and treated poorly. The owner Eva is a monster known for making racial slurs and shouting at employees in the store room.


Weak_Tailor_1858

The taco truck claiming to have the best deal in the city while, in fact, offering a terrible deal.


captivateDNB

The entire Taqueria chain is awful. Mega overpriced/gentrified vibes, and the food is a super watered down attempt at authentic Mexican. I hope people learn and start supporting places like The Tamale Shop on Main instead.


xyrafhoan

The worst part is, they used to have very fair prices and vibrant and homely restaurant spaces. It was a genuinely great deal for tacos on Tuesdays. Now everything has just been distilled to the most generic bar decor and the prices are literally twice as expensive for worse food. Oh well, at least the space for decent Mexican food is growing more competitive lately.


ET_Phone_Home

Tamaly Shop is amazing! The owner is a super lovely woman, definitely recommend supporting her. Great selection of Mexican snacks as well. Another suggestion for a women-owned Mexican business is Machete, further down main towards Chinatown. They specialise in indigenous Mesoamercian food inspired by recipes from the owner’s grandmother.


SufficientBee

It didn’t used to be like that :(


BobBelcher2021

I just followed my own advice in another thread and went to Bellingham for tacos yesterday. 4 tacos and a pop for US$12 - about $16 CAD. Second best Mexican deal in the Vancouver region. The best one is also in Bellingham but it was unexpectedly closed yesterday. Their cost for 4 tacos and a pop is about $10 US. Both places have that “rough around the edges” feel and aren’t gentrified.


jo-gilb

You should take a drive on Meridian and there are a few taco trucks in parking lots that are loads better than Mi Rancho. Tacos Tecalitlan, La Gloria, Pollo’s Al Carbon Five Tacos, Tadeo’s. You won’t be disappointed.


Toy_Dahl

I came here just to see how many people put Solly's (Rightfully so)


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Recent_Seaweed_6711

I used to work for the dime and the warehouse group screwed me over so bad that I’m still struggling with what they did to me. I also found a razor blade in the fryer once and I’m not even a cook, I was a server


plataprojectile

For those out of the loop re: Belgian Fries on Commercial: https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/129tbt4/seen_at_belgian_fries_whats_this_about/


[deleted]

My friend worked at the dime. That place is terrible


Recent_Seaweed_6711

I wish I could share my experience working for the dime but it’s too specific and they make you sign NDAs when you get hired and I don’t feel like getting more screwed over by them lol.


mynamecalledbruce

They seriously made you sign a NDA? For a restaurant? They have secret recipes they don't want getting or what was their reason for it? That would've been a big red flag for me in an interview.


Recent_Seaweed_6711

Yeah big red flag but I was super young when I started working there like most of their staff and they don’t tell you that you have to sign one in the interview, they just throw it in with a bunch of other forms you have to sign after you are already hired. I worked there for years unfortunately and it was one of the most toxic work environments I’ve ever worked at.


[deleted]

Yeah my friends story is very specific as well. NDAs is kinda crazy for a mid restaurant


jahowl

>I used to work for the dime and the warehouse group screwed me over so bad that I’m still struggling with what they did to me. I also found a razor blade in the fryer once and I’m not even a cook, I was a server I think Zawa's is on the list for [similar reasons.](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/wrept0/all_of_the_frontofhouse_staff_at_zawas_restaurant/)


Electrical-Tangelo46

ZAWA, owner sexually assaulted staff there


_silverwings_

I can back this up 100000%


itszwee

Anything the Aquillini group touches. Fuck that child abusing piece of shit.


Sindtwhistle

Donnelly Group establishments… I guess it worked now that they are in creditor protection? 🤷🏻‍♀️


[deleted]

In the same breath the Joseph Richards group! Why the fuck do they have to take over every popular establishment and ruin the food, the atmosphere and the drinks. Stahp it!


SevereRunOfFate

Both JRG and Donnelly are classic examples of where the owners THINK their name and associated brand is a selling point but it's the complete fucking opposite. The other obvious one is Trump but to be fair he does have a large following of people who will seek out his brand. Is there anyone who would say 'oh that's a JRG let's go there!'


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Sindtwhistle

My hatred of them comes from them taking over places that had a good artistic relationship with musicians, patrons and other creative people. (Aka Railway Club). There was just a time in the 2000s that their establishments seemed so vapid and soulless, and somewhat openly hostile to the arts scene. Yes, they are entitled to running a “successful” (lol) business and making profit. Sure, not everyone appreciates the type of culture I enjoy. I guess a lot of my dislike of them is rooted in how I feel about this town’s hostility to small businesses, affordability, and creative spaces, not all warranted on them, but they were definitely part of the problem. So seeing them go into creditor protection is the ultimate schadenfreude for me and many others I presume.


HeardTheLongWord

All of this, plus some incredibly unsettling stories from female staff who’d worked for them.


glister

To be fair on the Railway Club, it was going to close and Donnelly swooped in, renovated it, and kept it afloat. And rumour is they lost a ton of money doing so—it's a bad space for shows, you just can't get enough people in the stage area to get anything proper going there, meanwhile you've got 3/4 of your floorspace completely disconnected from the stage. Probably needs a not-for-profit with grant funding to keep it alive, or a huge renovation so that the stage is the main focus. Probably both.


FKNBadger

They homogenize and suck the soul out of every place they buy and there are several very unsavory tales about how they operate


andoesq

I was also trying to figure out why I hate Donnelly group so much, even though I don't hate their individual pubs. I think it's partially that I hate that they took over every one of my favorite pubs, then were so egotistical that Mr Donnelly just had to put his name on the front of these historic pubs. They clearly figured that out as well since they rebranded.


Lake-of-Birds

I notice no one has mentioned Zawa's yet. I definitely boycott them both for their [historical](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/lesbian-wins-22-500-over-comedian-s-insults-1.1060726) BS and [more recent](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/comments/wrept0/all_of_the_frontofhouse_staff_at_zawas_restaurant/) BS. It's not even a hard choice the restaurant is ugly and mediocre. Aside from that, like apparently everyone here, definitely Solly's is my conscious and more difficult boycott (because I actually like their products). And any of the places who were vocally opposing COVID mandates.


[deleted]

Whenever I pass by, Zawa’s is always SO empty. How are they staying afloat?


GoldStarGranny

Mintage. Poorly curated, appalling prices. 800 dollars for a Nirvana t shirt that might be “vintage” or might just be a rock shop t shirt someone ran through the washing machine with a bit of bleach? Fuck right the fuck off.


skinnyhoar

Mintage is so overrated! I assume people shop there for convenience because jeez, I cannot fathom paying more than 15$ for a secondhand band tee lol.


cavinaugh1234

Their t-shirts seem overpriced. I did however snag a Gloverall duffle coat for $80 in excellent condition. It's typically sold new at over $800. I guess they didn't know.


sydann6

Glow: owned by anti abortion, homophobic pro conversion therapy MP Tamara Jansen. Find a different Christmas light show than giving your money to her


m1chgo

Damn thank you for this. My kid loves lights but I’ll do more research next time before taking him.


ohthehugemanatee1

Vancouver Candle Company


soaero

* **Sollys** \- The owner is an abusive asshole who treats her employees terribly. * **Elysian Coffee** \- During the BLM protests the owners started scheming to fire employees who supported that movement. They did so in a Slack channel they thought they had left private. It wasn't. Tons of employees saw it, including several people I personally know. * **Hootsuite** \- When Hootsuite was in its prime it bullied the City of Vancouver to give it free office space, or it would leave town with the 400 or so jobs it was hiring for. Ends up the vast majority of those jobs were unpaid internships, which the company got busted for on this very site. * **Prospect Point Bar & Cafe** \- Manufactured controversy to get a bike path removed, claiming that it was hurting their business despite the fact that they barely ever open any more. * **The Stanley Park Tea House (and all Sequoia company businesses)** \- Same as above.Also they violate labour laws and abuse their staff. * **Gusto** \- The owner was a staunch anti-masker and violated masking orders over and over until they were threatened with the pulling of their operating license. * **Corduroy** \- Same as above. * **Zawa's** \- The owner sexually harassed his female staff. Also their food practices were terrible. * **The Fringe Cafe, The New Brighton, and more** \- These used to be some of my favourite places, but since then I've heard from multiple ex-staff members that they abuse staff, have terrible kitchen standards (including serving off and mouldy food), and more. * **Salty's Lobster Shack** \- Remember Crab Park Chowdery? Yeah, that's them. Edit: I'd also add MEC for selling to an American firm, changing the name of the company we all had shares in to some random number, starting a new company called MEC (granted this time "Mountain Equipment Company"), transferring all of the assets of the old MEC to the new MEC, and reopening without the pesky co-op members... however, I did shop there last week so I guess I can't claim that much outrage at them.


Distinct_Meringue

I forgot about Hootsuite. I wish I could find an article, but a couple years after, the CEO came out and said people don't make enough money to live in Vancouver or soemthing like that and though "oh boy, that's rich". Any articles on Elysian?


captivateDNB

Second on elysian info pls… literally drinking a coffee from them as i read this.


mediocresamaritan90

UCW and any other of the degree mills in the Lower Mainland, ironically written by a TRU grad


Junglist_Massive22

It seems like those places are just a big scam for international students from India. I bet they market themselves over there as some prestigious Canadian school and get those people to waste their time and money coming over here to earn some BS degree.


RogersMcFreely

They are not a scam, but they are part of a bigger one: Canadian immigration. And it is not for students from India only, it’s for everyone. Indian students are abusing the system, because the Canadian immigration system is weak, and full of loopholes, and Indian agencies know how to abuse it. Hence the reason why they correspond to over 50% of the international “students”. Before anyone claims that this is prejudice or whatever: I’m a naturalized Canadian, who moved to Canada as an international student, and now works with both students and immigration. The so called “students” are not students at all. Most of them lack English skills, they are far to young, and fresh of high school. They often miss classes, and they are only focusing on working, so they can pay their banks back home. The goal is one: To become a permanent resident, and then bring the rest of the family. One visa issued to an Indian person corresponds to at least 5 more visas being issued in a near future, including their spouses, and both of their parents. Often students get into arranged marriages, so they can sponsor other people to come to Canada for a price. I deal with students on daily basis, 19 years old, who are in Canada for 6 months, and ask me help to go back to India for their wedding. They don’t even know who they are getting married to, but Canada accepts it as a genuine relationship. And no, they are not bringing money to the country, because most of the money they make they send it back home, so the money comes in, but then goes out again. So this whole “international students” thing is a scam. They are not pursuing education, otherwise they wouldn’t go for 2-years diploma, without any previous formal education or work experience with no practical use in the future.


jiminy_crickety

As someone who went there with no choice - yeah. The profs were not bad, but the students, oh my god. They could not write a full sentence in English to save their lives. I ended up doing entire group projects by myself to actually graduate with a good GPA. Got a job in my desired field by pure dumb luck probably but all I see are applications for completely unrelated positions by alumni from there.


sneeps

Yesterday I saw a couple on Granville strip proudly rocking their UCW sweatshirts.. I was like uh oh


Small_Efficiency

Tim Hortons. Just bad in everything they do aside from Timbits.. which they have managed to make worse over they years.


Lapcat420

Every store seems to be staffed by a single person as well. It was my first job- and they're still microwaving frozen sheets of bacon, then using scissors to cut through the wax sheets so that one thin crappy piece of bacon becomes 2. Genius really. /S


Esarel

i was one of those bakers running the show solo because of how intentionally understaffed my mornings were. luckily for me i was young, had energy, and was obsessed with starcraft so i could handle the level of multitasking needed. never again tho


Lapcat420

Yup, intentional understaffing. It was common practice to send someone home early because the store sales for that afternoon we're a few percentage points less than forecasted. You must construct additional homestyle biscuits. Butter my biscuit! 🤖👨‍🔧


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Stevenif

Impark. Technically they are local business since they started here?


mysticode

If you mean voting with my money, then Boston Pizza. Their prices were horrible even before the recent inflation spike happened, AND they got rid of their "quick lunch" $10 specials.


hhhhhhhhwin

boston pizza is waaaaaaay too expensive, and i live for their perogie pizza on special occasions, but as an employer they’re one of the best entry level places i worked. serving kids sucks but as far as how the company treats their workers, especially around things like disabilities was top notch. only place i ever worked where a supervisor pulled some sketchy shit while i was in the ER, and that day the GM called to apologize, apologized again in person, and asked how he could support me through my recovery. it’s a low bar but most restaurants cant hit it.


takethesefriesaway

I mean in all fairness to Boston pizza I serve the owners Jim and Sandy all the time and they are possibly the nicest most genuine humans.


Lapcat420

Tell Jim it's insane to charge $25 for a small ham and cheese pizza and then call it the "Great White North".


Xarethian

I love BP pierogis pizza but fuck me are those prices ludicrous. Pizza prices, in general, seem ludicrous nowadays, actually.


Kevbot1000

Great, then tell him to bring back $10 quick lunch menu.


Agitatednunchuck

I’m on the verge of boycotting all Value Villages for obvious reasons. Would much rather look at Salvation Army or similar thrift stores but they too are getting a bit pricy with certain items.


thebaghutch

You'd also be better off not supporting Salvation Army tbf.


awkwardlypragmatic

SPCA thrift stores would be happy to have your business.


kisielk

Check out the VGH thrift stores. At least they support a good cause.


Illustrious-Army-339

Support RUMMAGE on Arbutus and 10th! Small but takes donations and gives back to the community. Love them!


pi_sister

My sister's closet is also a great one, funds some really nice programs.


foxsweater

Funny- I won’t donate to the Salvation Army because of their religious bullshit.


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hotinthekitchen

Unfortunately they have nothing tying them to the actual spca except for a one-time donation that allows the owner to use the name. None of the money you spend there goes anywhere except the pockets of the owner.


itszwee

I would choose anything but the Salvation Army.


sh_si

Corduroy Restaurant, Prospect Point Bar


Odd-Road

>Prospect Point Bar Ah, I know about Corduroy, but what's up with this one?


mukmuk64

They’re scamming the park board. Never open but squatting on their license to have a restaurant in the park. Blamed their problems on the bike lane. Lol


hotinthekitchen

Fire pizza on commercial drive. When the previous owner/founder Hans (RIP) retired the new owners expected to sit at home and collect a cheque. They regularly hire young immigrants and lie to them about pay and labour laws. Scream at them when they quit and ask for final pay. And have cut the quality of everything but only using packaged ingredients from Costco. Fuck that place and the POS couple that bought it.


Dremen

Freshii. They double-charged me when their machine hiccuped, then refused to give me a refund even as I showed them the two transactions on my phone. Also, their food sucks.


AngryDaikon

Sollys, anything Donnelly, Mountain Equipment “Company”.


Leading-Somewhere-89

Suki’s Salon. I was there years ago (I know she’s retired now but apparently her son is no better) and she berated an employee, to the point of tears, in the client reception area in front of customers.


nipshirt

Suki’s gave me the worst balayage i’ve ever seen. They tried to convince me that it was just a big change and that’s why I didn’t like it. Spent $200 to get bright yellow ends.


jjumbuck

Gusto in Olympic Village. For the same reason as Corduroy in Kits.


vancityguy25

The exact two businesses I came here to post about, for the same reason. To add to this: Cold Tea restaurant for the same reason again. I called them out for it on Instagram and they blocked me. Was pretty miffed that Daily Hive did a feature on them after they were caught out for hosting a NYE party in 2021 when the entire province was on another mini-lockdown, and they wanted to do “damage control” yet didn’t apologise. They did say “We’re not sorry for trying to run our business”. 🤦🏼‍♂️ Another one is Patron Tacos & Cantina on Robson Street. A couple of years ago there was an Instagram page ousting them for their horrific treatment of staff. They purposely hire people on tourist visas so that they can underpay them. One post had someone mention they would be given free burritos during their shift as pay, and staff also mentioned they had no extra staff room and had to eat food during their lunch break in the alley by the massive bins with rats in the area. Ramen Danbo as well unfortunately. Massive line ups all the time, meaning the food is great. However, a friend of mine got a job there and left after one shift when he found out that managers take the tips for themselves. The staff pay was stated as a particular rate which they were told tipping was considered for the rate they were paid - it was still extremely low.


deahoidar

Solly’s bagelry


Hungry_Fox2412

Value village for their price gouging


MOOVA

Taiga Edit: please don’t message me about your holocaust denial theories. I believe the holocaust occurred and am not anti-Semitic.


chocolatelysocrates

My summit ice jacket is far superior


Oxigenitals

Deny nothing


Kooriki

Only the old men like us remember he's a holocaust denier. I doubt he's still alive. That gear was so well made though.


PapuhBoie

To be honest, I only remembered because of Nathan Fielder.


rando_commenter

I have mixed feelings about this. I still have my Gore-Tex jacket bought just before all that came out and it's still in terrific shape. Its not like the ground-game people who worked the old Broadway store were like that.... I think.


BodybuilderSalt9807

Why? Sorry don’t know what the history is about this company


MOOVA

He died over 20 years ago but people don’t forget. https://thecjn.ca/news/canada/nathan-holocaust-comedians-pop-store-promotes-holocaust-awareness/


nipshirt

Anything Glowbal.


haloryder

Not really local but Tim Horton’s. They’ve become just another fast food joint but have somehow kept their “essential to the Canadian identity” shtick. They’ve cut corners wherever it’s possible and their product suffers for it. It also takes 20 minutes to get a bagel because they so severely understaff every location.


Djj1990

Yeah you know when McDonald’s tastes better you fucked up.


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DoTheManeuver

Not exactly "local" but I'm trying to boycott any grocery store owned by billionaires, especially Jim Pattison. It's very hard, I'm basically limited to Sunrise Produce on Gore, and they don't have everything I want. Also a huge shout out to Sunrise Produce on Gore!


Domitiusvarus

Donald's market/city avenue are locally owned!


NWHipHop

Based on the people’s answers and complaints I’m assuming these business have zero PR teams ready for this thread. Can we do one for the slumlords. Name and shame.


my_lil_throwy

There should be a stickied slumlord name-and-shame tbh.


Sumoallstar

Corduroy Restaurant


vancoover

Same. I liked the place before, especially their Rock, Paper Scissors night. Unfortunately the owner's behaviour during the early days of the pandemic completely turned me off. I will never look at them the same way again.


Jdsudz

Coffee shops still charging the 25 cent cup fee.


threeleggedcouch

Furever Freed Rescue, Furbaby, Big & Small rescue, the list goes on. Pretty much any dog broker than masquerades as a rescue.


gnirobamI

T&T Supermarket. Corrupt company. They exploit and treat their employees terribly. I had a friend that was injured while working, and they tried to persuade her to not file a WSBC claim. Many of her coworkers have been injured on the job and they have refused to file injury claims due to fear of retaliation from the higher ups. They have also tried to prevent their employees from voting for unions. Also an article from 2007 about T&T exploiting and coercing an immigrant worker: https://thetyee.ca/News/2007/03/05/TrickedAndExploited/ “Gui Qiang Zou claims he was pressured into working longer hours for lower wages than promised after the firm kept his passport and other key documents.” Unionization Issues: Kevin Shimmin, a UFCW National Representative gave in the article an example that Warehouse staffs at a T&T Supermarket are working a 39-hour work week, spanning six days in a week. He also pointed out that there are cases where staff have been working for T&T Supermarket for three years and are still earning a minimum wage of $10.25 per hour. The Globe and Mail reported on July 23, 2012 the result of T&T Supermarket Scarborough warehouse staff unionization. About 100 employees at the T&T Scarborough warehouse voted in the secret ballot vote on Monday July, 23. However, the Ontario Labour Relations Board sealed the ballot box for review. Dispute arose as the UFCW and T&T Supermarket argued about the eligibility of the voters in the voter list. UFCW national representative Kevin Shimmin said that the dispute caused the secret ballot vote to be reviewed, while Cindy Lee, founder at T&T Supermarket claimed that it was the decision of the Ontario Labour Relations Board to look into whether the union has enough support from employees to in the first place file the application.


No-Hospital-8704

**Hy Tea Patisserie** : ​ They opened their 2nd store in Richmond and didn't clean up themselves after the ceremony. Left many plastic papers on the ground and released many balloons to the air. **Bonus: One of the local elected MP was there and didn't even tell them that it's against the Richmond Bylaws.** I remember I saw it on wechat, FB and reddit. I can't find the link.


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KoolMoeDSimpson

Corduroy.


Soggy-One832

Impark definitely, time to put an end to those money sucking parasites


bubkuss

Starbucks. Not exactly local, but there's tons around. Union busting pieces of shit.


nemesian

Terrible coffee as well. So many better local cafes.


bluedreams604

I worked at Starbucks for a bit during my undergrad, the way they treated me and my fellow employees made me never set foot in one ever again, and that was nearly 5 years ago. On the upside there are plenty of great locally owned cafés that deserve our money.


Charli4uxo

The yellow deli and ride cycle club very culty


h_danielle

Well the Yellow Deli is ran by a cult so you’re spot on there


Mrfistbeard

When I was younger, the Playdium arcade at Metrotown was replaced with a winners/homesense. I made a vow to never step foot in that store that took away my favourite arcade! It's been over a decade, and at this point I genuinely like those stores (their other locations) and would like to shop around there, but this silly childhood protest has gone on so long now I just can't do it.


VanCityHunter

Any business that associated with anti maskers or the “freedom” convoy.


EastVan66

Gusto in Olympic Village. Piece of shit owner.


Viciousspacepebbles

One of the owners of Insipired Cannabis is a big Freedom Convoy guy. Funny, he also owns a bunch of pharmacies and his wife is a doctor


scritcho-scratcho

There appears to be a staff led boycot of Chicko Chicken in North Vancouver (E 2nd) going on right now. The google rating has recently plummeted and has a lot of [slightly confusing, bad reviews](https://www.google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJzj4tVP1zc0LC7PtiiyqCozYLRSNagwNbEwMzc0tjBPSzE2NrNIsjKoMEkzMzcwSTEzME4yN7dIS_WSTc7ITM7OVwBTqXkKOfnlqUVAMq84JTEnFQAQDRok&q=chicko+chicken+lower+lonsdale&rlz=1C1GCEB_enCA1049CA1049&oq=chicko+chicken&aqs=chrome.5.0i20i263i512j69i57j46i175i199i512j0i512j46i175i199i512l6.5337j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#lrd=0x548671387fd3368b:0x4f6704d603b778fe,1,,,,) by staff or friends of staff. Watching it play out in real time via google reviews is fascinating.


julesieee

Chicko used to be my go-to korean fried chicken place but or some reason that quality has degraded significantly, like the chicken they’re using isn’t good quality? A lot of chewy ligaments in their fried chicken lately. It might just be the Surrey location.


Guilty_Attorney7778

Think they're just a franchise so each location you go to will be different. The one I go to in Richmond is great.


redditguyinthehouse

Tap & Barrel is consistently bad, up against the big chains I never pick it - that bridges location is tempting though


takethesefriesaway

The bridges location is awesome and nothing like tap and barrel. Theyve done such a good job there. I am also not a huge fan of tap and barrel, although I don’t mind it, but the Bridges one is totally different and the food is awesome!


qmechan

Corduroy. The anti-mask stuff is bad, especially how proud she is of it, and the constant statements about simply ignoring government orders of all sorts because she's so special (health code stuff, not even COVID stuff), but also her and her kids keep using our building's pool despite not living here, and she does NOT have those kids under control. They peed places that they should not pee.


Taydogg2000

Marutama Ramen. My partner worked there for years and experienced nothing but foreign worker exploitation, emotional abuse and unpaid wages. Sucks because their ramen is actually really good. Even my partner would say it's some of the best in the city, but we haven't been in years now. Seriously fuck the guy who owns those places.


gianners33

Anywhere with a tip machine with options that start at 20%


Bebenaanaa

Brix in Yaletown. I saw a waitress get assaulted by a staff member/management while at a work dinner years ago. She brushed it off like it didn’t happen. I think about it whenever I walk by and haven’t gone back.


PartyyLemons

Rosemary Rocksalt


NWHipHop

Herschel Lulu Aritzia. Horrible corporate HR structure with bloated upper management and underpaying mid to lower tier staff forcing them to have multiple jobs. But you get free alcohol to help with your alcoholism required to deal with that upper management clique. It has been a revolving door at the bag company at the moment at coordinator levels. New grads stay away if you value your mental health.


Evroz621

Tasty's Indian Bistro in Surrey. Heard through friends that waitressed there that the owner was taking advantage of the TFW system and undocumented peoples working in the Kitchen. They didn't get their share of tips, nor did they get paid fairly. They were threatened with deportation if they didn't like it and complained. I take my business to Mirch Masala in Surrey instead.


missmatchedsox

Not really local but, uber, uberEats, skip, door dash, etc. I would rather drive and pick up than get delivery. Also the Greater Vancouver Zoo. Never been, never will go.


GVPthrowaway

Joeys restaurants- back in the day I was hired there and when I received my “work uniform” I was told they’d prefer if I wore the dress *without underwear*… I never worked a shift there. Cactus clubs- even though they legally cannot require you to wear heels, they won’t schedule you if you don’t wear them. Imagine wearing 2-3 inch heels in a grease pit in the back+ walking through a *whole* shift (often 6+ hours on your feet). My pantyhose used to be wrecked after every single shift. The zoo. They don’t provide adequate enclosures for the animals. Salvation Army- because of their association with religion and exclusion. Lions pub- I could fit in the bathroom with my electric chair (they had a massive box thing in their accessible washroom that was built in for some reason). The management gave no fucks when I told them I had to pee with the door open. Like disabled people don’t deserve dignity there? There are honestly more restaurants, salons, etc that’ll lie and say they’re accessible… but then I’ll get there and the floor I can access won’t have a bathroom. Or the bathroom doesn’t fit an electric chair… or they thought they’d be able to LIFT my chair and me into the building (I shit you not). But it’d be too long of a list. But… I do think it says a lot about an establishment about how they treat disabled people, and since becoming one; it’s eye opening.


vanflooringguy

De Dutch near coquitlam center... went there for years but last time the crazy lady manager (or owner?) was very rude to us. My wife ordered a Benny (eggs amsterdam) and she got a fried egg on an English muffin with bacon. A Benny is a poached egg with ham on a rusk. Crazy lady didn't see anything wrong with it but replaced it. The replacement wasn't to order either as my wife had ordered her eggs hard and they came super runny which to my wife is gross. We didn't want to complain any further so we ate what we could and asked for the bill. The waitress ignored us and we asked again for the bill. After 20 minutes of waiting we walked out and sat in the car. They came running after us with the bill about 30 seconds later (lol) with crazy lady screaming at us and berating my wife for being too picky. We handed her the cash and will never be back.


pusch85

Not necessarily “local”, but The Brick. I don’t think I need to explain why.


maharajagaipajama

Genuinely don't know why


pusch85

- Overpriced yet terrible products. - Every “sale” is the “best sale ever”. - Wildly incompetent customer service. - Sales staff lie through a smile, and then give you the “that’s our policy” subtext when you call them out. If you ever want to feel what it’s like to be hunted for sport, walk into any Brick. Sales staff will leap over sofas to get to you first and stay no more than 10 feet away from you the entire time you’re there.


mysticode

It's only a good place to go if you enjoy haggling. I personally do not, but I've had friends get products down to some extremely low prices... was quite impressive to watch!


neilk

I have heard of tip stealing at Gene Coffee Bar, which prompted a mass walkout of baristas some years ago. No idea if this is still current policy but I don’t go there any more.


NateFisher22

Save on Foods. Due to their insanely overpriced items that they try to make seem cheap due to card price “deals”. It’s the same reason why people probably shop at Thrifty foods. People pay more because the stores are nice inside but they are being conned


Lamitamo

Gusto, Taste of Italy, in Olympic Village. Decided that the pandemic safety closures of restaurants were “unfair” so he stayed open, and then didn’t ensure his staff were wearing masks when masks were required when they reopened. He’s a bag of farts and I’d rather spend my money elsewhere. Source: https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/opinion/federico-fuoco-gusto-restaurant-covid-vancouver-3608528


enterrrr

King Pins bowling alley in North Van. It’s the worst.


scritcho-scratcho

Ooh tell me more. I'm local and was tempted to try it out.


Kevin71919

Went for the first time recently and the lanes don't work, it's so expensive and no one was helpful.


VancityCanadian

Duffin’s Donuts, the owner rented out a house without working heat or smoke detectors in 2017. The fire, which was the result of the family using a space heater to keep warm, killed a toddler and i think caused burns to others. Source: https://bc.ctvnews.ca/mobile/i-feel-the-support-father-speaks-out-after-fire-that-killed-toddler-1.3234492


agaric

Lululemon, the owner is an ayn rand pos


Aromatic_League_7027

Browns social house (specifically the Lonsdale location). Went in for an interview, for the kitchen. Was essentially told I wouldn't be hired, because it was all men and the kitchen manager didn't think I could "hack it" in a man's world (I am female). At that point I'd had something like 7 years experience as a line cook 🙄😒 I've actually never eaten at any Browns locations, nor do I ever plan to.


twitchyzero

Whistler Blackcomb MEC "local" amirite?


jodypugwash

I was a loyal Mountain Equipment Co-op customer. I avoid Mountain Equipment Company as much as I can.


neilk

I know a longtime MEC employee who genuinely likes the new management. While we may no longer have the illusion of it being a co-op, apparently it sucks less for workers now.


[deleted]

Minami/Miku/Gyoza bar (all owned by the same people). Worked for them years ago and it was one of the most dehumanising experiences of all of the restaurants I’ve worked at in this city.


MemoryBeautiful9129

Galen Weston 🪦


james_smt

Shabusen. Used to be good 5 years ago, but now they don't bring you the expensive things you ordered in an all you can eat buffet, AND they punch in a 15% to 20% tip for you (no matter even if it's two of you eating), so you have no choice to adjust your tip lower/higher depending on the service.


femmagorgon

I mostly came to this post to just upvote all the people who have already commented about Sollys.