Does Earth Fare think its customers are pigs?

I'm not the only blogger seeking to expose the realities of Earth Fare. Television personality Dr. Helen blogs about her recent experience at an Earth Fare in Knoxville, Tennessee, wherein Earth Fare employees referred to people as pigs, intimating that Earth Fare's customers are included. When complaining to Earth Fare's corporate office, it seems your odds of getting a favorable response are much better if you happen to be a public figure:

http://drhelen.blogspot.com/2009/09/all-men-are-pigs.html

For all their green machine talk, what kind of an "environment" does Earth Fare really seek to promote? I'm reminded that shortly after I began picketing - my sign read EARTHFARE ABUSES SENIORS - a lady told me she had already heard that Earth Fare doesn't like seniors. Gee. Seems kinda strange for a "health food" group to be having problems with its attitudes toward people. Maybe Earth Fare isn't quite what its cracked up to be...

No reply (no surprise) from corporate office

Yesterday - only because so many people have urged me to do so - I went ahead and contacted Earth Fare's corporate office about the sheer thuggery dished out to me and my dad. I e-mailed them a short note with a link to this blog, and just as I anticipated, there's been no reply whatsoever.

Its been my position that Earth Fare's local store manager, Mr. Garris Matthews, would not have misbehaved in such a manner without knowing he would have the support of Earth Fare's top echelon. Just because someone is a bully and a thug doesn't mean they would risk losing their job.

So now I can say its been done. Earth Fare's corporate office has been informed, and they remain aloof, which is certainly not unheard of when it comes to the way Earth Fare handles complaints. One customer told me he had simply been ignored when he complained to Earth Fare's corporate office about filthy conditions in the men's restroom. Since I started picketing, I've been hearing horrible stories about this so-called health food store.

The best way to deal with corporations like Earth Fare is to simply "exposum" for what they are and shop elsewhere. And hey - come to think of it, the guy who said he complained about the filthy men's room and got ignored is a senior citizen. Hmmm...

Earth Fare makes dumb claims to the police

Yesterday, when I returned to Earth Fare to begin picketing, they called the police and lied, claiming my car was parked on their parking lot. They also attempted to intimidate me into leaving by taking photographs of me and my car, and telling me "the police are on the way."

Granted, Earth Fare had given me an official notice of trespass. But is Earth Fare under the impression that they own the sidewalks and the streets?

Earth Fare must be getting desperate to keep things quiet.

Store manager assaults caregiver, trashes food

On 10/26/09 I brought my dad - he turned 92 last week, has Alzheimer's, heart problems, and is legally blind with macular degeneration - to the Columbia, South Carolina Earth Fare for lunch, and in an effort to partially avoid the excessively cold temperatures in the store, I helped my dad - he can barely walk - to the small eating area that is sometimes used for meetings. It is slightly warmer in this area, and my dad was wearing a wool hat and a winter coat. We arrived at approximately 1:30 and there was a sign on the door that said the area would be unavailable at 2:00.

I have to secure my dad to a chair because he tends to try to stand up and usually falls, and because his skin is so fragile, falling always brings blood. As I was doing so, Earth Fare's manager, Garris Matthews, suddenly appeared, and with a belligerent demeanor informed me that the room would be unavailable at 2:00. I indicated that I understood, and made a dash to get my car parked. Because my dad can barely walk, I usually pull up to the entrance, help my dad to a table, then find a parking place and return to get our meals. We've been regular customers for quite some time, and Earth Fare's employees are well aware of my dad's condition and his sensitivity to cold temperatures.

When I returned and went to the food bar to get our meals, Earth Fare's manager suddenly appeared again, demanding that we get out of the aforementioned area. At that point, I explained to Matthews that my dad can't stand the colder temperatures in the other part of the store, and he responded by telling me that we couldn't eat at Earth Fare. He proceeded to jerk a hot plate of hot food out of my hand (Matthews is about twice my size), and then called the Columbia Police Department to have me and my dad removed from the premises. By the time the police arrived, I had obtained two additional plates of food because my dad needs a regular meal schedule coordinated with medications. My dad got a brief look at a plate of food, but never got to eat a single bite, and a total of three plates of food were wasted. The weather was chilly and damp, and my dad was forced to walk - under police escort - across the street to where I had my car parked. Garris Matthews also also directed the police to place me on notice of trespass. Instead of eating a hot meal on schedule, my dad wound up eating a hastily prepared salad after we got back home (we live on the other side of town).

Apparently, Earth Fare doesn't like elderly citizens.