Lockout tags and procedures are set in place at many business’s to prevent injuries. The emergency stop button is not good enough when working on the machine. The term “emergency” says it all. This button or shut off should be used in case of emergencies where an employee would have to shut off the machine quickly. Lockout tags are to be used when any work is being done on a machine to eliminate any chance of injury due to the machine being started up. Lockout tags are designed so that the employee working on the machine locks it out and places the key in their pocket. Only the person who locks out the machine is allowed to remove it. This eliminates any chance of the machine suddenly starting up.

In many cases companies try and take shortcuts to eliminate downtime and increased costs in production but in all actuality they could be increasing costs when an employee becomes injured as a result of a workplace accident on the job. If it takes less then 5 seconds to lock it out, then lock it out! It’s not worth the chance especially working with machines where they could easily remove a hand, finger, arm or even take a life. The emergency button is not a full proof solution to prevent accidents at workplaces. This situation that was emailed to me would have been prevented if a lockout tag was used. If companies are worried about an extra few seconds is ridiculous. Safety first! Companies should think ahead of the time it will take to fill out accident reports, take pictures, investigate and additional costs for compensation of an injured employee. The extra few seconds it would have taken to lock out the machine would prevent this extra work and costs.  Employees working at jobs where lockout tags are there, they should be used at all times when working on machines. I don’t know about you but my safety and well being is worth more then any job.

Lockout Tag - Do Not Operate - Proper Safety Protocol

I would advise any companies in Moncton or anywhere not currently following lock out procedures to start using them right away. It just makes sense and even if it’s going to create an additional minute or two to do this, it’s a cost of doing business. Two minutes is not going to break the bank and just might save your company a ton of money in the long run in case of a workplace injury. Work smart, work safe!

This business owner told me about his escapade with EasyHome on Paul Street in Moncton. He told me how he had purchased a dishwasher and almost at the end of the term of the agreement there was a problem with the motor so he had called to get it fixed. The dishwasher ended up going out for repair back last March of 2009. After about 2 or 3 months then without any phone calls from them and this guy calling regularly each week to follow up on it they did bring it back. It came back with not one thing done with it and the motor still made a loud grinding noise. On top of that it came back dented! So he quickly called EasyHome in Moncton for them to return back, take the dishwasher to get fixed including the dent with their poor care of his appliance. They then gave him the replacement dishwasher back and it went out for repair again.

Now here is where it gets unbelievable! It is now almost February 2010 and he still has yet to receive his dishwasher back. How long does it take to get an appliance serviced? Think about it. I think at most, being reasonable it shouldn’t take more then a week or lets say two weeks to get done. Think how long it takes to get your car fixed? I think a week is too much as this should have been done way sooner….. Now it’s almost 1 year and this guy still does not have his dishwasher back yet from Easyhome. What poor customer service that EasyHome in Moncton on Paul Street has. The guy I met at this meeting said to me that Jake the manager at EasyHome in Moncton does not return any of his calls. It is always him calling the company inquiring about the status of the dishwasher. The guy laughed and said that I think Jake should be at these business seminarsto improve himself as a manager and to fully understand the importance of customer service in business. That is something he really needs! I laughed and agreed in astonishment. I could not believe that it’s taken almost a year in March 2010.

So next time you see EasyHome ads or flyers saying they make it so easy for customers think twice! They say same day delivery which is not true, no hassles and the Easy part in their business name after hearing about this story should be thought twice about as well. I think the President of EasyHome should hear about this and know what’s going on in this case. Bad word of mouth can hurt a company greatly! I know this guy I met at this business seminar in Moncton told me but how many others did he tell. He laughed about it and joked but I could tell he was angry and annoyed as he could not understand how a company can do that to a client.

I just wonder how many more EasyHome complaints against the one on Paul Street in Moncton are there. After hearing about this story I am going to forward this on to the President of EasyHome and hopefully this guy I met gets his consumer complaint finally resolved after a year. If it helps other people too, then leave your comment or story you have concerning your experience with either EasyHome in Moncton or other EasyHome’s in your area.

Irving Mainway Convenience Store on St. George Blvd. employee now looking for tips too in Moncton! I was asked last week if I wanted my money back, my change?? Why do I have to ask for my change back? It’s my money! They are suppose to give it right back to customers not ask the customer if they want their change back???

Not too long ago I wrote about how tipping Moncton businesses is getting out of control and everywhere you turn people want your hard earned money. I even wrote about How Interac Machines Should Not Be Programmed In To Asking Us To Leave A Tip Or Not At Restaurants. Tipping is a voluntary action that people do that is appropriate in restaurants where people are serving us but it’s not required. Now Irving Mainway Convenience Store in Moncton, one employee may be trying to make money off working their too. I don’t care if you are getting 50 cents back or 1 cent from your purchase. They are to give customers back their money, period. We shouldn’t have to say, “Yes I want my money back”.

Last week I went to the Irving Mainway Convenience Store on St. George Blvd. in Moncton to get a pack of Excel gum. My Excel gum came to $1.64 so I gave him $1.70. The young guy working at Irving said do you want your 0.06 cents back. I was kind of shocked in a way but not really. I looked at him and said why wouldn’t I? It came to $1.64 didn’t it, it’s my money, is it not? His face went blank and I got my money and left. Don’t get me wrong I don’t care about the 6 cents but if you think about it everywhere you look this is going on.

If I didn’t want my change then sometimes I would say no it’s okay and leave. If its a penny I’ve left it on my own doing several times. That is my choice but do not ask if you want your change back. Employees are now looking for ways to make extra money wherever they work. As a business owner they should look at keeping up the reputation of your business and should not let their employees make people ask for their money back.

Everywhere you turn people are trying to get your money. I think by this above example you see how tipping has got a little out of control. Who knows if that money goes into a jar when customers may be short a few cents or does it go in to their pockets at the end of the day. I guarrantee it probably goes into their pockets.

I say any change or money  is to be given back to the customer at all times. If the customer says I don’t want the penny or change then its their call but do not ask them if they want their money back period! Go there next time, buy a pack of Excel gum and give them $1.70 or $1.75 and see what he does. Nothing against Irving as a company but employees are the company too and they do impact the companies reputation.

Nick Gaines has also thrown in 2 wildcards as well. One wilcard winner was Sarah Tally and the wildcard #2 spot goes to Nicole Doiron. The photo of Nicole Doiron truly belonged in the voting as the photo is amazing. Congratulations to the wildcard winners.

Here are the winners on 1111 Faces of each group that you are able to vote on for Photo of the Year:

Group 111 Winner Phylisha Vautour    Group 222 Winner Adreanne Roy

Group 333 Winner Sally Eid             Group 555 Winner Charlie Leblanc

Group 444 Winner Stephanie Guerin

 Group 666 Winner Sarah Jones

Group Winner 777 Karie Jackson

Group Winner 888 Ashleigh Gatti     Group Winner 999 Kevin King

Group Winner 1111 Jared Hartley      Widcard #1 Winner Sarah Tully

Wildcard #2 Winner Nicole Doiron

Log into your Facebook account and go vote for what you believe is the best Photo of The Year from the winners of each group of the 1111 Faces By Nick Gaines. You’ll need to add Nick Gaines as a friend to go vote on the photos.

The Gala Exhibit of 1111 Faces By Nick Gaines will take place on Jan 11th, 2010 at the Vie” Tapas & Lounge located in Robinson Square.

***Please note voting will end on December 5th, 2009, so go vote now for the Photo of The Year!***

Nick Gaines has some support from the following Moncton Businesses for his 1111 Faces Project.

1. New Generations Wellness Center – Cindy O’Donnell.
2. Manhattan Bar & Grill – Dana Robertson.
3. Empire Theatres – Steve Malloy.
4. Dooleys Mountain Rd. – Drew LaPointe.
5. Brad McDonald: Local Moncton.
6. Kevin Wood – Crossfit Moncton.

So far there has been 7 winners for each group of pictures. People on Facebook are allowed to vote for the photo they believe is the best in each group of pictures. For every 111 pictures were considered a group and there will be 10 groups in total. Each group of photos will have one winner and at the end people on Facebook will have the chance to vote for what they believe is the “Best Photo of the Year”.

Here are the winners so far on 1111 Faces By Nick Gaines:

Group 111: Philisha Vautour.
Group 222: Andreanne Roy.
Group 333: Sally Eid.
Group 444: Stephanie Guerin.
Group 555: Charlie Leblanc.
Group 666: Sarah Jones.
Group 777: Karie Jackson.
Group 888: Ashleigh Gatti
Group 999: Kevin King
Group 1111: Jared Hartley

Update: Voting for the 10 winners of each group has ended. Winners of each group are listed above.

All the photos will be displayed at the Gala and there will be prizes for the photo of the year courtesy of the sponsors. The gala will open to the public and be held at the “Vie” Tapas & Lounge on Jan 11th, 2010. “Vie” is located in Robinson Square.

Here’s a short video of 1111 Faces by Nick Gaines which explains more about his latest project.

What a great project that Nick Gaines has done and one that many have enjoyed taken him up on his offer. For those of you who don’t know of this project on Facebook then go login to your Facebook account and type in the search bar ” 1111 Faces By Nick Gaines ” to see his work.  I will try and stay up to date on this Facebook Group as much as I can.

Right now there is voting going on in one group of photos in which the voting is soon coming to an end. Voting is very close between two photos I’ve seen in the Facebook group one of Nicole R. Doiron and Jared Hartley taken by Nick Gaines. The leaf photo of Nicole is amazing and a true piece of art! The other is a nice photo ladies will love of Jared Hartley from what appears he’s a local Riverview volunteer Firefighter. Two excellent photographs! So if you all want to vote, go join 1111 Faces By Nick Gaines Facebook Group and vote for the best photos among them all. There’s many more great shots taken by Nick go and see.

Here are the two photos of this group of potential winners and a sample of Nick Gaines Photography:

 Photo of Nicole R. Doiron

 Photo of Jared Hartley

Keep up the great work Nick! Your work is amazing and I would love to see the rest of your work at the Gala. If anyone is looking for a great photographer in Moncton give Nick Gaines a call or look him up on Facebook by joining his group 1111 Faces By Nick Gaines, it would be definitely worth your time and money.

*** Please note 1111 Faces By Nick Gaines is not a Photo contest but will be an amazing gala exhibit***

What do you all think? Should tipping be really programmed in Interac Machines? That is literally asking people if they want to leave a tip when tipping is a gesture of appreciation and act of giving. I know what some will say is that we live in a debit card, and credit card world. We all use plastic in today’s world but if you think about it we all have some cash on them if we really look. Especially women, maybe not so much for the men but women have purses that carry everything in it. I’m sure people can find money for a tip to leave if they choose.

Another suggestion on that defence of why Interac Machines are programmed to ask if they want to leave a tip there should be a button on their cash register for tips that customers want to leave. If people truly want to leave a tip they will ask is there a place where I can leave a tip. Then they can punch it in manually and how much included with the bill when customers pay by debit card. I know it’s easier to have it programmed in the Interac Machines itself but tipping should never be asked and that’s what is being done by having it on their Interac Machines at Restaurants.

If you really want to get technical about it when we all pay at restaurants using a credit cards their is a spot on your slip saying tip and then you can write in what you want to leave for one. Yet again we are being asked to leave a tip by asking and bringing it to our attention in the form of writing making some people feel obligated to leave one. I am not saying at all don’t leave tips at restaurants as I do and its ethical to do so but I am just bringing aware that we are now being asked discreetly and a form of soliciting through writing and now through Interac Machines. Tipping should be left up to the customer and their should be no influence or reminder for us to leave a tip as yet again it’s an act of giving and it’s not required to do so. Myself I would leave a tip regardless if they removed it from their Interac Machines and their credit card slips. I always have some cash on me, and at least it would be my own gesture instead of it almost being implied that I need to leave a tip.

What do you think? Should they really be asking us if we really want to leave a tip on those Interac Machines? What about the credit card slips? Lets hear your thoughts?

Lets look up the definition of tipping from Wikipedia:

A tip (also called a gratuity) is a voluntary extra payment made to certain service sector workers in addition to the advertised price of the transaction. Such payments and their size are a matter of social custom. Tipping varies among cultures and by service industry. Though by definition a tip is never legally required, and its amount is at the discretion of the patron being served, in some circumstances failing to give an adequate tip when one is expected may be considered very miserly, a violation of etiquette, or unethical. In some other cultures or situations, giving a tip is not expected and offering one would be considered condescending or demeaning. In some circumstances (such as tipping government workers), tipping is illegal.

Now that we have that all cleared up, tipping someone is voluntary and not required. When should we tip someone really? In my opinion tipping someone should be when we are sitting inside a restaurant and they are serving us or catering to our needs, then yes a tip would be ethical. But in today’s world you have Tim Hortons asking for tips, Pizza shops when you go for take out, Dairy Queen and have seen a few Subways. What’s next? Some even have it programmed right into their Interac Machines asking if we want to give a tip. I’ve even been asked where’s my tip on 2 separate occasions, one picking up Chinese Food at a restaurant to go and one time at a bar. I find that very rude when people actually say , “where’s my tip?” Pretty soon we’ll be asked for a tip when going to buy our groceries just for a cashier to ring them through. Some of you may know what I am talking about. I tip when I want to tip at some of these above locations as mentioned, I always tip 20-25% of the bill or slightly more whenever our family goes inside to eat at a real restaurant when the recommended tip people leave is 15%. Next we’ll be asked for tipping at McDonalds too.

Where should we be tipping? Should we actually be tipping people at Tim Hortons for simply doing their job? You can if you want but if you don’t I’ve seen many circumstances where the employees attitude changes as the EXPECT a tip now. They are basically programmed to receive one and if you don’t you see it in their face. Here’s a tip from me to you, go to a couple of Tim Hortons and buy the exact same thing, you may notice that your cost will be different. I have went to the Tim Hortons in Shediac two days in a row, buy the exact same thing and the cost was different. Yes, maybe she rang it in wrong but I got what I had ordered. Some people, and nothing against the establishment take their own tips by telling the customer a different cost. We as consumers don’t even think most of the time and just pay what they ask if it sounds reasonable. If she came back and said that would be $20 for your coffee then sure we would say that’s wrong but if the employee adds 10 cents, will you really know the difference? You may if you only buy a coffee but if you buy several things you won’t think twice. Just something for you to think about.

One other last comment I have about tipping people at restaurants. Tipping should be done on a voluntary basis and never asked, or suggested. I believe that all restaurants should take down the TIP JARS, saying “Leave a Tip” that is soliciting and no different then asking. I also don’t think they should really have it on their Interac machines either ” Leave A Tip?” They are literally asking for one! That is something I don’t agree with.

So bottom line, do you get annoyed seeing tip jars everywhere? Do you actually think that at Tim Hortons you should leave tips? Where do we draw the line on tipping people. In my opinion we should only tip people if we are sitting inside a restaurant where they are catering to our needs, then a tip is ethical but not required. What do you think and where should we draw the line at tipping people? Whose going to want tips next? Should we really be tipping people at drive-throughs? Money, money, money! It’s all about the money! Let’s hear your thoughts on when and where we should be leaving tips?

They’ve actually had to call police as they had people, families picking potatoes like everything was okay. I don’t think people really know how much work there is into farming and I can totally understand how David Scheele is feeling and losing his patience on this matter. It’s ridiculous that people would believe that they were free to begin with. It’s a tough situation for them to be in as you don’t want to rock the boat so to speak with people near by that they may even know, and Lidy seems to be the one trying to resolve this calmly. David on the other hand seems very frustrated and at the end of his patience and I don’t blame him. People should use common sense really. There is nothing really free in the world today and they have contracts for potatoes to fill and trying to make a living.

When you start hearing about people picking potatoes as families and people filling up their pick up trucks that’s crazy! Come on people! No charges are being laid but David and Lidy Scheele are asking people to bring them back or at the RCMP office in Richibucto or drop off a donation in return. If things don’t change however they will have to take things to the next level. People are breaking the law, period. You wouldn’t go to a store and steal potatoes would you? No matter what you think of, it cost someone something for what we consume or buy. It’s not free, everything always has a cost to it, whether it’s money or labour.

Lidy made a wonderful comment that I read, ” You didn’t put $50,000 of fertilizer on it, you didn’t put $50,000 of spray on it, you didn’t put $30,000 of seed in it.” If people start seeing this maybe they will think twice about stealing potatoes from a local farmer. Can people really be that naive to think that they were allowed even after seeing No Trespassing signs? If I was them I would be pressing charges quickly if the publicity about this issue doesn’t hit home to the local public near that area soon. They are stealing and attacking someones livelihood. Stealing potatoes, what’s next? Come on people stealing is stealing no matter what it is?

What do you think about people stealing potatoes from their farm? Can people really be that naive?

25, Cartier Blvd , Unit 153
Place Cartier
Richibucto, N.B.
E4W 5R5
Tel : (506) 523-7607
Fax: (506) 523-7678

*** Please note call the Public Health Office in Richibucto and listen to their recording to find out the hours of operations. Please note hours of operations will differ with the H1N1 flu virus vaccine being given out. ***

342, Main St., unit 160
Centre Ville Mall
Shediac, N.B.
E4P 2E7 
Tel : (506) 533-3354
Fax : (506) 533-3376

***Please note call the Public Health Office in Shediac for hours of operations if your calling about the H1N1 flu virus vaccine. Hours of operations may be extended during one of the biggest vaccination programs in Canadian history. ***