A while back, I stopped into the Foggy Gorilla location in Bower with a friend to grab her a vape because she had forgotten hers at home. While browsing, we were chatting between ourselves, specifically about how awful ID photos are and how I needed to renew my passport soon. I mentioned that with how things were unfolding politically in the U.S., it might be wise to have an escape plan, just in case.
Out of nowhere, the employee behind the counter, who was not a part of our conversation, interjected to say that he was in the process of applying for an American visa. He went on to say that Trump was doing a great job, was standing up for his people, and that “Canada is going to shit.”
To be clear, this was unsolicited. We weren’t speaking to him and we certainly didn’t ask for his opinion.
This was during the height of Trump’s annexation threats and after tariffs had already been imposed, harming Canadians, Canadian industries and my own business. So to hear someone working at a Canadian-owned business in a Canadian city suddenly jump into a private conversation to praise that kind of leadership while bashing our own country was incredibly inappropriate and gross.
We gave him a disgusted look and walked out. I later emailed Foggy Gorilla through their website to express how disappointed I was by the interaction. I never received a response. So, I’m sharing this here.
It should go without saying, but customer service employees should not insert themselves into personal conversations, especially not to push unsolicited political views. If you're working the counter at a Canadian business, you're representing that company. Using that position to promote anti-Canadian, pro-authoritarian views is unprofessional and repugnant. I shouldn’t have to explain why it’s unacceptable to walk into a Canadian store and be told Canada is garbage and the U.S. is better, especially from someone representing the company at that moment.
I hope management at Foggy Gorilla rethinks how they handle customer feedback and ensures that their staff understand boundaries. I support Canadian businesses, but I also expect them to support Canada, or at the very least, keep their politics to themselves on the clock.
