After offering seemingly too-good-to-be-true coupon bargains (like $99 for $400 worth of meat) on deal-of-the-day websites like Dealfind, The Butchers — North Toronto’s decade-old purveyor of organic and naturally-raised meats — is dealing with a business blunder. It simply cannot keep up with demand, and customers new and old are outraged. We spoke with owner Marlon Pather to find out exactly how this business-boosting scheme got so out of control.
So just how deep into this coupon thing are you?
About 10,000 people, 21,000 vouchers.
Are you going out of business as a result?
No, we’re not going out of business. Actually, we’re preparing for a pretty nice renovation in July.
When did you realize things were getting out of control?
When we did the deal people had a year to use it, with the exception of Dealfind, and we were expecting 50 to 100 people a day. But the deal caused so much attention throughout the city and created a lot of talk about how we couldn’t handle the deal and that we were going out of business. Well, when that hit the Internet, it drove everyone to use the voucher right away.
How many have been used so far?
Almost half have been redeemed. Apparently, talking to some of the companies, this is unheard of, but in the first three months most people came.
And how was that bad for business?
What started happening was that a lot of regulars couldn’t get in the store. So we were a little concerned. After that deal there were line-ups around the block every day, especially Saturdays, and it was all coupon, coupon, coupon.
So what did you do?
We’ve been here 10 years, and the same staff has been with me the whole time. They started hearing from people in the bars and the restaurants that if they couldn’t get into the store, they would have to go somewhere else. So my staff started giving them their private cell numbers, which was helpful because the locals would start calling the cell to give their orders, and come around the back. You’ll notice in my store, I have a front window. Our regulars would knock at the window to come in and get served. That worked for a little while, but when you have a line-up of people screaming, people don’t want to be around that kind of environment. So, our regulars were like, “You know what, we’re going to stay away until all this dies down.” And now it’s been two, three months and it still hasn’t.
Are people getting out of hand?
After the second deal, customers coming down were a bit more aggressive with us. But, you can only put so many steaks on the counter — you sell out. People would be screaming “I want this, I want that.” They caused so many problems, they’d call the Canadian Food Inspection on us, the health inspectors, so they all start coming in. The health inspector said, well, you have a small cooler and we’d like you to only do two deliveries per day. We ended up having to put money into a new cooler, but then inspectors asked us to change the floor, do this and do that, because the store is old, it was built during World War II. Now, we have to close between 11:30 and 1 to get the store cleaned, get the deliveries in and restock the counters. Well, that pissed people off and that pissed off our regulars because now they can’t even get into the store.
I heard there were police called to the store, is that true?
They were in the store every day to move people out. I went down to 53 Division and asked them, I keep calling you guys to push customers out of the store, what should I do? Well, I could hire them to work for security at $65 per hour, minimum three hours. I couldn’t do that.
What’s happening to cause you to phone the police?
Customers come in, and maybe I say “I’m sorry we don’t have this or that, but you’re welcome to take whatever else you want.” And they’re like, “That’s not good, I’m staying in the store, I want to talk to this person or that person. I’m not moving, you want me out you’ll have to move me. So we call the police to come and eject them.”
Have any staff quit?
No, my staff are loyal, they’ve been with me since day one. But they are stressed, really stressed. They are taking a lot of time off, few hours a day, and we’re thinking of just closing one day next week and just go to the beach, just forget about the store and relax.
Online, there is a certain blogger complaining about filler in your sausages, others complaining about quality issues. How do you respond?
We’ve made sausages on Yonge Street for 10 years — chicken and pineapple; lamb, spinach and feta; tandoori. The neighbourhood loves the sausages, and they get so upset when they come to the store and can’t even get the sausages. I have no idea about the filler, this Trueler guy — I wish I could talk to this guy. Those sausages, and the neighbourhood would back me, are one of the best things about the store. The sausages and the burgers — people love them. I don’t know why that guy is saying that.
And you’re still using the same suppliers, certified organic suppliers?
Yes, all the suppliers are legit. The government came in, we gave them all the paperwork and they know exactly what we’re doing.
What about the fish shop you were supposed to open across the street?
It is turn-key now, ready to go, all the coolers are in there, but because of this madness, I don’t want to open it until it calms down. And, with the renovations of the Butchers scheduled for July — when I announce the renovation I assume it will be this massive thing out there saying, “Oh he’s going to close down and not reopen” — but I’d like to open them both together, when my customers come back from their cottages in August … with a new coupon rule, maybe Mondays I’ll allow it. I could never have expected a North American record … It’s crazy.
