08 May 2008

How many millions of dollars...

Do you suppose Tim Hortons spends on advertising every year... 'cos it looks like they just pissed away a huge amount of goodwill here.
-- LONDON, Ont. -- Giving a free Timbit to a baby has cost a single mother of four her job.

Nicole Lilliman, 27, was fired Wednesday from her Tim Hortons job in this southwestern Ontario city for giving one of the 16-cent blobs of fried dough to a tot who came in with a regular customer.

“I have been fired for giving a baby a Timbit,” Ms. Lilliman said Wednesday.
I thought this was some sort of a gag... but apparently, at Tims, this is a very big deal.
Giving food away free is against the rules, said Tim Hortons district manager Nicole Mitchell.

“Employees aren't allowed to give out free products and that's the bottom line,” she said. “She gave out free product and it doesn't matter if it is a Timbit or a coffee or a doughnut or 10 sandwiches or what.”
A Timbit? To a baby?

There has to be more to this thing... right?

**********

UPDATE: Just heard Nicole Lilliman interviewed

Apparently someone higher up the food chain has called this woman and offered her a job at another area Tim Hortons. Nicole says this was a personal issue with the district manager, who apparently is also the daughter of the Tims franchisee in question.

She mentioned she makes $9.05 an hour.

**********

LAST WORD: Via RG in the comments
"Tim Hortons does not have a corporate policy governing the giving away of doughnuts", Douglas said, adding that "franchise owners are free to set their own policies."

Nicole Lilliman, a single mother of four, has been rehired at another Tim Hortons restaurant after what the chain described as an “overreaction” by a manager.
*