Blustery Days

This week there really has been only one topic of conversation...the weather!  What with the Gale Force Winds and the Ash Cloud....everything is very uncertain and unsettled at the moment!

Unfortunately this has resulted in a bit of damage to Dunblane High Street, forcing the road to be closed this evening.  We found this out when a customer popped in to hire a film and commented on the closure signs, expecting us to know why it was shut.  A reasonable expectation as one of the few businesses open later in the evening on the High Street.  I duly ventured up the street to talk to one of the 3 hard hat wearing council officials hovering about two thirds of the way up the street.   

They pointed out the damaged drain still attached (just) to the side of one of the buildings.  Understandably the road has to be closed due to Health & Safety reasons (in my past life I was a Health & Safety officer, so I completely get why it's closed).  What I don't "get", however is the lack of communication from our Council about what they are doing.  When I suggested (politely, honestly) that maybe the council could have let us know as they closed the road, or even popped it on Facebook, I was met with a glare that could have turned me to stone, from the suited hard hat wearing council official!  "It is on Facebook, I authorised that ages ago", snapped he....well Stirling Council (and I would love it if they did read this)...nope - it's not there!  When enquiring further about how long it may be shut, the hostility hardened, I wasn't expecting a precise time to the minute, but as a trader i do have a vested interest in knowing! 

It's not so much the fact that the road is closed, but that repeated attempts by us to communicate with our local council is met with such defensiveness and hostility.  As a high street retailer is it really too much to expect to be informed of decisions that affect our business, even last minute unexpected ones!  Facebook and Twitter are Social Networking sites that allow all businesses and individuals to communicate in an instant!  This kind of technology should be embraced by groups such as local councils and utilised to get across unexpected events in particular!  How long did it take me to update facebook informing our customers of the closure...minutes!

So there you have it - rant over!  Normally I try to keep these things away from our company profile, but when it comes to such unaprochable behaviour from faceless organisations sometimes venting is the only way!