Hannah and Mason....the end?

[Guest]

Well, we like Hot Wok. My kids like their chicken broccoli.

[Guest]

The Blue Rooster brings the complaints on themselves. Read their website blog. I have never seen someone more full of him/herself then the writer of that blog. You would think that everything they do is sprinkled with divine intervention.
A blog is for an open exchange of ideas. Thats why people are on it. The Blue Rooster owners may think they are wonderful but obviously they have issues like all other businesses. Let them read about it here and correct them.

[Guest]

[Guest]

Mega stores and now the globalization... Yuk! I might lose my job.

It takes some thinking and study to start a niched business (and remain successful) in Cranbury.

[Guest]

[Guest]

[mega]

Even neighborhood mega stores are feeling the challenges from on-line mega stores like Amazon. With free shipping, no tax (we are supposed to pay the tax when we file the 1040), and no driving, I found myself buying stuff from on-line stores more and more frequently.

A new Cranbury store must offer fresh stuff and things that are hard to ship, so that the on-line stores cannot compete effectively. Convenience is also key motivation for people to shop there.

Someone mentioned a dry cleaner store. That might work.

[Guest]

[Jeff M.]

Here is what it comes down to and there is no right or wrong. So trying to argue one or the other and win will not happen. It's like approving or disapproving of our TC. Some feel that they are doing well and others feel like the town is going downhill.

View one:

Clearly you feel it is proper to complain and bash a business in town. It's free speech and no one will tell you what to do.

View two (mine as well)

We should treat businesses in Cranbury like we would our fellow residents. The old adage if you don't have something nice to say, don't say it. I prefer to look at how I would want people to treat me, not on whether I have a right to do it.

The only question I have to those in the first group is why they or the one person post under Guest if they are so willing to defend the right to freely speak.

[Guest]

Jeff, there were at least three people posting under Guest in this thread because I know I was one of them, I know there were other posts defending the right to comment on businesses that weren’t from me and the most vocal person taking "view 2" that everyone should say nothing bad was also posting as Guest for at least most of this thread...

I concur this is going to have to end as an agree-to-disagree issue. I think even calling it "bashing" is pejorative. Is someone saying the menu is not their taste or they didn’t love the food or they think the prices are too high “bashing”? It seems like someone’s opinion, stated without venom, should not be automatically construed as “bashing.”

Also, for most of this discussion the topic was muddled and confused because one of the Guest’s was blaming the negative comments with the ultimate success or failure of the business, which makes no logical sense, and not addressing it simply as an issue of local “courtesy” as your wording of view 2 does.

I definitely see your POV on view #2 and respect it, but I don’t agree with it. There is a fundamental difference between a neighbor and a business. How a neighbor acts in private is their business and it is a fairly universal social taboo to “publicly” comment on that – though it is pervasive and accepted that people do so among their peers in private (its called gossip), so society is already pretty hypocritical on this point. But a business isn’t a neighbor; it’s more akin to a public figure just like the Township Committee. A business provides a service and ultimately lives or dies on its success at satisfying enough people with their service and price point. They WANT people to talk about them; they would get little business if they didn’t. It make little sense to me to say it is appropriate to solicit word-of-mouth for a business, but only if it is good. It’s akin to Paris Hilton or Britney Spears mugging for media coverage then acting violated when the coverage turns negative. It just doesn’t work that way – if you beg for the spotlight you don’t get to dictate that it only show you in a good light.

I personally would agree that some people take this to extremes – their comments are rude and over-the-top and sometimes are motivated by something personal that they neglect to disclose. I still defend their right to do so but would agree it is not “civil.” But this discussion has lumped every form of criticism, even even-tempered and constructive, into the basket of “basking” and that I can’t agree on. For the record, I have never commented on H&M until this post today and beyond my earlier comment about the menu not being appealing to me have never said anything negative about them. I have no “skin” in this game, but am simply defending a principle. I think there are some great local businesses in Cranbury and I think it does a disservice to those that have earned their success to defend some artificial support structure for those that have not.

[Jeff M.]

We'll have to agree to different positions. The reason for my take on view 2 is that our business in Cranbury contribute to our social structure. They support events or run them like Cranbury Day, they do the decorating at Christmas for Main St., the owners are often residents in our town or they work hard to support the town, our fire department has members who own their own business in town. I know the owners of the BR have been working to sell cupcakes for charity for example.

So I personally do consider businesses in our town in the same category that I do my neighbors and fellow residents and that we residents only benefit by their success and we hurt if they fail.

When I referred to bashing I was referring to comments such as, "The Blue Rooster brings the complaints on themselves. Read their website blog. I have never seen someone more full of him/herself then the writer of that blog. You would think that everything they do is sprinkled with divine intervention. " I found that post unfortunate.

I also saw that when the one Guest tried to talk about civility someone jumped at him/her with their American right to Free Speech (11:40am post).

I don't disagree with one's right to expression. Just on the manners around it.

[Jeff M.]

Before someone kills me I am not saying negative complaints cause businesses to fail. Just that when they do fail it is more than just the businesses. I personally would love the old days of picking up milk, my presciprtions and a gallon of paint. So I do feel I was hurt when these business went out because I hate driving to East Windsor. Again, not because of negative complaints. Just that I think we should be as civil to them as to our private neighbors.

[Guest]

Cranbury is not served in the long run by bad businesses, just as our national economy isn't. We're not doing our town any favors to artificially support them. We should enthusiasticaly support the good ones.

No matter how we agree to disagree here in the end, that's what will naturally happen anyway. Only a tiny fraction of our already small town reads this. People will do what they do and this converstaion becomes academic. There are always negative comments about anything, some civic, some not. On balance if it is a good business more people will support it regardless of the detracting minority. I personally like the Blue Rooster. I hope it succeeds and have no knowledge of or reason to believe it won't.

[CranRes]

[Guest]

[Guest]

You people are unbelievable. If you don't like it there then don't patronize BR. Stop complaining and do something productive with your time and energy instead of all these negative and hateful comments about someone.