Well said Max, and welcome back, I was beginning to think you were wearying of this site, I should have known better.
Just to add my tuppeneth, I have seen my 3 local Sams houses reduced to a shadow of their former selves: in two instances what were strong food led houses are hardly doing any meals at all now, and have been through numerous managers in the last few years, and the manager at the third is clearly jaded, lacking motivation and is (when you talk to him on the quiet) very worried what the next actions of Mr Smith will be, not only in regards to his own employment which HS has threatened repeatedly, but also with regards to the business itself which is being hampered at almost every turn by the ludicrous policy decisions made by the brewery owner. The only weapon in your arsenal is the cheap good quality beer which is a big asset but not the be all and end all when you dont have enough staff to serve it or clean the pub or anything else.
Unless you are an investigative reporter , dont get involved. Unless you suffer from sado masochistic tendancies, in which case please apply. I have personally seen two managers pushed to the point of breakdown by this madman, one of which I know for sure is still on antidepressants a year after she left. If you read through this site you will find plenty of other intances of employees pushed to the brink. They cant all be hopeless cases worthy of such persecution and sacking can they?
On another note, have you found any truth in these stories linking HS on variious levels to a mental hospital, Max? I know his visits to pubs, general movements and looney decisions have been at a minimum for a couple of months....perhaps the men in white coats are catching up with him?
