ScillyOnLine

[Dog the Bounty Eater]

I've posted this on 'Moojah's forum, so I thought I'd put here too.
Unfortunately, underhand tactics are being used by the new tenants of 'Tolman' Cafe, in that they are getting two young local lads to hand out leaflets to passers by, enticing them away from Old Town Cafe and up to their premises. I know that 'technically' they are doing nothing wrong, but hell the place is hard enough to live in as it is without stirring up ill feelings deliberately. It wouldn't be so bad if the new people had the guts to hand the leaflets out themselves instead of getting local youngsters to do their dirty work for them. Already some youngsters are taking sides and falling out over it. I think it's a bit 'gutless' of them to stir up trouble, then just sit back and let it go on around them.
Radio Scilly is also getting in on the act by continually 'plugging' them. I don't mind competition but Radio S has the ability to 'make or break' a business and I don't think it's right for a Radio station to takes sides or show preferences.

[shah_boy]

You are right, they are doing nothing wrong, they are advertising their business, they are employing some people to do this, thus contributing to the local community. I would not call their tactics underhand, immoral or nasty. But I am not there, I don't know the full story, just sounds like someone trying to get a business off the ground.

[Bymore Mutton]

I agree with Shah Boy, where else would they hand out leaflets. As for the Radio, it’s linked to a birthday competition, where the winner gets a meal at Tolman. I can’t see a problem with this. I’m sure Angie could do something along the same lines and R Scilly would go along with it.

How can it be a ‘dirty trick’ to promote your business in an essentially normal humdrum way? Clearly a meal bought at Tolman’s is a meal not bought at Old Town Café or the pub, but that’s a given, it’s just what happens. It seems a little daft to criticise Tolman for getting kids to hand out leaflets, maybe they have better things to do.

As for kids falling out, so what, kids fall out about just about everything, it happens. A thread like this is more likely to kindle ill feeling than these allegedly ‘underhand tactics’.

[chocoholic]

Ok, so suppose all the other cafes/restaurants/pubs on the island decide to respond in kind, and market their businesses in the same way? Visitors would have to run a gauntlet up the main street of St Mary's trying to avoid vouchers/advertising being thrust at them from all directions. Welcome to Spain everyone!

[Bymore Mutton]

I entirely take your point, it would be bad thing, but that doesn't make it a dirty trick or underhand.

[Muff the Diver]

[DangerMullet]

It's also worth mentioning that Tolman Cafe pay money to get plugged on Radio Scilly. I believe this is called advertising in some crazy circles?! It's all these new fangled concepts! Pesky mainlanders!

[chocoholic]

Now I freely admit that I am not tuned in to Radio Scilly all day every day so I could easily be missing it, but I have not actually heard an advertisement for Tolman in the same format as the other ads being played ie it's obvious it's an ad. All I have heard is references from Keri to having been down there, and also the birthday mention competition, which is a promotion but not an ad. Have I missed the point? As for pesky mainlanders, well all I can say is we keep hearing from pesky mainlanders how wonderful Scilly is, and then they move here and bring mainland practices with them that we neither like nor need. At the end of the day people visit Scilly because it's different from the mainland. Please stop trying to make it the same, or you will ruin the holiday experience for the visitors and ruin everyones livelihood to boot.