Mall receives backlash after cutting local knife company
PORTLAND, Ore. – As soon as people heard Washington Square Mall was giving the boot to popular local store, Excalibur, it received backlash on its Facebook page.
Dozens of people, like Karla Rai Polk, posted on Facebook: I am so disappointed that you are kicking Excalibur out ... they are a great locally owned company! They give great service and give us all an opportunity to support local companies."
Alyssa Doughty wrote: "Can't believe you are getting rid of Excalibur! What you did is wrong. ... You should have at least given them more notice. This is one of my favorite stores and I am sad your (sic) forcing them out."
There's nothing illegal about the mall kicking Excalibur out. It has the right to pick tenants and Excalibur store managers know that. But they say after 30 years inside the mall, they should have been treated better.
And for a store that specializes in blades of all kinds, it’s ironic for it to die from such a deep wound.
In addition to selling cutlery, Derrick Graham, Excalibur's regional manager, said the store sells "some of the very best sporting knives you'll ever be able to find."
The store will be leaving at the end of the month after Washington Square Mall decided not to renew its lease. A harsh business reality perhaps, but employees said the lack of courtesy cut the deepest.
"The lack of notice, the lack of even an offer to maybe relocate somewhere else in the mall, it's a little disappointing after being here for 30 years," Graham said.
The three-decade-long tenant was given just over 30 days of notice to leave.
"I think that's underhanded," said store employee Tanisha Mekes, who was so angry she took to Facebook, telling people what was happening and asking them to contact the mall. From there, it exploded.
"Washington Square is kicking out a local business. Please support local businesses, all in caps ... still outrageous," Mekes read from one of the comments on her Facebook post.
Her post was shared over 1,600 times (and counting). It's a stunning reaction for she and Graham, but maybe not that surprising.
"Oregonians are Oregonians and they like their local businesses," Mekes said. "That's what Oregon is about – to help one another and to be here for the local people. The outcry has been amazing."
Washington Square managers sent KATU News a statement. It reads in part, "We value all our retail partners and are appreciative of Excalibur's long standing relationship. The retailer is represented in the market at other locations and we hope their shoppers will continue to patronize those locations. As one of the top retail malls in the U.S., we continue to look for ways to keep the retail line-up fresh and current to reflect the preferences of our shoppers."
Excalibur hopes to move employees at the Washington Square Mall location across its other eight locations.
Very unprofessional treatment by Washington Square. Here is a way you can support this local business. Avoid the hassle of the mall and e-shop at  http://www.excaliburcutlery.com/
Washington Square blows
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...maybe they can turn it back into a cow feild like it was 40 years ago...
Everyone here in this comment section and in the news should know that as a previous Excalibur employee I can tell you, this was the highest grossing store. Â Without Washington Square being open there is a very very high chance that the whole company will be going out of business. Â Don't let the mall management fool you thinking that the store will be fine without this location, because it wont.
Let the boycott begin.. AGREED.... Hey, maybe there is a sweet opening on the east side?
Stupid move on their part. Been there for years paying their rent to you, leave them alone.
After thinking about this I've decided that Washington Square should house 20% local companies. Why don't we boycott all of these malls unless they have 20% of the tenants from companies in the Pacific Northwest. I am disgusted with Washington Square. By the way Washington Square is NOT too big to fail. BOYCOTT WASHINGTON SQUARE!!!.
If I owned a store at Washington Square I would be worried enough to complain to the landlord.
LET THE BOYCOTT BEGIN.
 @special effects They also said in their letter that, essentially, they supported local businesses.  Aside from "Microsoft" (if you want to call it a northwest business since, technically, I suppose it still is), and restaurants, I saw Made in Oregon who would probably no longer exist if they weren't able to make their wine sales, "Eddie Bauer" and Hannah Anderson (again, a bit like Microsoft since they are so global), a few smaller stores (Jewelry and Watch Repair), Kassab Jewelers, the Duck Store and Shoe Mill.
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Aside from locally owned national franchises (sometimes it is a little difficult to see if a store is a corporate store or a franchise of a nationally recognized brand which, to me, isn't "regional"), I don't see much that identifies that particular mall (or most of them in our area, for that matter) as being regional or trying to incorporate regional products and new businesses.
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I'd love for Washington Square to promote those businesses they feel are "regional" and unique to the Portland/Oregon/Washington area. Â If I knew which ones they were, I might be more likely to support Washington Square and those stores specificallly.
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Warning to Shoe Mill -- you guys are really great and have helped me out a few times but something tells me your days might very well be numbered, too. Â Pull out your contracts and read through them with a fine tooth comb IF you want to remain at Washington Square.
I suppose this is their way of trying to close the knife shop "loophole".
Where will thirty year old guys in duster jackets who still live in their mom's basement buy ninja swords with their tax return now?
@richXXIII Look at BudK
 @richXXIII Internet.
 @Playanekes  @richXXIII I@mike_j I think rich meant this as a rhetorical question.
IT'S BUSINESS. Yeah, it's not the best for "local" business...but you have to do what you have to do to make a buck. You think Excalibur doesn't try to make money too? Come on, pull your heads outta the sand. Get with the times. Business is about making money. Would you put your crap up on Craigslist and sell to the lowest bidder? No.
from what I read, this just came out of the blue. if Excaliber had defaulted on the lease, then the landlord has the right and obligation to ask them to move on. but 30 years of loyally making rent payments and no gripes, that is just wrong
@Mike_J I agree. I might be less than a genius; I only took 1 business class and 2 economics classes @ Chemeketa, but it seems to me the way the economy is in the proverbial pooper, and the stores empty everywhere you would want to hang onto an outfit that pays their bills on time. I have never been to Washington Square Mall; doesn't look like I ever will.
 @mikeyb123 I do not see your point they paid the bill for 30 years and then were told they were not wanted anymore. Granted they have the right but kicking out a long reliable rent payer seems STUPID to do if your talking business. Those are the people you want. The one that have a history of being able to pay the bill.
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I think it is really just because they sell knives which many people irrationally fear like guns. Yet in the giant liberal hypocrisy Macy's probably has more knives for sale they just don't look scary.
 @FreedomRocks Well, I guess we truly don't know "why" they kicked them out. But here is my guess....The mall wants to make more money. They need to bring in the stores the MAJORITY want. There are a lot more 10 year old girls that would like a Claire's or Forever21 (Finally22) than people going to the mall to buy a pocket knife. It's not necessarily a "fun" fact...but it is true. It's just a business that doesn't have the edge anymore. I'm speculating here...but I would also entertain the idea that they are getting some sort of cut on the rent because they have been there so long. Now they have all these big corporate stores calling them up saying, "hey, we will pay you double what they are paying and we will bring more people into your mall. Here are the studies that we paid for to show you"....It's pretty tough to turn down greenbacks when you are running a business. Trust me, I try to buy local as much as the next guy....but I don't want to go to a mall that is full of a bunch of stores selling rainsticks, Made in Oregon sweaters, and Bear shaped candle holders.Like I said, we don't know what is true about them getting "kicked out". BUT, I do agree with the majority here that they are fueled by money...I am too...so is the other 99% of business owners. I would not go into business to fail.
Macy's sells cutlery.
It would only be logical that they be given the boot too.
Right?
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@Fed up Fed Your right. and: My money, my choice. Not that it will mean a hill of dog turds to them if I don't go to their lame mall, but it will to me.
 @Fed up Fed  @Mipsfer Really you don't think right after a major mall tragedy some liberal mall manager is not thinking their knifes look scary to me so we had better boot them?
 @Fed up Fed Funny because with your superior frontal cortex you completely missed that 99% of what highly technical people do is solve complex problems and ideas for a living.
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Being a liberal with an overloaded large cortex apparently makes you not able to handle more then one complex idea at a time so you focused only on the ideas that supported you theory which was storing formulas and equations is not in the frontal cortex so it means I am really a dumb conservative.
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This has been valuable insight as into the way the warped liberal mind works to distort the facts and truth to come to a conclusion that is not valid and only bases on partial information.
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Wow thanks I now understand the other half so much better!
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PS I will tell my buddy the graduated with a MSEE at CMU and is very conservative that his fellow CMU students think he it just can't be so from there study on "Projection Bias" that a googled. Oh and Mr Fed up Fed says so...
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So are my tax dollars paying for you to play on the Internet all day trying to hurt the feelings of us conservatives?
 @Fed up Fed  @FreedomRocks Your so full of crap now its coming out your ears and making me laugh so hard snot is coming out my nose...
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If they would have studied me with BS and MS in technical fields or some of my friends with PHDs in equally difficult scientific fields like mine they only thing they would find missing in our frontal cortex was the ability was the large amount of BS that apparently can be stored in your much larger one. Although not sure the BS is equivalent to grey matter.
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Maybe now your going to tell me that the ability to make it to a master level with a 3.9 GPA in a fields where 60% drop out year 1 because it is to tough and 80% don't even attempt it and go straight into business school or something else is because with less grey matter it makes it easier to store and find all those formulas, equations, and then use them in problem solving.
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If I were a more liberal all that ability which just get lost in a jumble of grey matter filled with BS and I would have to fall back on my emotions to bluff my way through it...
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Ya I really buying that one Mr I am a super liberal genius smarter than all thum hics tat carnt spel and rin fram der shaders...
 @Fed up Fed As a Dragon Naturally Speaking user I love it when idiots like you try to tie intelligence to spelling, grammar, and typos. If you were smart enough to understand how NaturallySpeaking and auto completion of words works you would see how uninformed and arrogant that is...
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As for your 50 years of studies these were done by liberals in the education system trying to prove they are smarter and should control everything? Ya I am really going to buy into that one.
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The biggest joke of all is claiming that conservatives are ruled by fear and the liberals are not.
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The Democrats just masterfully and strategically used fear and demagoguery to get the biggest loser in our countries history reelected for a second term.
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This would not have been successful if the ever so brilliant liberals were not equally as ruled by fear...
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So I suggest you get off your high and mighty podium and come down to earth with the rest of us, look around, and realize you're just one in a few billion people and there's nothing special about you or anyone else that makes you superior just because you have a different belief system the half the people on the planet.
 @Fed up Fed  @FreedomRocks You are sadly mistaken the only thing that can be derived by conservative or liberal is one side is ruled much more by emotion then logic and facts.
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As for proof I have first hand examples like the slide show my wife did for the my kids graduating grade school. A room full of 150 5th graders stood up and booed the flash back of things that happened that year when Bush's photo came up.
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Now how would the average 5th grader even know who the president was let alone dislike him so much without help from those liberal teachers?
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Especially in a region where 45% came from conservative families yet 95% jumped up and to boo...
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As for your who is smarter crap if you really believe one side is smarter then the other on average then I think it fits quite well with the arrogant views of the liberals and why they want to tell everyone how they should be living their lives.
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Problem is neither side is smarter they are both just driven by very different wants, needs, and desires. Conservatives want the freedom to do their own thing and be left alone by the liberals and liberals seemed determined to want to control the conservatives and force them to live and believe the way they do.
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If you really believe one is smarter then the other then you are dumber then you sound...
 @Fed up Fed  @FreedomRocks  @Fed  @Mipsfer Apparently they never taught you critical thinking and statistics in school.
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It was a well known fact that in K-12 and in 13-18 school levels the teachers are by an overwhelming majority liberal democrats. Around 75-90% so they push their views in what they teach.
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You as a liberal would not be as likely to notice because it fits your expectations but as a non-liberal it was real clear they were pushing liberal views on me at PSU and UofO to a lesser degree...
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It is the same reason the liberal left media does not believe there is any bias in their own reporting. Since they are all on the same page so they can't even see the bias or be honest enough to admit it is there. However someone like myself it is so blatant that I find it hard to believe they are not just simply lying about not seeing the bias.
 @Fed up Fed  @FreedomRocks  @Mipsfer Ya as a non religious conservative (closest label that fits) with multiple college degrees it is easy to think that an extra 4 years of brain washing on young minds could sway those who don't have a firm grounding in their own beliefs to buy into the liberal ideology.
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Fortunately many liberals become conservatives as they age and mature and become their own person rather then having or needing a group mindset to define themselves.
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Take my wife for example with 3 college degrees has after 20 years of marriage turned from very liberal to very conservative. Seeing what the new liberal party of democrats is doing she no longer wanted to claim to be part of that group.
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I for one like people who think for themselves rather then let a group do it for them which is why I said non religious conservative is the closest label that fits me. I don't actually consider myself part of the conservative group it just happens to be the one that seems most grounded on reality if you through out the religious parts.
Dear KATU, it is curious to me, that you would contact Washington Square's Management verse the owners of the Mall. Macerich is the mother company and could give an explanation as to why a tenant of thirty years is being evicted.  I would suggest to all the readers and viewers, we send our commits to Macerich. Randy Brant is the Execute Vice President. His email is randy.brant@macerich.com and his phone is 310-394-6000, Doug Healey is the Senior Vice President, email is doug.healey@macerich.com, phone is 310-249-4400
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getting around the Undefined error:
@RalphCramden @Sundowner @randomdude I do not care for Livefyre seems there are more problems with it than Intense debate
 I agree! Intense Debate would email you if someone replied to what you wrote. this thing does not. I LIKE a lively debate. I have my side of politics, and many others here have opposing views. but we can't debate if we don't know what's been said. as it stands now, you have to re-look at the same article instead of having a link right to it. But like Macerich, it's KATU's site and they can do what they want with it.
 @No_Conservitards I get email notices when someone "likes" a comment or replies to it but they're not very timely....sometimes takes over an hour.  I think it's part of your settings.Â
Ah the typical PC mall managers. Vancouver mall kicked out big 5 sports because they sold guns and knives. Now WA square mall kicks out excaliber because they sell knives. But hey, keeping unarmed security and stores that only sell clothing or nic nacs is waaaaaaay better than learning from the Clackamas Mall Shooting.....
 @commonsense33 How do you know Van Mall kicked out Big 5 because of guns?  According to the Columbian article, they closed it down after they built their own store nearby (in hopes of drawing people from Battle Ground and other places that wouldn't normally go to a mall to pick up sporting equipment). Â
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http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/nov/09/big-5-coming-to-orchards-leaving-mall/
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and
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http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/nov/10/Correction-big-5-sporting-goods/
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It seems to me to have been an economic decision to not be in the mall while it was renovating and because the majority of their stores are independent and not inside of malls. Â It probably also did allow expansion of gun and archery equipment because the mall probably limited what could be bought and/or carried through the mall but it seems that decision was secondary to, at the very least, expanding their product lines at off site stores.
 @commonsense33 That being said, I'd be curious to see what, if anything, happens to Dick's Sporting Goods (one of the retailers, no doubt, the mall is also referencing in being able to purchase items similar to those sold at Excalibur) and whether or not any of the other import retailers might pick up on selling (inferior) swords and military regalia or not.
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Anyone working at the mall in a retail management capacity (not for the mall) wanting to speak anonymously, I'd also be curious to hear if you've received anything from mall management indicating any products you can or cannot be selling or how items (like cutlery needing to be locked down or behind plexiglass) might be displayed.
"It's a stunning reaction for she and Graham, but maybe not that surprising." Dear KATU and especially Lincoln Graves. "For SHE and Graham???" For SHE? For shame. Well, it's late, and my wife is calling me. Her and me needs to gwine bed.
I love how they point out that the business is also represented elsewhere and you can go there. Guess what - malls are represented elsewhere as well. Malls that will get my business instead of Washington Square.
Like guns, we must ban knives because they can kill people. (lil sarcasm)
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Next up will be TSA style X-ray machines at the mall doors with security guards giving cavity searches.Â
 @B00gsÂ
and like airlines and airports, you can choose not to patronize the business. No one is forced to shop at Wa. Square just like no one is forced to fly. People love to B&M about increased security but very few are willing to actually vote by witholding their money - the only thing that will motivate change in business.
I cant believe how clueless some people are. The owners of Washington Mall only own the buildings and the grounds. The businesses within pay rent to the owners of the mall to put their stores into available spaces. If you dont shop at the businesses there, you arent going to be punishing the owners of the mall, you will be punishing the businesses inside that have nothing to do with closing Excalibur. If they dont get your business, guess what the mall will do to those businesses? Close them down? HMMM, ya think?
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Let the mall owners know what you think about their actions through twitter, facebook, emails, even snailmail and phone calls. But dont hurt the remaining businesses by not shopping there. Kinda counterproductive dont you think?
This stinks of political correctness. The bubbles management seem to live in didn't work out so well for the Komen foundation. They have lost 25% of their revenue.Â
"We value all our retail partners and are appreciative of Excalibur's long standing relationship. The retailer is represented in the market at other locations and we hope their shoppers will continue to patronize those locations.
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Excellent idea, the other malls in the area will be a great place to patronize.Â
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so when does j.c.penny's get their 30 day notice? or does this mall get a cut of the profit from each store?
 @32jim2 Of course the get a cut.  Not of the profit usually, but of the gross.  That's how malls work.
Not familiar with this particular mall, but this just sounds like a "money move" to me... the knife store, probably had a pretty reasonable rent after 30 years in that location... chances are, some other business came along and made the mall owner a better offer... Â
"Greed ueber alles, folks..." Â Â Â
 @margay1 We had an ace hardware in a little mall by our house for 20 years. Greedy mall managers doubled the rent and lost 4-5 businesses including Ace. Now almost 10 years later I have yet to see any of the 3-4 lost spots have a business that lasted for more then 6 months. I guess though to the mall owner even if it is only filled 6 months at 2x the price they still get their money. However to the other places at the mall that want traffic having empty spots not attracting people really sucks....
Probably replace with with a much healthier alternative, like a Cinnabon.
The corporation that owns and runs Washington Square has a perfect right to terminate any store that they want. What's the big deal? Even if they don't want a store selling knives, that's there business. If you want a knife go elsewhere. They are not infringing upon any of your rights.
 @peckishpete It's people like you who make living in America horrible.. You are a monster !
A monster!! I'm just espousing, albiet tongue in cheek, what many in this country support - unfettered capitalism free from government taxes and regulation; free to send American jobs overseas to save a few bucks; free to have businessment like Romney buy and sell business and lay off workers; free from unions so that businesses can pay the lowest wages with no benefits. I could go on and on. So its just BS when people start whining when a knife store is asked to leave for whatever reason Washington Square wants. Its business in America. You can't have things both ways.
 @dougrpdx  @peckishpete Huh?  Monster?  THAT I don't understand.  PP is stating a point of view.  I don't think anyone would disagree that Washington Square or other malls have the legal right and ability to demand that a tenant vacate.  I just don't completely agree with PP's point of view but I do understand the contract law angle.
@peckishpete   """""""The corporation that owns and runs Washington Square has a perfect right to terminate any store that they want. What's the big deal?""""""
That is correct PP it is well within the property owners right to not renew the lease.  I don't think anyone is arguing that point.
IMHO, the anger is the property owners PC knee jerk reaction to recent events. Its a store that has been there for decades with no problem and the property owners seem to have made a  very m0r0nic decision (IMHO) based completely on emotion.Â
 @kramr @peckishpete The point is that we really don't know that they made a decision based on emotion.  In light of the size and scope of the corporation involved, I think your belief is unlikely.  Take a look at this and tell me you think they'd make such a contract move with something other than their bottom line in mind.  http://www.macerich.com/find/findacenter.aspx.  I've yet to see anything fact-based to convince me this is nothing more than a huge corporation exercising its right to have the tenants they want.  This is another "follow the money", nothing more and nothing less.
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BTW, up until recently I haven't paid much attention to this site for quite a while, so tell me this: Â Were you one of those who took a stand against couples who were recently in the news after their banks had foreclosed on them? Â So many comments I read were very clear in saying the property belongs to the bank, the people knew 'eviction' was a possibility based on the contract they signed.......is this somehow different? Â It's basic contract law and there is no question the owners of Excalibur signed the contract which includes every single tiny-printed word. Â There had to be a 30-day notice no-fault termination clause. Â Just sayin'.Â
 @Sundowner
Spot on. This is the side of corporate business they never want to acknowledge when the subject is something that touches their emotion. Corporations are heartless, faceless businesses and every stockholder who expects them to put profit over human concerns perpetuates it.
@peckishpete It is the fact that they gave notice the day after Christmas and only 30+ days. They knew about this for 6 months! It is called RESPECT!!!
 @Nate Gibbons  @peckishpete Sadly, respect, common courtesy, public opinion and current political/social issues play NO role in contract law.  A contract is a contract and apparently this one held the provision that the lessor could terminate the lease for any and/or no reason by giving 30 day's notice.  Contract law is fairly inflexible.
 @peckishpete Nobody said anybody's rights are being infringed upon. As to the "perfect right to terminate any store that they want," do you actually have a copy of the lease agreement or is that something else you're just making up as you go?
 @peckishpete You realize the same people whining, moaning and groaning here are the same ones who are gung-ho for corporate America and all that it entails.  Corporations should never be sued for screwing over the public (tort reform), corporations should have little if any regulation (government interference), corporations should never be held accountable for adhering to EPA or USDA regulations (again, government interference), corporations are the only ones who know what's best for the public (Obamacare).  But let a corporation make a business decision that benefits their stockholders but boots out a knife store and watch the fur fly.  Nice seeing you, btw.  COG.
 @Sundowner  @peckishpeteÂ
"You realize the same people whining, moaning and groaning here are the same ones who are gung-ho for corporate America and all that it entails"
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Name some, and provide quotes, please. You're not totally FOS are you?
 @Sundowner  @peckishpete Waiting. You're still posting stuff here so you must be avoiding that one.
 @peckishpete While what you are saying is true from a legal and business sense, it isn't necessarily from a moral or ethical point of view (neither of the later will usually line your pocketbooks with gold).
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I think, for me, it is that Washington Square Mall expects me to be a loyal customer but cannot extend that courtesy to a business that has been loyal to the mall through all of its ups and downs over the past 30 years. The mall management could have elected to work with Excalibur, seeing that it's been a responsible tenant all of these years. If not in the mall, possibly on one of the surrounding properties, working with other leasing companies to see if they could help come up with a nearby location so that customers displaced by Excalibur's move would also still be willing to remain loyal to Washington Square as well. I'd even take it a step further and expect that they would help pay the business relocation costs and/or a portion of the rent for the next six months or so to offset the SUDDEN closure Excalibur is facing.
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If Washington Square wants me as a customer, that's what I'd want to see from them in return. These are the types of businesses I support.
 @peckishpete I'll bet you would be singing a different tune if it was something that you enjoyed.