‘Half sack’ sugar deal not sweet enough for Edinboro shopkeeper

An Edinboro businessman says that there is nothing sweet about the deal he has gotten from the Agricultural Input Warehouse, while the manager of that corporation counter claims that they are not at fault.{{more}}

When shopkeeper Clifford Morris visited on Tuesday, he told SEARCHLIGHT that the sacks of brown sugar he bought from the company last December were below standard, and when he asked for a refund he has been given the run around.

According to Morris, he purchased a number of sacks of sugar from the Lower Bay Street branch of the warehouse last year, paying over $120 each for the 110 pound sacks.

He said that he had quite some difficulty selling the sugar, because of the quality of the product.

“The sacks that I bought was ridiculous, but when I reach to the last one, which is this, it beat all… the condition is ridiculous. I can’t sell this.”

The businessman, who brought a sample of the sugar to SEARCHLIGHT, displayed items in the sugar, resembling stone, seeds, pieces of plastic and sand, in the bag.

“This sugar shouldn’t be coming to St Vincent; this is not good for people health. I can’t sell that to human beings. If I sell that I don’t fear God,” the elderly man said.

Morris explained that he went to the warehouse seeking redress about three months ago, but was told by management that he could only be given half of a sack of sugar, an offer he simply refused.

He said that he also sought advice and help from health officials but received none.

“How they could give me half when is a whole sack and the sugar is not good?

“Through the condition of the sugar the sales cut for sugar more than 50 per cent.

“I would like to have this matter settled,” the shopkeeper of 40 years said.

When SEARCHLIGHT spoke to Lennox Francis, manager of the warehouse, he acknowledged communicating with the businessman earlier this year, and said that he was not convinced that the fault came from the warehouse, neither the supplier of that batch from Honduras.

He said that Morris was the only individual to report contaminated sugar from that shipment.

“It is unbelievable that only one person will complain about a batch of sugar,” Francis pointed out.

“Once there is more than one person, something is wrong, and we will do a recall of that sugar and return it to the supplier.

“When he came to us, I told him for his effort I would give him half a bag of sugar, but he refused. Now that offer is no longer on the table.”

The manager said that he also became suspicious of the sample shown to him by Morris, when he saw pieces of the polythene sack mixed with the sugar.

He said that it was not possible for that type to debris to get mixed with the sugar from the supplier.

Producing his own sample of sugar, from the shipment bought by Morris, Francis showed that the sample he had was clean and free of debris.

Francis said that the warehouse would usually compromise with purchasers when there are complaints, but he does not believe that the shopkeeper is being genuine.

“We never had any sugar looking like that. I’ve seen all types of sugar, but I have never seen sugar looking like that.

“First thing I would like to suggest is that they examine his storeroom. We have seen some storerooms and it is ridiculous the way they have their storerooms….”

Morris, however, maintains to SEARCHLIGHT, that the sugar was purchased in the condition he showed it.