'Buy local or bye bye' - Kirkham pet shop issues stark warning to customers
A Kirkham business owner has decorated her shop window with a stark warning to locals.
Kirkham Pet Centre, located on Market Square, is a family-run store offering a selection of items for pets - including toys and food for cats, dogs, small furries and more.
Now, the owner of the independent venue has written ‘BUY LOCAL OR BYE BYE LOCAL’ on her shop window and told customers she is ‘disappointed’.
In a post on Facebook, owner Hannah MacKenzie urged members of the public to support small businesses, warning ‘if you do not use your local shops you will lose them’.
She wrote: “I am disappointed. I am deeply, deeply disappointed. We work HARD we work very very hard.
“We work far above and beyond the opening hours of the shop, behind the scenes. Days like today I wonder why we do it.”
The passionate shop owner outlined issues such an expensive item ‘being peed on’ and a treat pot for dogs being broken the fifth time. But, she said the ‘big one’ - which has lead to her window display - is visitors not making purchases or buying online.
Hannah continued: “I love having people in, I love talking, informing and having a chat, some even come and have a sit down! We help as much as we can, we WANT to help!
“I recently spent over 15 minutes speaking with one individual, we chatted about diet, what they were worried about, what they wanted and I gave information, resources and just did my usual thing.
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“We saw them a little while later to be told they just ordered the food they liked that we had on the internet in spite of us offering free local delivery, which we have, for years.
“In spite of us helping them to find the food in the first place, I am upset, I am disappointed. And this is repeated.”
Hannah said the experiences are ‘completely demoralising’, adding: “We are one family, we are small and we need to be supported or you will lose us.”
Kirkham Pet Centre can be found at 7 Market Square, Kirkham. It is open from 10am – 5pm Monday to Friday and 10am – 3pm on Saturday.