Our Little Corner in CARREFOUR LE SALAMANDRIER

It cost us 95k for our little snack corner in Carrefour Le Salamandrier. At that time of the purchase, the staff of the said company shared her opinion that we were buying at a good price and that it was a deal of a life time. She reassured us that if someday we would like to sell the store that they would walk hand in hand with us and would help find a way. 

Yeah, that was 6 years ago. Fast forward today, we have discovered that not only have they gone back on their word, but that they have had no intentions in helping us in anyway at all. They not only lied but they are also the greediest people we have had the displeasure of having to deal with. We have learned over time that not only have they screwed  up every possible potential buyers from other stores, that they have also made it a living hell for store owners to get their lease renewed unless of course with the exception that would we accept their ridiculous terms and conditions then a new lease would be given.

For the last 6 years, our days would commence at 5.30am till 7.30pm in the evenings, Monday to Saturday. We would commute for an hour to and from work, 114 KMs in all. During the summer, the days would be longer where we would reach home at 9pm and Sunday would be the ONLY rest day and this would be it until we decided that, enough was enough.

The beginning of our 6th year has started off with a rocky start. With business slowing down and stores closing one after another, the gallery has progressively lost its traffic and the fact that most store owners were going about their business without a valid lease, it was next to impossible to sell their business. Sad, but our landlord, Carmila, (Carrefour Property) were not understanding to the plight of the small business owners and thus, any potential buyers would be put off by their terms and conditions in their new lease and also by the number of many empty stores. In these hard times,  and bad economy, people are more cautious with their means before investing. 

 In the end, due to the constant failing of my health and the drastic reduction in customers, hubby and I  decided to throw in the towel.  We surrendered! Our bodies, especially mine,  was slowly shutting down. Health wise, we were both in dire need of a good break. Towards the end, I felt that my body was screaming for a cease and decease.  And cease and decease we did. Hard choice,  and we caved in.

On the 4th of May 2017, we finally pulled down the metal shutters and closed for good. Sad as it was, as hard as it was, we decided that health needed to come first before anything else. 

In the end, after 6 long years, everything came to an end and we walked out of CARREFOUR Le Salamandrier empty handed. Talk about injustice!