Have an opinion? Contact us at opinions @theotherpress.ca @ Opinions Rrroll up the rim to lose Seasonal campaign rrreally gets me rrriled up By Jacey Gibb, Opinions Editor Tim Horton’s iconic “Rrroll Up the Rim to Win” contest. I remember back when I was a wee boy, struggling to roll up my father’s Double Double and almost always having to admit defeat, content to use my teeth to chew on the cup’s edge instead. But the novelty for me wore off a long time ago and, despite my personal falling out with Tim’s over the past few years, this marketing juggernaut is more popular than ever. What I can’t seem to figure out is why. I wonder if people realize that [ee always bitter towards people feel obligated to keep everyone on their friends list updated on what their ratio of wins to losses is. “2 for 7!” “O for 10, wtf Tims!” “4 for 4, im ona roll lol” Unless you rolled up your rim and found a treasure map lurking underneath, no one cares. My final problem with this promotion is more of a personal, ethics dilemma: the rolling up of discarded cups. There’s no specific code of standards for digging through garbage—sure, there’s the usual “it’s disgusting so don’t do it” mentality, but homeless people have been rebelling against that norm for years. If I see a cup sitting at the top of a garbage and there’s “| see the lineup stretch all the way to the cafeteria and | just laugh at all the people desperate to win a free doughnut; all while | walk past them, grab a coffee from the cafeteria, and walk past again, only to see the line has moved barely two feet.” their chances of winning a prize are one in six, meaning there’s only a 17 per cent chance that you'll walk out of Tim’s with a winning cup. In case you’re not in post-secondary to study mathematics, let me be the first to inform you that these odds aren't the swellest. While I too have found myself on the winning team many times, you’re more likely to win a “Play Again” than anything else. But this technicality seems to be largely ignored, seeing as how around this time every yeat, Tim Horton’s becomes a beehive of customers, looking to satisfy both their addiction to caffeine and gambling simultaneously. While trying to grab a coffee from Tim’s during your seminar’s break has always been a risky move, it’s become a Mission: Impossible type situation. I see the lineup stretch all the way to the cafeteria and I just laugh at all the people desperate to win a free doughnut; all while I walk past them, grab a coffee from the cafeteria, and walk past again, only to see the line has moved barely two feet. It’s definitely worth paying 25 cents extra for their coffee over Tim’s. Another annoyance that emerges from the Rrroll up campaign is the increase in irrelevant Facebook statuses. Sure, my newsfeed is traditionally plagued by frivolous updates about how a person is in class or what they ate for breakfast, but a subterranean level is reached around this time of year when 16 no evidence that someone’s rolled it up, of course I’m going to claim it for myself. We've all heard the story about the teacher who threw away her cup and then a student rolled it up and won a car, so maybe that’s why I feel compelled to take a chance with a stranger’s leftovers. I even recently found a cup sitting atop an ATM and won a coffee, thereby eliminating my need to take out cash and avoiding the accompanying $2 processing fee. If nothing else, Rrroll up the rim forces us to push our personal sanitary values. It might seem petty to be complaining about a promotion that offers you the chance to win free prizes at no extra cost, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m counting down the days to when I can once again buy my coffee in peace, without the excessive tongue rolling and bonanza-style promotion banners. A chain gang of chains brings change But how will The Plaza affect the surrounding area? By Jacey Gibb, Opinions Editor h, they grow up so fast! It’s hard to believe that barely a year ago, you were an underdeveloped, cesspool for crime. Now, you’re a $60-million complex ready to show the city that there’s more to you than just a pair of SkyTrain tracks. I’m referring to the New West SkyTrain station, or rather the development occurring around it called The Plaza. Sure, give anyone 365 days and a sizable budget and you're guaranteed a new look, but watching the station’s transformation has been like watching a lean-to go through an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Before, it stood merely as a gateway to New West. But now, you might actually find yourself, dare | say, sticking around the area? No need to pinch yourselves folks, cause I’m here to verify that you're not dreaming. Construction is nearing completion and we've already seen many tenants open their doors for business. But all the glass side paneling and fancy blue floodlights accessorizing the station can’t distract me from what's going on here: the neighbourhood is being consumed with chains. Look at what we currently have inhabiting The Plaza: Safeway, Starbucks, Subway, Extreme Pita, A&W, with a Tim Horton’s, people there are around, the less likely someone is going to think they can get away with arson. It’s pretty sound logic, I guess. I’m all for anti-arson movements, but the development, while as bland and generic as it is, is also bad news bears for a lot of the businesses already in existence more than 100 metres away from the station. The River Market at the Quay recently reopened and is home to a great assortment of local “Look at what we currently have inhabiting The Plaza: Safeway, Starbucks, Subway, Extreme Pita, A&W, with a Tim Horton’s, Megabite Pizza, and more on their way. It’s as if the world’s most unimaginative city planner was asked what businesses he thought the Lower Mainland already had too many of, and then constructed a building to house all of them.” Megabite Pizza, and more on their way. It’s as if the world’s most unimaginative city planner was asked what businesses he thought the Lower Mainland already had too many of, and then constructed a building to house all of them. If you walk half a block up the hill from The Plaza, you’ll see there’s already a Subway in place. Take a left down Agnes Street and you're five minutes away from Columbia Square, home to another Subway. There’s also a matching Starbucks to mirror the one inside of Safeway. Does anyone else think this is all just some kind of a test put in place by the city to see if anyone notices? It’s ridiculous. The Plaza and the new SkyTrain developments came as part of a plan to defer crime in the area. Supposedly, the more businesses and unique stores. Unfortunately, New West was designed by an adolescent wombat and The River Market is incredibly inaccessible. The majority of folks aren't going to venture all the way over the railroad tracks to grab their groceries when they basically trip over a Safeway sign while getting off the SkyTrain. Most of the businesses in the area will suffer because they’re no longer convenient—even if they’re only a block away from the station. Aside from during rush hour, New West isn’t a high traffic area and the delicate business ecosystem in place is likely to feel devastating repercussions. Not to mention that the tenant selection thus far has been about as inventive as a plain vanilla ice cream cone.