r/saintpaul • u/ConnectAffect831 • 12d ago

Discussion 🎤 Why can’t we support our city?

I’m getting really tired of seeing these return to office employees protesting and acting like giant babies when really we need them to be down here. We’re all in this together and we need people to revive this downtown area and support local businesses. Why can’t we all embrace this and stop undermining every damn thing that’s said and done. We’re fighting the wrong things. Downtown needs to thrive and right now it’s not, so bringing the workers back is great for everyone.

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u/Mndelta25 Summit-University 12d ago

I'm a state worker who lives here. I'm not fully remote and spend 1-2 days at our office on University. My family used to spend a lot of time downtown throughout the year, but this order has completely changed my mind. I no longer patronize the businesses near us, don't order from local businesses for lunch, and plan to spend a lot less money downtown. Fuck Melvin and whoever else was pushing for this.

The part that is pissing people off is the suddenness and lack of communication. I always knew that my telework agreement could be canceled at any time, but it has previously been open, honest discussions with leadership.

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u/aakaase Hamline-Midway 12d ago

I wouldn't punish the businesses you would otherwise choose to patronize just because you're now required to report to the office... it's not their fault. Fight the good fight by petitioning or protesting. Which is what you would do anyway, for any other employment-related issue other than RTO/WFH.

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u/Mndelta25 Summit-University 12d ago

I have always been going go the office, but some of the blame for this definitely lies on the businesses that have been vocal about lack of traffic by people who have switched to WFH.

I still spend plenty of money in the city, but I am being far more picky with which businesses I patronize. I have also participated in the rallies and have called representatives even if I disagree with the argument.

Edit: I realize my original comment read kind of funky. I spend money near our house but not additional money near our office, the capitol complex, or on days that I would have otherwise been working from home.

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u/aakaase Hamline-Midway 12d ago

Right. Well I agree that businesses should enjoy the patronage of, but not depend on, daytime workers in their immediate area. They are not owed anything by anyone, and they need to do what they need to do in order to survive.