CircleMart International

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CircleMart InternationalAttn: Mark Fitzgerald, CEO80015 N. Juniper Ave., Bldg 25Columbus, OH 43231June 26, 2006Dear Sir:I am an eight-year committed employee of your impressively expanding company (over 40,000 stores in20 countries) that has managed to maintain an untarnished reputation during the seventy years it has beenin operation, starting as a mere ice block provider ran by the founder (and though deceased, our continuedmentor) Peter Sisphus and his steadfast wife Penelope out of their home’s garage.Only through perseverance and an innate sense of the necessity of hard work did this couple erectthemselves from the poverty of the Depression to the symbol of continued quality service and, of course,warm hospitality that they represent today. Their initial example is perpetuated through our FourFundamentals: Quality, Quantity, Courtesy, and Cleanliness. I uphold these requirements strenuously as Idon the apron and you will be comforted to know that most of my co-workers do so as well. Nor do Idoubt, and in fact I only admire, your example, knowing that during your time as a store employee youwere recognized with a record number of managerial awards from major business publications andcommunity organizations, and that you enjoy the notoriety of having received numerous unexpectedlymoving comment cards from hundreds of customers and vendors during your time heading a single store.Surely, you will be more than a little alarmed by the enormity of my particular establishment's situation. Iam employed at store #1681 in Fort Collins, CO which has upheld, for the most part, a very positiveimage to our customers and a productive atmosphere internally. However, the most peculiar issue hasrecently occurred that, normally, I would imagine to be clearly urgent and easy to address by our direct

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supervisor and store manager Vipul Viswanathan.I’m referring, of course, to the immense wasp nest that has grown at a surprising rate under the sidewalk on the southwest corner of our building. Given our manager's peculiar lack of concern for the situation,two of my co-workers, Carl and Tim, and I have also made formal complaints to our Human Resourcesdepartment, but they have decided to avoid their responsibility, arguing that the location of the nest (eventhough it is clearly on our building) is not close enough to be considered actually on the store and so theyhave concluded it is unnecessary to compel our manager to exterminate our “new neighbors”professionally. Eventually, we decided to inform our regional manager Tonia Scalia of this predicament,but she merely quoted the very same policy and, despite our particular situation, was unwilling to extendits interpretation.It would be pointless for me to stress to you not only how greatly unbecoming this new “addition”, as mymanager is known to call it, is to the tenet of “Cleanliness” we are expected to preserve, but also theobvious health hazards this creates potentially for customers who may be allergic to these easily provokedinsects. The bottom line is that the presence of this nest is in clear violation of Chapter 8, section 102 of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Rules and Regulations (6 CCR 1010-2)pertaining to retail food establishments like our own. The section clearly states:A. Insects, rodents, and other pests shall be controlled as specified in Paragraph B of thissection to minimize their presence:1. Within the physical facility and its contents; and2.

On the contiguous land or property under the control of the retail foodestablishment generator

.B. The presence of insects, rodents, and other pests shall be controlled by:

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1. Routinely inspecting the premises for evidence of pests;2. Using methods, if pests are found, such as trapping devices or extermination.3.

Eliminating harborage conditions

. (my emphasis)This section is even marked with an asterisk as a “critical item” which, according to page two of 6 CCR1010-2, is “a provision of these rules and regulations that, if in noncompliance, is more likely than otherviolations to contribute to food contamination, illness, or environmental degradation.”Undoubtedly, you have also heard about the attention this stain to our image has created, with certainvisitors having possessed themselves with a reckless disregard for their own safety. For some strangereason, people have actually started crowding around the nest, apparently wanting to get a closer look atit. It is difficult to imagine a more unsafe activity, as I hear those insects are more aggressive the closeryou are to where they live. Granted, quite fortunately, the nest is away from the entrance and at the back of the store, but it is clearly on part of our building. Its proximity alone is enough to incontestably beconsidered part of the store’s visual image and a negative contribution considering, again, the potentialdanger to our customers’ health it is sure to present.I appreciate the time you have taken to allow me to shed more light upon this bizarre debacle. Thenegligence of our superiors and my own escalating fear of the insects’ increased presence has pushed meto the point of finally submitting this fairly terse notice to you. Two more letters from my co-workerswill follow in order to present you clear and multiply verifiable statements of concern for any potentiallegal reasons and also to express our collected concern for our store failing to stand consistently by theFundamentals. We hope only to continue to strengthen your trust in your CircleMart stores and informyou of your employees’ unfettered awareness.