LONDON, Ont. – A single mom rehired at a Tim Hortons outlet after being fired for giving away a Timbit to a baby says she’ll be looking elsewhere for work.
Nicole Lilliman, 27, says she loves customer service but can’t see a future at Tim Hortons after she was fired from a store in London, Ont., for giving away the doughy confection – retail value 16 cents – to the infant.
The ensuing media storm prompted the store’s management to rehire the mother of four children under 10, but she says returning to work for Tim Hortons – even at a new outlet – will be awkward.
Lilliman, who earns $9.05 an hour and pays $750 a month in rent, says she desperately needs a paycheque and will work at Tim Hortons until she can find another job.
The company is calling Lilliman’s firing an “unfortunate incident” carried out by an overzealous manager.
Lilliman says if she ever has the urge to give away a Timbit again, she’ll pay the 16 cents out of her own purse.
Tim Hortons spokeswoman Rachel Douglas said Thursday the store apparently had a policy against giving away food, but added it wasn’t a ground for dismissal and that Lilliman is receiving an apology from head office.
For now, Lilliman will return to work at another Tim Hortons store close to where she’s been employed for the past three years.
“She has chosen to go to a different location, just down the street, which is owned by the same franchisee in case she was uncomfortable returning to her current store,” Douglas said.
No decision has been made regarding taking action against the manger who fired Lilliman, Douglas added.
“It was an unfortunate incident where a manager acted a bit overzealously. The actions of that manager were not appropriate, nor were they grounds for dismissal.”
As for the need for a nationwide policy on Timbit freebies, Douglas said that has yet to be determined, noting that store owners currently set their own policies and run “their businesses as they choose.”
