This is perhaps the most straightforward “Help Wanted” ad of all time.
A local business owner is receiving backlash after he hung a massive sign that reads: “Now hiring non-stupid people.”
After Walter Parsons, owner of Pets Gone Wild Resort, had become frustrated with a few of his employees, he decided to buy an eye-catching sign.
“We’re trying to weed out the people that do come in. We hired one last week that lasted three days,” Parsons said.
Although the novel tactic has been successful for Parsons, some of the residents are displeased with the unusual signage.
“What does it say to prior employees? ‘Oh, we think you’re stupid so we’re trying to hire somebody that we think is smarter than you’?” a Pasadena resident named Taylor said.
“The fact that they felt so emboldened to put something up there like that, it’s disgusting, it’s distasteful and it’s unprofessional,” Taylor stated.
Within a day of displaying the sign, Parsons had received three applications.
The pet daycare owner said that previous staff was often more focused on their cellphones than the pets, leading to lower quality care.
“Repeatedly, ‘Get off your cellphone, you’ve got dogs to watch.’ ‘OK, put the cell phone up, go back out there.’ Twenty minutes later, she’s back on her cellphone,” Parsons stated. “At least be as smart as I am.”
The business owner stated that finding the best possible employees is essential.
“Come through here and take a tour and take a look at the responsibility that we have. Would you put your child somewhere that wasn’t dedicated, that didn’t have smart people in it?” Parsons stated.
Parsons said that he will take the sign down soon because it has been successful in helping them find good employees.
