FORTROSE -- Frequent social media user, Greet Merriwether, 73, has posted some tough-love advice for local businesses on her Twitter account, which, at presstime, has 13 followers.
"I've been coming to spend a week in my holiday home [in Fortrose] every year for the past three years," she told us, "and there's nothing open on a Monday after our exhausting drive all the way from Carrbridge. Her tweet elaborates: "Somwhere [sic] to sit down for a biscit [sic], a nice galss [sic] of tap watter [sic], some free Wifi and a bite [sic] of loo roll wood [sic] make this town so much better four [sic] me 👍🙌🍪🧻"
We asked Ms Merriwether, via DM, what inspired her to post such pointed business advice to her modest following. "I mean, just look out there at all the people queueing up at the Co-op for day-old bread and Jaffa Cake multi buys. That's an absolute fortune that local hospitality is missing out on."
A former parttime call-centre assistant for Argos customer care, Ms Merriwether admits she has no first-hand experience of running a small hospitality business in a rural location. "How hard could it be? Turn on the lights, open the doors and watch the money pour in. It's not like you got to be Alfred Einstein."
When asked which of the local businesses she favours during her visits, she replied, "Oh, we don't go out up here. Of course, if there was a Wetherspoons you'd see us sharp at 4:30 for Curry Club, but with these local places you never know what you're going to get."
As of presstime, no Fortrose business owners have contacted us to announce Monday openings. Ms Merriwether's post has received one reaction, a "looking skyward" emoji, from a user going by the handle of @ChainedToHerByMarriage.
This article contains additional reporting by Jess Anderson