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The store took a pasting after showing the chalkboard on its Facebook page. Comments ran from short (“Shame,” “Disgusting,” “This is really distasteful”) to longer but equally pointed: “So, how’s this marketing campaign working out for you so far? #onelesscustomer.”

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Owner Joel Diener was not happy with the attention.

“Well, the sign’s not up any more,” he said. “I don’t need any more hassles. I’ve got enough hassles in my life.

“I’d rather not talk about it, like it never existed.”

He said it wasn’t meant to offend customers.

“A couple of people objected but most people just saw it as kind of funny,” he said.

“I know you’re going to do what you’re going to do, but it’s going to cost me a lot of grief and it’s something I should never have done.”

Diener said he made a similar posting about Jean Chrétien during an election campaign years ago, and it went badly.

“So I’ve been lying low for about 10 years.”

What was in the Chrétien package?

“I’m not telling you now, but I had the whole PMO after me. I don’t need the CIA after me now.”

He said he is “a victim of trying to have a little fun.”

Late Thursday afternoon, the business put a message on Facebook, saying “we humbly apologize.”

“As you all know, we are a local business dedicated to our community and in no way do we endorse any type of misogynistic, belittling, shaming or bullying behaviour,” the post said.

“In our misguided amateurish attempt at political satire of the American political situation we went too far.

“We ask for your forgiveness. We had no intention of offending anyone and we are sorry that we did.”

With files from Megan Gillis