Frustrated suppliers and disappointed customers made the collapse of White & Sons an inevitability, according to a veteran meat manager.Whites in Warwick closed it’s doors after 88 years on Thursday, while Whites at Southside and Whites at Haywards were closed by a court order.Don Haines, who has worked at Whites Southside since its opening, said that the store had been behind in paying suppliers for years.“All the suppliers I spoke with were very, very frustrated,” Mr Haines said. “They wanted to work with us. They continued to tell me that they wanted to work with the Whites.“They didn’t want to shut them down. That was the very last resort. I guess they just couldn’t come to any agreement so they started cutting us off.“I was a meat manager who couldn’t get frozen chicken. At that point, it was inevitable.”Last month International Bonded Couriers of Bermuda filed a petition to wind up White & Sons Ltd.By the time the petition was heard by the Supreme Court on August 10, 27 other creditors had signed the petition.While KPMG moved to liquidate the Warwick store, similar petitions were filed against Whites at Hayward’s and Whites at Southside.The petitions were set to be heard by the Supreme Court on August 31, but both stores were shut down on August 15 after creditors and liquidators learned that the stores were selling stock at 40 percent off.Meanwhile Staff members at the stores have alleged that they have been working without health insurance for months, despite the money coming out of their pay.Efforts to reach the store’s owners for comment regarding the allegations have been unsuccessful.Speaking yesterday, Mr Haines said that he was first told about the health insurance troubles in February.“I had been advised to see an ear, nose and throat specialist in Toronto,” he said. “I had booked my appointment, my flight and a hotel and was ready to go when I got a call from the doctor saying I had no insurance.“I had insurance when I booked the appointment, but it was gone. Since then I have tried to rebook four times and every time my insurance gets dropped. It’s been off and on, off and on.”He explained that other staff have experienced similar difficulties, resulting in them having to pay for medication in full while still having money taken out for health insurance.Mr Haines said staff were told little about the store’s woes, but the effects of the store’s problems were impossible to ignore. Multiple suppliers cut the store off, resulting in a limited selection on the store shelves.While he said that some loyal customers stuck by the store as the stock on the shelves dwindled, many became frustrated and took their business to other stores.“The customers knew something was wrong. They would ask, but we couldn’t really tell them anything because we weren’t told anything,” he said.“Many were very supportive. Even in the last few days customers were still coming in and getting the stuff they couldn’t find with us somewhere else, but it got to the point where the customers just had enough.”Mr Haines said that staff at Whites Southside have been asked to attend a meeting this morning.He expects the store will open this week to sell off the remaining stock. After than, he said the more than 20 people employed at the Southside store will likely be left looking for work.Once the business is completely wound up, Mr Haines said he will be moving back to Canada.“I feel really bad for the rest of the staff. They are a bunch of great people, like a family to me,” he said. “I’m really upset.“There are a lot of good workers in these stores. Not just at Southside, but at all three stores. They have families and rents, and I know jobs are slim right now in Bermuda.”Meanwhile store equipment at White & Sons in Warwick will be auctioned off starting this morning.A spokesman for KPMG said: “In light of the closure of the Warwick Store at 22 Middle Road, we will be holding an auction of the store’s equipment.“The auction will take place on Monday, August 20, 2012, from 10am to 3.30pm, at White & Sons Limited, 22 Middle Road in Warwick.”