Community Chat

[SeaMaiden]

Do not get me wrong. I believe in donating and giving to a charity or cause I believe in...  and I do give when I choose to.....but today I felt angry almost at all the stores  The check out person verbally asking me to give when checking  me out.

One store wanted me to round my total to the next dollar for their program ....the next store asked if I would like to donate my change and give that to their charity....my last stop asked if I wanted to donate a dollar to their charity.....It seems as though it is getting worse and worse.

I mean COME ON!  Give me a break! I do not think stores should put customers on the spot  having the checker ASKING out loud if I I want to give ....and  I have to verbally say NO with other people listening.....it just bugs me!

Some grocery stores will just have the question pop up on the credit card scanner where you can put in your answer privately. I have no problem with that.

What Do You Think?

[DoneTryin]

I think the store cashiers probably hate that even more than you do.  I imagine they get bashed a lot for doing what they're told to do by management.  If I don't want to give, I just say "no, thanks."

[SeaMaiden]

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@DoneTryin wrote:

I think the store cashiers probably hate that even more than you do.  I imagine they get bashed a lot for doing what they're told to do by management.  If I don't want to give, I just say "no, thanks."

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@DoneTryin   I just do not like feeling I have to give an answer.....they just should not ask the customer anything like that verbally. 

[Perkup]

I think I'm an adult and capable of choosing my own charities.  We usually do a few small donations each year, but our wills are set to leave the majority of our assets to one charity in which we believe strongly, and where their CEO isn't a multi-millionairs thanks to contributions. 

I wish the stores would refrain from getting involved in charities  - other than maybe the food banks, where you can donate actual food in a box at the grocery - but I am sure they have charity repa knocking on their doors constantly for help.

[deepwaterdotter]

If I do not wish to donate I simply decline.  That customers hear me do so has no bearing on my feelings. 

I contributed an unsolicited donation to Warrior Canine Connection on Memorial Day. 

[jaxs mom]

It doesn't really bother me, but I'm not the type that has a problem saying no to people, nor am I particularly motivated by unrealistic expectations from strangers. I can see how it would annoy other people though. I agree with the PP that the poor cashiers probably don't like it either. 

The admittedly minor annoyance I have with checkers is them always saying my first name to confirm that my "rewards" card number is correct. Also that I can't get out of the store carrying my own bags without 5 people asking me if I need help. I'm an average healthy woman still in the prime of my life and no where near retirement age, I can carry my bags. I do allow them to help me to my car if I have more than I can carry only because there is no cart return in the parking lot. 

[Tyak]

I used to feel almost guilty and put on the spot by things like this but, not anymore.  The word "NO" just rolls off my tongue without any feelings of owing them anything.

[Moonchilde]

There was a thread on this awhile back.

They do it too much, too often. It blunts the desired effect. If multiple stores are hitting people up almost every week, the nos will outweigh the yeses before long. People will become annoyed-immune.

I don't choose to give, even a dollar, to EVERY charity. So yeah, I say no about 70% of the time and yes the other 30%. I do buy the empty "bags of groceries" at holiday time for food banks, and I used to eat at one restaurant who did the "round up" thing and I liked that. But anything that gets to be every day/week also gets ho-hum/no pretty quickly.

[SeaMaiden]

I always check to make sure how much of my donation actually goes to the cause.....when you are put on the spot at the checkout in store asking for a donation, how do know how much goes to the charity out of that dollar?

I asked one  checker that  question and she was  clueless.

[chickenbutt]

ITA.  

I also recognize that those poor cashiers are probably told that they HAVE to do that, so I don't blame them.   But, in the process, they kind of make you feel stingy and uncaring in front of everybody else in the room.

It reminds me of a time when somebody loudly proclaimed, in front of a whole room of people, that my check was not good (obviously, this was years ago but I still remember the humiliation) and the kicker was that they made a mistake!  We called the bank.  Bank person says 'oops, I made a mistake' (no apology) and I finished my transaction.

Meanwhile I was positively humiliated in front of quite a few people who heard the person tell me that my check was not good.

Anyway, even though I'm sure we all have our causes that we support, we don't need to be asked in front of everybody if we want to donate.  Maybe they could just put a sign or something and if somebody chooses to respond, fine.

It doesn't ruin my day or anything so, for those with the 'don't sweat the small things' and 'get over it' lectures, it's not the biggest thing but it is annoying and they are just playing on peoples' sensitivities kind of like a blackmail to get people to donate so they don't look like Scrooge in front of all the other people.