Checkout charity - do you donate at the register?

[Janet H]

Small rant alert:

Yesterday I was checking out at the grocery store. The little card swiper machine always prompts me to to donate to some thing or other and I always decline but after even after this (partway through the transaction) the cashier asked me if I'd make a donation to support breast cancer research.

I HATE these checkout charity solicitations! I responded politely, simply saying no thanks and the woman in line behind me interrupted and said - "I'll donate for both of us; I'm a survivor". Made me feel like a heal!

I'm not opposed to breast cancer research (or other causes), I give what I can to various organizations and donate time and services to others but I want to be able to make those choices after vetting the organization and yes, I admit, I take the tax break when ever possible. I wonder if the store soliciting these donations takes that break as well or takes a cut of the donations to manage the funds....

Do you donate when asked this way? Any thoughts about this? Am I the only person that thinks that corporate sanctioned register solicitations rot?

 

[Sarah in SC]

I never do it. Hate when they ask. And that woman was a jerk, her survivor status notwithstanding, to try to make you feel bad.

 

[FIREd]

I go to the grocery store almost everyday and get asked to give every single time. It's getting ridiculous. I feel bad for the poor folks manning the registers and who are obligated by their employer to beg for money. No wonder they look so miserable.

But to answer your question, I might give once for a specific cause -if I care at all about it- but that's it. I'm not going to give every time I visit the damn grocery store.

 

[gozer]

No, I never donate to any solicitation. I find the charities/causes I will support, I don't allow them to find me. Unless they have thin mints. I'm a sucker for thin mints.

 

[Walt34]

gozer articulated my position very well. Including the thin mints.

 

[MichaelB]

I never do it. Hate when they ask. And that woman was a jerk, her survivor status notwithstanding, to try to make you feel bad.

+1

If they record the donation on the sales receipt it would be yours for tax purposes. If it's not on the receipt, they are taking it for you.

 

[ERD50]

gozer articulated my position very well. Including the thin mints.

Especially the Thin Mints!

Like others, I hate these solicitations. I donate to the charities I choose, and I keep those to a minimum number, rather than spread it out and get two dozen different mailings. I hate the implication and coercion at the register. I'm always polite to the cashier, but one day I might just ask to talk to the manager.

Though I wouldn't have had the presence of mind, I would have liked to tell that lady " I'm so glad you survived your cancer! I have some charities that I donate to that are very important to me and my family, let me give you the names, and you can write out some checks and I'll deliver them for you. They'll be so pleased with your thoughtful donation!"

-ERD50

 

[Walt34]

Though I wouldn't have had the presence of mind, I would have liked to tell that lady " I'm so glad you survived your cancer! I have some charities that I donate to that are very important to me and my family, let me give you the names, and you can write out some checks and I'll deliver them for you. They'll be so pleased with your thoughtful donation!"

-ERD50

Yeah, we need that thread "Comebacks I wish I had thought of at the time"

 

[jerome len]

Never...............I hate it!!!!!!

I do feel sorry for the cashier but that doesn't change how I feel. I also HATE the beggars standing outside the stores and on street corners. I'm surprised that other people role down their windows and make donations.

Don't get me wrong........we make substantial charitable donations, always taking the tax deduction. But......being embarrased to make a donation turns me off......always.

 

[Meadbh]

I love ERD50's response! But I am never tempted. I am an INTJ and do not respond to social harassment. Any charity to which I donate must have a cost effective business model and must issue me a tax receipt. Period.

 

[Alan]

I never do it. Hate when they ask. And that woman was a jerk, her survivor status notwithstanding, to try to make you feel bad.

Same here, and I do feel sorry for the cashiers who are probably required to ask out loud.

 

[Bestwifeever]

You could just say "I already donate to charities" when asked that question (other responses come to mind for the next in line survivor person, but karma is a b*tch and I don't want to tempt her).

Yesterday, today, and probably tomorrow too a service club is slowing traffic in our area collecting cash. At the major stop signs (not lights). During rush hour. When traffic is already bad. And I already put a few dollars into their cans at Walgreens this morning. Grrrrrrr.

 

[veremchuka]

I responded politely, simply saying no thanks and the woman in line behind me interrupted and said - "I'll donate for both of us; I'm a survivor". Made me feel like a heal!

Janet that was terrible. Whether she meant to or not she made you feel like a cheap SOB. VERY rude IMO.

Though I wouldn't have had the presence of mind, I would have liked to tell that lady " I'm so glad you survived your cancer! I have some charities that I donate to that are very important to me and my family, let me give you the names, and you can write out some checks and I'll deliver them for you. They'll be so pleased with your thoughtful donation!"

-ERD50

Excellent come back but as you said when caught in that situation it's hard to think quickly with such a great reply!

No I only donate to veteran's charities.

 

[scrabbler1]

I would not have felt bad after the survivor said what she said. I'd have just smiled and said, "Be my guest."

No way I'd give money like that and thankfully I have not encountered anything like that in a long time. Other than liking thin mints (which I don't), I agree with the rest of you.

 

[ERhoosier]

Agree 100% with Janet H. I rarely donate to these cash-box solicitations.....'though I have a soft spot for the traditional Salvation Army Christmas kettles.
Almost all my charitable donations are by check (or CC) to organizations I've checked out for efficiency and integrity. Tax-deduction allows me to give more $$ for same personal net cost. It's a tax incentive the US gov't provides, so why not use it? And I always try to donate to charities which are very efficient for the cause. I REFUSE to feel guilty for NOT giving to a high-overhead charity. It's all about getting your cause the most bang for your donated buck, and the extra good work that efficiency can yield.

Time for Charities to Face the Facts: Efficiency Matters : Charity Navigator

 

[Al in Ohio]

I feel the same way as the OP and many others here. I donate a considerable amount to a carefully chosen few, and don't mind helping scouts or similar kids going door to door, but its not the time or place to "spring" a donation request on anyone when they had another purpose and set amount to spend in mind when they left home to make a purchase. If it gets too bad, I might start avoiding stores that tend to partner with this combined charity shopping scheme.

We could call their tactic " chopping".

....... And in turn "chop" their store brand right off our list of preferred sellers until they stop.

 

[Mmm Rrr]

I work a retail, seasonal job from Thanksgiving to Christmas, at "the" high-end kitchenware store. We have to ask for contributions to a charity. Don't worry, it doesn't make me miserable to ask, and I don't care if you say yes or no. But we do have to ask everyone.

 

[frayne]

+1

If they record the donation on the sales receipt it would be yours for tax purposes. If it's not on the receipt, they are taking it for you.

Do you imply the business is taking the tax deduction ? If true that is pretty darn low and downright unethical, if not illegal.

 

[Al in Ohio]

Do you imply the business is taking the tax deduction ? If true that is pretty darn low and downright unethical, if not illegal.

Not really. You just aren't being old the entire pitch. It's like this " would you like to donate x to this charity and we will consolidate the donations into y and make it in our behalf ". They probably consider it a win win win.

 

[jollystomper]

I just smile and say "not today, thank you".

I'm noticing that they tend to ask us "older" folks more than others, perhaps because we are perceived as more likely to give.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

I, too, find the solicitation at the register to be mildly annoying. I rarely donate the dollar requested but made one exception this fall for "Back to school supplies". This practice seems to be very widespread. One almost has to run the gauntlet just getting into the major groceries around here, too. First there are the charity collectors and band sub sales and school car washes at the intersections driving to the store. Then there are the people outside on the sidewalks or in the lobbies. Like most on this forum I prefer to write a check directly to a low, or no, administrative cost organization.

 

[Nemo2]

I always ask if they're willing to donate some money to ME......pretty much wraps up the dialogue.

 

[LitGal]

Yes!

I love ERD50's response! But I am never tempted. I am an INTJ and do not respond to social harassment. Any charity to which I donate must have a cost effective business model and must issue me a tax receipt. Period.

DH and I do the same. But none of "our charities" have anything to do with thin mints!? Where have we erred?

OK, I remember now. "Thin Mints" are the best Girl Scout cookies, which I gave up when the price hit $3.50/box (and I'd never been able to consume less than one box in one sitting).

Protecting our waistlines, I guess.



(By "thin mints" I thought you meant there was a charity out there mailing Andes or After Fives with their receipts! Dang, I would hate to miss out on such an organization.........though, in other ways, they might not pass our household's muster for "worthwhile charities.")

 

[Nodak]

No, I never donate to any solicitation. I find the charities/causes I will support, I don't allow them to find me. Unless they have thin mints. I'm a sucker for thin mints.

Me too right down to the Thin Mints.

 

[cj]

We give hundreds to animal rescue groups every year, so why do I feel guilty not donating every time I check out at PetSmart? I even volunteer there once a week, but I always think that they think I'm cheap not to donate the dollar or whatever. I'm over it, because my conscience is clear.

As far as the thin mints, I LOVE them, and used to buy bunches of them when the Girl Scouts sold them, but when Keebler came out with Grasshoppers (the same, exact cookie, but for a lot less) I stopped buying from the GS. The GS cookie prices have gone higher, the package size is smaller, and the reports have been that the local chapters get very little of the money. So I'm over that too, no matter how cute the little girls are.