Leonidas
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
This is sort of a spin-off from Ziggy's thread on FOP phone solicitations.
Most of you have probably noticed that you frequently get solicited to make a charitable contribution to some allegedly worthwhile cause when you're checking out at many retailers. For years it seemed to be limited to a display at the register using small coupon like slips with a dollar amount and a bar code. If you tossed one down the cashier rang it up with your bill and supposedly $2, $3 or $5 went to feed the poor, buy poor kids some school supplies, support animal rescue, etc. Or there was a shopping bag full of food, school supplies or whatever that you bought and then dropped in a barrel as a donation.
We're pretty charitable (regular donations from credit card for some things, and annual contributions for others), but it's all planned, thoroughly researched, budgeted for and receipts tucked away in this year's tax folder. So, other than tossing money in the Salvation Army kettle every year, I don't make donations anyplace else. All those little coupon thingies and bags of goodies go unbought by me and that has never been a problem.
But recently I've been getting aggressively solicited when I go shopping at certain places. A few years ago the grocery store cashiers started pointing out some charity solicitation of the moment and asking if I wanted to "help the poor" or whatever. That bothered me a little, "I'm not stupid, the display is stuck in my face right here next to the credit card reader - If I want to give I would have already grabbed one of those things and slapped it down." But it was just a minor thing. A "no thank you" was required before I could finish my shopping.
Within the last year it has started to get aggressive. At Christmas I had to explain myself at the freaking pet store to some twenty-something wanker running the cash register as I paid for a new dog collar and leash.
And the transaction seemed to be stopped as he looked at me.
Ziggy's thread reminded me of an incident that happened at the local grocery store today. This particular location must be managed by a bunch of non-coffee drinkers because the selection has dwindled to almost nothing. So, I was standing in the aisle in front of this miserable selection and wondering if they had a better choice across the street at the Texaco Quickee Mart when my thoughts were interrupted by a store employee.
She's polite and smiling (and cute) so she deserves the same in return. I smile and say "No thank you, not today."
And she gave me the freaking look! As if she was thinking, "Holy cow, Scrooge lives!"
It's like I was back at the pet store all over again. My first thought was to explain how I prefer to do charity, and then I considered lying, "I just bought one Tuesday!" But then I decided I don't really have to explain myself to a 18-year-old register-jockey and just turned back to the shelves trying to find my Melitta Colombian Supremo.
Our charitable giving is our business, and while we're not as philanthropic as the Rockefellers' [-]guilt scrubbing[/-] giving, we definitely come closer to the post-spirt-intervention Scrooge than his former self. I'm getting miffed at some of these retailers putting the strong-arm on me so they can appear charitable. And the cashiers Dweezil and Muffy are really starting to tick me off.
Most of you have probably noticed that you frequently get solicited to make a charitable contribution to some allegedly worthwhile cause when you're checking out at many retailers. For years it seemed to be limited to a display at the register using small coupon like slips with a dollar amount and a bar code. If you tossed one down the cashier rang it up with your bill and supposedly $2, $3 or $5 went to feed the poor, buy poor kids some school supplies, support animal rescue, etc. Or there was a shopping bag full of food, school supplies or whatever that you bought and then dropped in a barrel as a donation.
We're pretty charitable (regular donations from credit card for some things, and annual contributions for others), but it's all planned, thoroughly researched, budgeted for and receipts tucked away in this year's tax folder. So, other than tossing money in the Salvation Army kettle every year, I don't make donations anyplace else. All those little coupon thingies and bags of goodies go unbought by me and that has never been a problem.
But recently I've been getting aggressively solicited when I go shopping at certain places. A few years ago the grocery store cashiers started pointing out some charity solicitation of the moment and asking if I wanted to "help the poor" or whatever. That bothered me a little, "I'm not stupid, the display is stuck in my face right here next to the credit card reader - If I want to give I would have already grabbed one of those things and slapped it down." But it was just a minor thing. A "no thank you" was required before I could finish my shopping.
Within the last year it has started to get aggressive. At Christmas I had to explain myself at the freaking pet store to some twenty-something wanker running the cash register as I paid for a new dog collar and leash.
But the real grabber is that Dweezil was giving me a look. He was sending me these vibes that I was obviously some kind of bizarre miser thoroughly lacking in either the Spirit of Christmas or Christian Charity."Would you like add $5 to your total to support the something-or-another animal rescue shelter?"
"No thanks"
"Well, would you like to round up the total to the next dollar and give your change to the something-or-another animal rescue shelter?"
"Thank you, but no"
And the transaction seemed to be stopped as he looked at me.
That got me a smile and "Oh, I understand" and he continued to ring up the purchase."I give plenty from home and almost never at any place else. That way I know my money is not being wasted and I make sure I get the records for a tax break."
He seemed unsure how to answer that."So, does that mean you don't think I'm the Grinch now?"
Ziggy's thread reminded me of an incident that happened at the local grocery store today. This particular location must be managed by a bunch of non-coffee drinkers because the selection has dwindled to almost nothing. So, I was standing in the aisle in front of this miserable selection and wondering if they had a better choice across the street at the Texaco Quickee Mart when my thoughts were interrupted by a store employee.
I turn to look as she is talking, cute girl, probably a high school senior with a pretty smile; and, she's wheeling a basket full of those already selected and bagged food items that somehow make it to the hungry. (Maybe they send them to the food bank, or just exchange it for a cash donation, or shoot the damn thing out of a cannon in the general direction of Haiti or Indonesia)."Sir, would you like to make a contribution to feed the insert identity of some-poor-starving-people here?"
She's polite and smiling (and cute) so she deserves the same in return. I smile and say "No thank you, not today."
And she gave me the freaking look! As if she was thinking, "Holy cow, Scrooge lives!"
It's like I was back at the pet store all over again. My first thought was to explain how I prefer to do charity, and then I considered lying, "I just bought one Tuesday!" But then I decided I don't really have to explain myself to a 18-year-old register-jockey and just turned back to the shelves trying to find my Melitta Colombian Supremo.
Our charitable giving is our business, and while we're not as philanthropic as the Rockefellers' [-]guilt scrubbing[/-] giving, we definitely come closer to the post-spirt-intervention Scrooge than his former self. I'm getting miffed at some of these retailers putting the strong-arm on me so they can appear charitable. And the cashiers Dweezil and Muffy are really starting to tick me off.