Charity At The Register

There appears to be new trend for charities collecting funds for various causes, one that I think goes a bit over the top.

Namely, it’s the capturing of cash at the register where you are making a purchase for something completely different. My guess is that you, too, have faced this situation:

You are in, say, a department store. A big one that will remain nameless but is based in Arkansas, begins with a “W” and employs seniors to greet shoppers. You are at the register with about 20 items and have removed your wallet or purse to pay for your purchase. At that moment, the clerk, in a voice loud enough for everyone around you to hear, says something like: “Would you like to donate a dollar to help so-and-so?” You, the shopper, are faced with one of two choices:

1) Say “Yes” because you don’t wish to appear greedy, miserly, tightfisted and heartless to the group of strangers waiting their turn to be accosted—or..

2) Say “Not today”, “no thanks” or “I gave at the office”, feeling at once somewhat relieved that you asserted yourself and spoke your true feelings—and at the same time guilty for not tossing a dollar to someone without the means of acquiring that which you are at this moment purchasing.

At the risk of sounding like an ass,
Enough, already!

I know that this blog will elicit hate mail, but I suspect that some readers will, at least SECRETLY agree with me.

I realize that charitable organizations do wonderful work and that the rough economy has probably hit them harder than for-profit businesses. However, ambushing customers at the cash register will, I believe, have a backlash effect on those businesses that choose to engage in it. The customer is at a distinct social disadvantage—and everybody knows it. And while the tactic is no doubt enormously lucrative, I for one, am left with a somewhat negative feeling for the business AND the charity.

No, I don’t want to buy a paper shamrock and put my name on it for display in your store. That goes for paper balloons, cars, airplanes or elephants.

At the root of it all is trust. Or, I should say, a lack thereof. The sheer number of scams posing as charities and preying on generous people have skyrocketed. They go door to door, they call on the phone, invade your mailbox , text your cellphone and now…..they are at the point of purchase.

Here’s a quick video about one door-to-door cheat:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa61MOTwpSM

I do give to charities—and I believe in sharing the wealth. From the United Way, to Maineshare, to my church and various disease-related charities. I’ll donate to fight breast cancer, MS, Parkinson’s Disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, cancer in general and to the Heart Association. I’ll give to Jerry’s Kids—and the list goes on.

However, I won’t do it over the phone, via e-mail or, unless you’re a kid going door-to-door collecting for a school trip, visiting my house won’t work either.

While it’s true that a few bad apples have spoiled it for all of the legitimate charities, I have become distrustful of even LEGITIMATE charities when the funds are channeled through a for-profit business. Giving ten dollars to the Red Cross in the wake of the Haiti earthquake was a given. Having AT&T TEXT me to respond and then have my “donation” show up on the next phone bill is something else entirely. How much of that ten-spot went to AT&T for, uh..”administrative costs”?

Is it asking too much to be sure that your dollars are actually helping people in need—rather than people in greed?

A huge corporation THEMSELVES giving generously to a charity will earn my respect—and my business. That same corporation using its clout to extract huge donations from its customers will lose both my donation---and my business.

If you’d like my blog in your box daily (and no, I won’t solicit you for money), e-mail me at tim.moore@citcomm.com