I met....Uber-Bitch

[crazylegs]

While I commend big companies for increasing money going to charity I balk at this system for a few reasons
1) I will be the person who decides which charity gets my money
2) I will be the person who decides when I donate
3) Is <pizza company> matching the donations, if not...

Thing is who is to say that I don't already donate to that charity, or it radically clashes with any beliefs I may have, or that I donate my time to learn a skill to use it in a charitable way, or any 1001 other reasons.

There should be a little box to tick on the receipt to indicate you wish to donate, rather than have it automatically included.

[walking with scissors]

Unless the customer was rude to you in the way she refused this charge, there was absolutely nothing sucky about her. I don't like it when companies try to sneak in charges on me either. It may be only 5p, but it was very underhanded and I wouldn't pay it either.

[Ree]

From the description of the scenario, the customer was rude.
While she handled it very badly, she does have a point.

There's nothing wrong with pointing that out to PizzaDrone, but please remember that this member came here to vent about a situation that was upsetting.

Unfortunately, some of the posts have bordered on violating the guideline of not calling members out in threads, and not sitting as judge and jury on whether a member has a right to call a situation sucky.

PizzaDrone, you sound like a very compassionate and caring person, and I can understand your anger at the woman for begrudging a forced donation of 5p to charity, but please understand that donations are best when giving willingly, and not everyone is going to agree with having even that small amount added to their bill automatically.

[MadMike]

I have to agree with Ree on this one. I wouldn't like having a donation, something that's supposed to be given willingly, added to my bill without my permission, even a small one. However, I think I'd be too afraid of looking like a heartless ass to complain, and I certainly wouldn't take it out on the employee, who has no control over the situation.

[PizzaDrone]

Oh no worries about the calling out stuff. Its a sensitive thing I suppose. I can see her side of it, but it was the fact that her whole attitude to me changed totally. It was kind of like, she had decided I'd put it on myself and whatnot. I would be concerned over charges that appeared on my bill without being told, which is why I've taken it upon myself to let people know. A lot who work there haven't been doing that, which I believe is wrong.

The thing with the machines is that as soon as you send through an order, the "donation" is added on automatically. In order to void off the donation a manager's card is needed, which I don't have. If it was possible for me to take it off and ask later I would. It'd be much easier for me as well.

Thanks to all those who have offered advice, especially the one about requesting management to go to the tables and ask themselves. Also, like I said earlier, am definately going to be telling people before they order now. As far as I know its over in 2 weeks....can't wait!

*I think I may have ruffled a few feathers by using the term Uber-Bitch to describe her, as I wrote this when it was all still pretty fresh in my mind. Lesson learned about waiting a couple of days to put things up lol.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Not so sure about how donations are done in the UK, but from what I've dealt with them here in the US, it's always been done with the consent of the customer.

Back at the ol' WD, we had a button on the registers where the total of the bill could be rounded off to the next dollar and that amount would be donated to the United Way for their Even It Up campaign to help with hunger. We had a lot of customers who would donate for this.

At the litter box, we collect donations periodically through the year for Children's Miracle Network. In the spring, we hand out the little cards that the customer can write their name (or the name of a person of their choosing) that we display in the store in exchange for a dollar donation. And our management has expressly explained that it is voluntary on the part of the customer: we can ask a customer if they would like to donate. If they say no, then we shouldn't press the issue.

I don't recall encountering a lot of suck from it though on the part of the customers . . . most of our regulars participate during the first couple of weeks we run the campaign - then it trickles off. Yet even if someone donated last week, if they come back to the store again the cashier is still supposed to ask.

Now, having it added to my bill without my knowledge . . . I don't think I'd be too happy about it but I wouldn't fuss at the employee about it - they're just following company dictates. Contacting corporate would be the best way to handle it - as they're the ones who make these policies that we peons have to abide by. Sure that lady in the OP has a valid point IMO, but really she could have handled that in a better way than she did.

Shooting the messenger isn't the best course of action.

[Stryker One]

'Course, with the way the US dollar is going, 5p may soon equal $5.00.

[MoxisPilot]

World Hunger Relief I think the name of it is.

This is one of my favorite charities!


And dude, hungry kids! I'd donate $5, much less 5c. (Or the GPB equivalent!)

[marasbaras]

Don't let people like that get to you. It is not your fault that they are such jerks.

Your management seems to be stupid in that they don't warn people. People HATE that. Those people are the ones that come in and do business in your establishment. It's good to be respectful and warn them of things.

[Becks]

While I agree that 5p is not an amount I would quibble over I also do not think it's okay to just tack that on to people's bill without telling them, even if it is just 5p. IIRC a lot of the money that goes to those type of organizations gets gobbled up in "administrative fees".

Yep.

I also don't believe in certain charities.

My money, my choice.

[PizzaDrone]

A Little Update

After calming down about the whole thing (and not having to serve people this evening) I decided to have a read of the table literature. It doesn't say that its automatic, but offers people the option to refuse it. In this event the company will donate it itself. So its not really that big a deal. Suck on my part for not having read it, suck on management's part for not briefing us properly and suck on the lady for having a 'tude. But at least I can kind of relax now

[HALFHUMANHALFZOMBIE]

After calming down about the whole thing (and not having to serve people this evening) I decided to have a read of the table literature. It doesn't say that its automatic, but offers people the option to refuse it. In this event the company will donate it itself. So its not really that big a deal. Suck on my part for not having read it, suck on management's part for not briefing us properly and suck on the lady for having a 'tude. But at least I can kind of relax now

LOL Amen

[SpyOne]

[EDIT: post rendered obsolete by later comments.]


My store has a jar for charitable donations. As far as I know, it works like this: if you leave bills or dollar coins, the full amount goes to charity: we count it, and report it to the main accounting office who makes the donation, while we send the cash to the bank. If you left smaller coins, only about 92% of your donation goes to the charity, because Coinstar charges us 8% to count the coins. Our company donates the time of the employee who has to run it through the Coinstar machine. I have, on occasion, donated my own time to count and roll the change, taking only the same 8% that Coinstar would.