More Charity Insanity (language)

[EmilyRose1982]

Ok, this is a continuation of the other thread I started, entitled "Economy Failure Crazy Lady"

As many of you have read, CoffeeMonkey and I both work at Caribou Coffee, and we're at the start of the company-wide charity drive for breast cancer research. Buy a pound of Amy's Blend coffee, 10% goes to Susan G. Komen.

Now comes the reason for this new thread--it's only day two of this month-long promotion, and I've had crazy, selfish bitches both days. At this rate, maybe I'll have 31 stories to share, one for each damn day of the month.

/sigh

So here's today's gem:

Coworker: "Would you like to buy a pound of our Amy's Blend to help support research for breast cancer?"
SC: "No thanks, I don't drink coffee."
Me: "That's ok! If you still want to help, you can purchase a pound and put it in our chest of hope--all the coffee in there will go to organizations that support women dealing with breast cancer."
SC: ".....Well, they shouldn't be drinking coffee anyway."

WHAT. THE. FUCK.

I cannot fathom what would possess a person to say something so blatantly ignorant and hateful.

First I thought, maybe she believes in some myth that coffee causes cancer. Or maybe people going through chemo treatments aren't supposed to have caffeine. I gave her the benefit of the doubt, so I responded with "Well, I don't know that much about cancer..." and kind of trailed off as she wasn't listening to me.

As the night wore on, I got more and more pissed off at this bitch. Who is she to say people suffering from a life-threatening disease can't continue to enjoy life? It's like she was up on some high-horse, looking down at all the unworthy masses. Kind of like the assholes who say "well it's your own fault you got cancer, you should've gotten better insurance, gone to the doctor, improved your lifestyle, etc"

People like that just plain piss me off.

I can see karma coming around and whipping that bitch in the ass; let's see how she likes being treated like that.

Bitch.



/endrant.....for now...........

[Iris Kojiro]

Emily, this story reminds me of a time a couple of years back at one of my jobs. We were asking for donations to fight against heart disease, and one of my co-workers was asking every customer, per her duty, for a one-dollar donation. With her working the front cash register, she would occasionally get customers buying tobacco products. When she asked them for a donation, they would suddenly get defensive and ask if their smoking habits caused her to ask.

[CoffeeMonkey]

Some people get confused thinking that folks on chemo CAN'T have caffiene. Well, I don't know much about cancer treatment, either, but as far as I know, that's not ALWAYS true. Besides, not everyone is on chemo, and that's why God made decaf. (Our decaf is actually good, cuz it's all natural, not chemical. Not that I drink it, cuz I need my fix.)

[STEELMAN]

I think that the lady just didn't want to donate and said the part about not drinking coffee so you wouldn't think she was cheap. When you told her she could donate the coffee, she probably felt put on the spot. You would probably be better off to make the offfer, and if people say no for any reason, just leave it at that.

[Yfandes]

Good lord - the most common correlation to breast cancer is being female! In the US, 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer by age 95. I hated when people had ideas how I "got it"

When I started chemo 5 years ago I was told "Now is not the time to give up anything. If you used to drink a margarita a day - keep it up! If you like coffee, have some. You can make lifestyle changes after this is done"

Of course on my chemo everything tasted awful, so I did give up the margaritas and wine But milky coffee worked. Heck, it was available in our "chemo lounge" for those who wanted.

[tollbaby]

I don't know... I wouldn't have gotten upset about it, but mainly that's because I don't tend to get upset when petty people with petty complaints get a bug up their ass about something. *hug* Relax. Let her go. In the grand scheme of things, she is an insignificant gnat

[South Texan]

I was working a fundraiser for Komen (I have lost two dear friends and a grandmother to breast cancer) when a woman came up to me and told me I should be ashamed of myself as Komen was just a front for abortionists. That gave me a true wtf? moment.

I did some investigating and found out that Komen has made grants to Planned Parenthood for the purpose of establishing breast screenings for early detection. The woman had heard only the name of Planned Parenthood and had drawn her own conclusion. Apparently, this is a big misstatement being spread through the internet and some organizations.

Whether or not one agrees with abortion is NOT the issue - and not every woman who goes into a Planned Parenthood clinic is seeking one.

I really gets me angry when people fail to check any facts before making an opinion about something OR only listen to what a friend says and take it as truth.

[reimero]

I think that the lady just didn't want to donate and said the part about not drinking coffee so you wouldn't think she was cheap. When you told her she could donate the coffee, she probably felt put on the spot. You would probably be better off to make the offfer, and if people say no for any reason, just leave it at that.

I agree with that. Yes, there are a lot of good charities out there, and a lot of them are really strapped for cash. The simple fact of the matter, though, is that a lot of the rest of us aren't exactly rich either, and have to budget our charity dollars. I don't like being guilt-tripped into donating, and if it feels like that's the way things are going to go, I'll become an SC, in large part because it's the only defense mechanism I have from pushy charity collectors.

By all means, make the offer. But when a customer says no, please leave it at that. I realize that in some cases, management might be pushing you to raise more money, and in that case I'll blame management. I'll be polite about the first refusal, but after that, I go sucky (in the silent treatment sort of way, not the telling sort of way.)

[South Texan]

But when a customer says no, please leave it at that. I realize that in some cases, management might be pushing you to raise more money, and in that case I'll blame management.

Please understand that many people are FORCED to do the follow up question or statement. They do not have a choice as management requires them to do it. Most of them HATE having to ask. (I know I did!)

Going sucky or giving the silent treatment does nothing to stop this as management requires them to ask the questions of the next customer as well.

[princess4life]

The best way to avoid being an SC when someone asks for a donation is to just tell them you already donated. I donate a lot to the childrens miracle network, lupus foundation, and komen. I can not stand being pushed to donate though. Instead of being an SC I usually reply with a polite smile and let them know I donated last time I was in there, or a smple reply like "I'm sorry not today, maybe next time I come in."

[Automan Empire]

Donating to charity is a highly personal thing.

Asking once is fair game. Asking again after a polite decline, or challenging the no, is tantamount to aggressive panhandling, no matter how worthy the cause.

I get pitched a LOT for charitable causes, and decline most of them from sheer volume. Keep that in mind, and let it ride if people don't want to contribute.

[reimero]

Asking once is fair game. Asking again after a polite decline, or challenging the no, is tantamount to aggressive panhandling, no matter how worthy the cause.

That's my take, as well. The locally-owned-and-operated supermarket I frequent is very active with local charities and fundraisers. When you shop there, it's impossible not to notice that the charity du jour is having its annual fundraiser. At the same time, though, the cashiers don't go for the hard sell. If you choose to contribute, you can contribute, if you choose not to, no biggie. This, I think, is the way to go about it.

I should add that going the SC route is HIGHLY unusual for me. The first "no" usually gets the job done.

[Evil Queen]

Geeze... if I couldn't have coffee and wound up with cancer I'd die from Coffee Withdrawls.

[freeatlast]

My mom just finished chemo a couple of months ago. The reason she was told to avoid caffeine was because it is a diuretic and contributes to dehydration. They had told her to be sure to drink alot, so she drank lots of iced tea (which is her favorite drink.) She had one week where she felt terrible to the point that they skipped her chemo treatment that week and just gave her IVs to hydrate her. The nurse asked alot of questions in trying to figure out how she became so dehydrated. When mom told her that she usually drank iced tea, they told her that she should only drink decaffeinated tea. She switched to drinking water instead and didn't have any more problems with dehydration.

[CoffeeMonkey]

Asking once is fair game. Asking again after a polite decline, or challenging the no, is tantamount to aggressive panhandling, no matter how worthy the cause.

This pretty much hits the nail on the head. It's not about asking, it's about being PUSHY. There's no reason to be pushy. We in fact LOST customers after one of these promotions because our manager at the time was SO pushy that she would make people tell her no three or four times and use everything she could think of, including telling socially awkward stories of her own cancer experience, to guilt people into buying.

Part of being in sales (and this IS what we're doing, trying to get people to buy) is knowing when it's appropriate to press a little, offering more infomation, or another reason why making the purchase is a good thing, and when to just back off. When you get a definitive "no," then its time.

Offering the chest as an alternative to taking the coffee home isn't out of line. It gives a way to contribute without taking the stuff home, and since not wanting it at home was the reason given for not wanting it, it's a solution, not being aggressive. If you don't want it, just say no thanks. Don't make an excuse and then get huffy when a solution is offered for your excuse.

However, there is a certain panache involved with offering the alternative, too. I usually say ok, to their initial no, give them their total, and then say something to the effect of "Next time, if you're interested, we also have the trunk, blah blah blah." It still gives them the information about the option, without the pressure of trying to get the sale NOW.