Really, you can just say no...

[Summerfly413]

So at my store we're taking donations for St. Jude's Hospital.
I'll ask customers "Would you like to make a donation to St. Jude's today?"
Simple question. Yes or no is all you really have to say. I even make it easy, because by saying "today," it gives you the option to say "No, not today"
Some responses I get:
"I did already" -Perfectly fine answer. It's whatever.
"I do at home" -Also, fine answer
"I donate $xxx every year" -It's a good answer. Hey, it's great you donate. And that much? Awesome. Sometimes I feel like it's more gloating than proudness though..
"Uhh....umm...err...I think...umm.....no...." -if you don't want to, just say no, it's ok, promise.
*No response at all* -just annoying
"yeah what's my total!?" -uhh ok then..

The one that gets me though? I don't know if it's just me or what, but it bothers me for some reason:
"Haha! I wish they'd make a donation to me!!"
Just say no, not today. I don't really think it's funny. I don't find it offensive, but I don't see the need for the comment to come up.

[Imprl59]

So basically they are saying they wish their children had cancer... Wow those are some great parents!

Steve B.

[Jewels]

We are selling bears for St Judes at work. We have a box set aside for people to buy a bear and donate it to Toys for Tots if they don't really have a need for a stuffed bear (which is sooo cute and cuddly by the way). I love the people when asked if they would like to buy a bear for themselves or to donate to children that are less fortunate, and they respond with "I already donated," or "I donate at work." Its like, geeze, how much do you already donate that you can't spare $13 bucks to help a sick child live a bit longer?

[Evil Queen]

Now I want a bear.

Oh, but Teddy and Charlie (my two bears at home) will be jealous. O.o

[DevilBoy]

So basically they are saying they wish their children had cancer... Wow those are some great parents!

I love the people when asked if they would like to buy a bear for themselves or to donate to children that are less fortunate, and they respond with "I already donated," or "I donate at work."

If they don't want to donate, then they don't have to.
It doesn't automatically make them bad people if they don't donate any money.
Should people lie and say that they donated "at the office"?... no, they shouldn't.
However, they usually only say that because there obviously are people who think they are terrible human beings and/or parents who wish that their kids would get cancer if they say no. By saying that they donated somewhere else, they probably feel that it might make at least some of the condescending people less likely to judge them negatively.
Besides, how does anyone know that they didn't donate elsewhere?
You really don't, so judging them is not really anyone's business in the first place.

Its like, geeze, how much do you already donate that you can't spare $13 bucks to help a sick child live a bit longer?

It's not a matter of wanting to donate or not, it's a matter of being able to afford to.
I literally live paycheck to paycheck. I know I'm not the only person who lives like this.
My bills do get paid on time and I might not be destitute but yes, even $13 is a big deal to me. Every dollar counts in my house, and donations to any charity are not part of my budget. I am sure it is the same situation for many others.

[Racket_Man]

It's not a matter of wanting to donate or not, it's a matter of being able to afford to.
I literally live paycheck to paycheck. I know I'm not the only person who lives like this.
My bills do get paid on time and I might not be destitute but yes, even $13 is a big deal to me. Every dollar counts in my house, and donations to any charity are not part of my budget. I am sure it is the same situation for many others.

this is also my situation. since the economy has tanked in the last 6 - 8 months. even though business at the pizza place has only dropped slighty, my tip income have fallen anywhere between 30 - 50%. after buying a different car earlier this year I had to use what cash reserve I had for major repairs that befell said car ($1800 for a transmission repair about 2 month ago).

yes my bills get paid Ibut I have little left over for anything else.

All I can hope for is that the Xmas season is better compared tothe rest of the year.

[Kiwi]

Its like, geeze, how much do you already donate that you can't spare $13 bucks to help a sick child live a bit longer?

that is why I wont donate to charities that solicit and try to "guilt" me into supporting them

not everyone has a spare $13 to buy food with let alone give to charity

[malmalthekiller]

that is why I wont donate to charities that solicit and try to "guilt" me into supporting them

not everyone has a spare $13 to buy food with let alone give to charity

Exactly.

My store is doing a donation thing as well, but I don't ask people. I just don't care if they do or not, there are other registers, umbrellas, and varoius containers for them to put money in, not just through me.

[UncleImpy]

At the company I work at, we have a Giving Campaign every year for one month, where we can sign up for a yearly donation, where we basically donate X amount out of every paycheck for the entire year. So when I ask, I usually respond with 'I already donate through work', and I can TELL from some of the reactions that the other individual is thinking 'yeah right'.

As for the person who responded with 'why cant you spare an extra $13'. Sometimes? People really are cutting it that close. Right now I have a whopping $5 in my checking account, $40 on me, and its a week until payday. No, Im not donating $13 And if the cashier looks down their nose at me for not donating? Guess which store I won't be coming back to next time?

[Saydrah]

When I worked at Petco we did a donation campaign for local area animal shelters. I was always the top cashier for donations. Why? I just asked every customer nicely, made sure I knew the list of organizations getting money, and made sure the little cardboard ornaments they could buy and put their names on were always displayed attractively on the front window so donors or their kids could be proud to see their names. There was never any need to be pushy. However, there were still some real winners who couldn't fathom responding to a polite request with, "No thanks, not today."

"No, those homeless animals should get out on the street corner with a sign like everyone else."
(wut?)

"No, I would rather the stray animals would all just be shot."
(and you're shopping at a pet store, WTF!)

"They don't need donations, they need a job! HAHAHAHAHA!"
(You're so funny. Excuse me while I notify Last Comic Standing that Josh Blue has been dethroned.)

"No, I think all of the problems for humans should be solved before anyone asks for money for animals."
(Good luck with that, lady.)

"How about YOU make a donation to ME?"
(You'd be real funny if you weren't the 1212398th person to say that, or if you hadn't just spent $100 on t-shirts for a chihuahua.)

"No, Petco just steals all that money."
(Please, inform the IRS immediately! I'm sure they'd love to know that a multinational company is risking its entire business to steal some $1 donations.)

"What? You give $20 and all you get is a stupid candle? That's not worth $20!"
(That would be why it's a DONATION, not a purchase, which is what you're making already).

"I helped build Petco stadium!"
(This is relevant HOW?!)

And of course the umpteen people who flipped out and WHARGARBL'd at me for daring to ask them politely if they would like to make a donation to help local animal shelters rescue homeless pets.

"RARGH YOU PEOPLE GET SO MUCH OF MY MONEY HOW DARE YOU ASK FOR A DONATION TOO PETCO MAKES BILLIONS THEY CAN DONATE THEMSELVES WHY DON'T YOU DONATE INSTEAD I WORK FOR A LIVING I NEED TO PAY MY BILLS WHAAAAARGGHGGHAAARRRRBLLLL!"

And yes, I did donate, and pointed that out to the various "I'm so clever" types who asked to see MY donation ornament... I showed them that I had one for each of my pets, hanging right in the center window :P

I'm not saying Petco is a great company-- actually, I hate them and won't shop there anymore-- but seriously, "Would you like to donate $1 or more to help local animal shelters today?" is not pushy or offensive, and "No, thank you," is more than enough of a response...

Though, the really cool people more than made up for the douchebags and douchebaguettes. Like the lady who not only made a donation on every visit, but also bought kitty treats for the cats waiting to be adopted at the store.

[Jewels]

I understand that money is tight for everyone, but when someone drops 3 grand on a watch for themselves on a whim, but they won't donate to a charity, it gets to you. Its all in the tone. Basically they respond in the same tone as if you had asked them if they want fries with that. Its like they just dismiss the idea of possibly helping someone else.

[Jay 2K Winger]

My closest example of donation denial suck was the Skeevy Creep from the movie theater.

Still pisses me off when I think about it.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

This year, all our United Way stuff was done online.

So in the privacy of my own home, I could log on and let United Way know that I would not be donating anything to them.

I wouldn't even have done this if it weren't for the fact that the store had to account for all the employees, so you had to do it, or else have to do it later on, at work, with a manager possibly hovering over your shoulder even though they technically weren't supposed to.

The Salvation Army bell ringers will be out soon--in fact in some places they may be out already. I'm always happy to toss a little coin in the kettle.

[blas]

Don't even get me started on United Way. It's a great cause and if I were better off, I would have no issue. Or if I were given the opportunity to make my own decisision.

I've written about this before, but to kick off our annual United Way stuff this year, we were given a good guilt trip/assripping about how not enough people donated in the past couple of years, blah blah blah, these people really need help, come on it's not that much money to pledge, blah blah blah....

We did hit our goal of $15,000 donated to United Way. I am glad, but I can't help but think how many people felt so awful at that meeting that they donated and maybe cut themselves short on income? We have a slightly large staff, but with 1,000 people and the goal being $15,000.....you do the math. I didn't donate a penny because I honestly cannot. Not with the raise in insurance premiums and the fact that since I quit training, I've been out almost $100 every two weeks.

[AnqeiicDemise]

That reminds me of O.T. schools in SoCal partake in.


O.T. - Operation Teddybear.

You buy a teddy bear or bring in an old one (in good condition) during the week-long drive. Kids would then dress up the bear and put them in care packages that would then be delived to H.I.V. positive teens and children. What was wonderful is that sometimes, we'd get pictures back of these tots holding their Teddybears and it would choke me up.

I only heard about this when I got selected to be a class rep for the O.T. launch in my school district. Mom kind of glanced over the papers and let me go. I got my sexual education at the age of 13 from HIV positive adults. With all that info these 'class reps' became O.T. embassadors and we went to our local schools for HIV awareness peer training.

When mom found out what I had learned, she was PISSED OFF. (She had not allowed me to get sexual ed two years earlier in school. SEX was a dirty word in my conservative, Roman Catholic household when I was a kid.) But by the time she got angry and tried to keep me from being a Peer Ambassador, I had already learned something about myself:

I had a cause and a reason I believed in and nothing was going to stop me from spreading the word.

O.T. really changed my life. Up until then, I was a nerdy, albeit angry little girl who was content living in a world of fantasy. After O.T. I was a nerdy, albeit angry little girl who was NOT content living in a world of fantasy and was hell bent on making her world a better place to live.