OK, I give up: What is with corporations asking us to give $1 at the register?

Factual Questions
41

I’m not sure I buy this reasoning.

First, I just timed myself saying, at a brisk speed: “Would you like to donate a dollar to blah blah research?” “No thank you”, and it took over 4 seconds. Still not a lot of time, but twice as long as you suggested.

But, more importantly, splitting a cost over a whole bunch of people, or over a large amount of time, doesn’t make it go away. If I go to the grocery store once a week, that’s three hours of my lifetime that’s just been taken up. What if I’m in line behind 3 other people on average? Well, the additional wait time takes up another 9 hours. We’re up to more than half a waking day. And, of course, it won’t just the grocery store. If it works, then it’ll spread to every single transaction possible, and then maybe some stores will start shilling for two charities, etc.

Even worse, it’ll be come automated. I’ve already seen stores where it’s not a person asking, but just a question that appears on the screen that you pay through. Checkers aren’t long for this world, and when they’re phased out, it’ll become even easier for companies to waste your time with incessant annoyances that add a little bit to their bottom line.

I think that this sort of action should be opposed because it takes advantage of people’s politeness, and will lead to the erosion thereof. Communication channels that become too cheap will be abused, and then marginalized. Think about it. 80 years ago, people would respond pleasantly to strangers on the telephone, because they didn’t get dozens of calls trying to sell them something. 15 years ago, people didn’t need email spam filters. Do we really want to see human interaction, and every single retail transaction, go the same way?

I realize this is a slippery slope argument, but I think it’s a valid one. We’ve been at the top of this one looking down many times before.

ETA: Sorry, I didn’t realize this was in GQ. This is much more a GD-style post, and should probably be taken up there if people want to discuss my argument.

42

The ones at the cash register are mildly annoying, but not a huge deal to say no to. The one that really bothered me was the time a waiter at a big chain restaurant asked if we wanted to give a dollar to such and such (and if so we’d get to color some stupid picture to put up on the wall – no children were at the table, BTW).

I find that a little more obtrusive, since you’re dealing with this person for probably the better part of an hour, not 30 seconds or so like at CVS, and who knows, if you don’t give and they’re really gung ho about it, maybe they spit in your food or something. Yeah, probably not, and they probably don’t care and are just required to shill for this stuff by the boss, but still, it goes beyond mere annoying into disrupting the meal if you have to even give a thought to this.

Ah well, at least they aren’t ringing my doorbell or calling me all hours.

43

It is entirely possible for 70% of the people to be above average intelligence.

44

Because now I just can’t wait to say, “A cancer victim shot my Paw!”

thanx Rhythmdvl!!

45

Believe it. I’ve boycotted an entire city for a year because of a bullshit speeding ticket. That was over $4,000 in lost revenue to the businesses. Why should I risk a ticket when there are municipalities who want people to visit them and spend money.

The last company that pulled the checkout shakedown on me is equidistant to a similar business which I now frequent. It wasn’t the only thing I didn’t like about the store but it was enough to tip the scales. Considering I’m helping a guy rehab his house I’ve now steered over $2K to the other store.

46

Just say, “no thank you.”

This is what I do all the time.

It’s hard on one’s ego but like at Christmas, I go to the store and at every other place is a Salvation Army person. Now let’s get real, in a day I might go into 3 or 4 stores. I can’t give each one a dollar.

I can give something, but not all the time constantly. You have to learn to say “no thank you.” And move on.

I have worked in customer service and I HATE the hard sell. But one thing I learned when I trained for Six Sigma and did actual test runs. HARD SELL WORKS.

And I don’t mean like a little it usually results in 50% to more than 100% increase in your return rate.

When I worked in hotels we hosted a lot of fancy fundraisers and I was disappointed to learn a good take for charity is about 35% of what they say they took in. A lot of times it’s in the teens.

So basically if you go to a charity event, once they minus out costs, if that charity says it raised $10,000 the charity probably only sees, at most $3,500. Usually a lot less.

So that’s why I’d rather give a buck to a homeless guy. Yeah he may buy booze with it, but at least I know HE’S getting it.

47

I have to say, I have found it is better to give one large check to one org, than a lot of little ones to many. Unless of course you need more free address labels.:stuck_out_tongue:

48

If he buys booze with it, it’s not charity, but enabling an alcoholic to continue his miserable existence on the streets.

49

Yup. That’s the advantage of having a few really stupid people around.

50

I don’t mind the buck for charity requests. Sometimes I give, more often I say no, never been hassled either way.

What I DID hate was that CVS campaign where they’d ask you to buy something or other ‘for the troops’ usually. Like hand sanitizer and baby wipes and suntan lotion and whatall. That just rubbed me the wrong way – if the troops need hand sanitizer then, dammit, the Army should be supplying it to them. If this is a real unmet need, publicize it and I’ll email my congresscritter. But the fact that it was, inevitably, something that CVS sold, often their own store brand, just made it look sleazy – a way for them to boost their own sales.

I thnk the cash register thing has developed as a replacement for the income lost to charities from those cannisters and such now that so many people use plastic.

It used to be that at least every other week there’d be some group collecting money just outside my grocery store doors – outright cannisters or selling over priced candy bars or something with the profits to go to whatever. I used to donate a buck quite regularly, but that was when I went into the store armed with purse & wallet & genuine cash.

Nowadays, I go into the store with just the store card & a debit card tucked into my pocket. (It’s great not having to keep track of a purse all the time!)

But it means no impulse donations/buys.

And I think that became true for enough people to kill off that kind of fundraising.

51

Mean, but not median.

52

As to the question of how a company would decide, of course there are lots of ways to decide. But one way companies decide a lot of things is market research. It’s not a stretch to think that CVS customers could be especially interested in cancer or heart disease, and that could be backed up with market research.

And could such a campaign bring in customers as well as deter them? Absolutely. If you know that a store was responsible for raising money for a cause you care about, you might be more likely to shop there.

Rather than companies making a profit from this, I think it’s more likely that companies give some matching percentage of what their customers give. That would give customers some influence over the company’s charitable giving.

53

It has, actually. Heck, in Spain it used to be traditional for pharmacies to have these piggy banks whose proceeds went to a big NPO back before they started being called NGOs; I know a chain of supermarkets which sells these “tokens” that buy X€ worth of food for the local food bank. The tokens are just at the cash register, though, they don’t get pushed on you.

54

I opened a Pit thread on this a couple of months ago or so. When I go to a grocery store, it’s to buy groceries. When I go to a bank, it’s to conduct financial transactions. If I wish to donate to charity, I send them a check or go online and donate that way. I don’t like being dunned by a cashier when I’m buying a loaf of bread, and then a second time when I go to swipe my credit card. It has nothing to do with how much time it takes or whether or not the cashier gives a rat’s ass. I’ll donate where and when I wish, and resent being a captive audience for these questions, regardless of the brevity.

55

How do you use a debit card at a drive through? Wouldn’t you have to tell the worker your pin number?

56

It could be done with a pay-pass system using a card with an RFID chip.

The problem with using a debit card is that it exposes your bank account to fraud that isn’t covered by the rules governing charge cards. Grandpa doesn’t have this problem with currency.

57

Please, PLEASE do NOT take this out on the cashier. When I worked at Kmart, we had to do this, and when I protested, I was told I would be FIRED for insubordination if I refused. (Seriously). :rolleyes:

Yeah, tell me about.

58

That’s only partially right; card issuers have separate rules for debit cards that limit holder’s losses if they are used fraudulently:

59

Anytime I’ve used debit at a drive through window the PIN pad is on a extra long wire that they can pass it to you in your car. The only reason I ever carry cash these days is if I’m going to a bar.

60

I don’t want to get into a huge discussion but you’re looking at a voluntary promise from a card issuer. It is not backed up by legislation and you are on the hook to prove it was fraudulent. In a dispute of charges the main difference is that your checking account money is GONE versus an unpaid Visa bill. It is better to argue about payment than argue about actual money that has disappeared.

Cash is the best way to avoid identity theft and card fraud. I either pay in cash or use a credit card and the card never leaves my sight. It would be impossible for a clerk to scan my card with a hand scanner.