I am in El Paso TX and I pick up a child from school, on the way home the child usually ask for taco from Taco Bell on Zaragoza. I have noticed almost every time the cashier would ask If I would like to donate $1.00 to help the hungry, poor, or youth. I am retired and barely make ends meet.
I do not get any form of assistance; never have, I have always worked hard for the things I got in life. I donate to the food banks, church food collection, Dollar store $1.00 donation, Feed the Poor and other agencies on line. Last month the Post Office was also collecting food for the hungry. Sometimes I give, other times I inform them I have given already. When I am out of money, no one gives a hoot-ever, when I do not have food I cannot simply go to the food bank because I am low income. It is reserved for certain individuals to get food. Or if I am a dollar short on bill, which have occurred before, I still need to pay that bill and the late fee the following month. Business owners may appear nice but are very stingy people.
This donation asking seem to be common in El Paso TX, as most people here are of Mexican descent-nothing against that. I do not know if it occurs a lot in other places as it does here in El Paso, TX. I also notice the same behavior at local Dollar Tree and Dollar stores. A couple of years ago I went into Macy’s at Cielo Vista Mall, more donation being asked. I stopped going there all together.
I have nothing against donations. however, every time I go to a business and they continually ask for donations, and I notice the CEO’s of these companies make lots of money, not a penny from their income goes to these donations, but the regular citizens who are already trying to make ends meet and enjoy what life they have. I think it is shameless on these companies. Donating is good and many people who can do donate- but it is too excessive, at least here in El Paso, TX.
I am beginning to think if a company wants to truly donate they need to donate a portion of the organization profits, not continually ask the average citizens for donations every time.
Reported for forum change.
And a question about these donation boxes: When all that money from the customers is collected and turned in to whatever charities it is assigned to, who gets the tax deduction?
How do you know the CEOs aren’t donating money?
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Maybe they are, but I’m asking about the tax deduction for the money donated by customers. If Bob’s Brisket’s N’ Brew chain of restaurants sets up collection boxes to raise money to help combat eyelash cancer, raises $500,000 via this process and presents a check for said amount to the ECSA, does Bob’s B’N’B get the tax break?
I’m getting REALLY tired of cashiers at businesses hustling me for more money.
When they ask me if “I want to round up today”, I say “No! Would you like to round down to help me pay your high prices today?”
-or-
“When all of my bills are paid and I have extra money, THEN I will start giving it away!”
The cynical side of me agrees that it’s a way for them to look good and get a tax break on top of it (presumably - I don’t know that for sure) without doing anything substantive themselves. The generous side of me thinks it still does some good, because it does make it easier for people to donate and it does generate extra money for (usually) good causes. As long as the company and CEO are doing their own part with their own money, why isn’t it a good thing to create another path to funding for a charity.
Today being Friday, I’m feeling generous. Ask me Monday, and my cynical side will probably be winning.
And as long as we’re ranting about fake charity by corporations, what chaps my hide is the advertising passed off as charity - “we’ll donate $50K for breast cancer research, then spend $5M on ads touting that donation.”
This is true, but it makes people feel good to make a donation.
I also don’t like this tactic so I refuse to make my donations at the cash register.
Sorry to the OP that life, and the human family has not been kind to you, and have not received any such kindness and had to work hard for it. Not how it’s suppose to be, but we sometimes block the flow of good will because of mistrust of others, and also once in that mode we simply attract a harder life. But really we are all one human family, and able to help out each other directly, without the need of such charities, or qualification of need as we are all in need of something someone can very easily give. This is available to us all if we are open to it, gladly giving from our strengths and humbly receiving to our weaknesses. This rugged individual stuff is utter BS and makes life far harder.
So as far as the asking for donations, I know how to give to people better than they can, and I do, they would just hamper the efforts as few have understanding of how the flow of human kindness works, and how we are all poor in things and rich in other thing, so we are all at need and also we all can give from our surplus and money is not the only way, actually getting involved is often better than just throwing dollars at it.
So I just tell these people, who are really just acting as corporate cogs, no thank you. The ones who may see something better will inquire further as to why and how to achieve this level of humanity that they somehow knew must exist.
If you want to get technical, nobody. The company would have to include the contributions as part of revenue in order to claim a deduction for themselves, but that’s not a winning scenario for them. The customers could claim the deduction, but ideally should document the donation and verify that the recipient charity is an eligible nonprofit, which they obviously do not do.
I’d be willing to bet that Yum Brands, the parent company of Taco Bell, isn’t even aware of the charitable solicitation that is happening at your El Paso Taco Bell. Most likely it was authorized by the local franchisee, at the request of the local charity. That particular Taco Bell is collecting donations on the charity’s behalf.
You shouldn’t feel compelled to donate. I’m sure that the teenager or whoever that is asking is doing so because their manager told them this week don’t forget to ask for the donations for XYZ food shelter. And they are most likely being told “no thank you” more often than not.
Now, for Greg Creed, the CEO of Yum Brands, here’s an article on his and the companies charitable efforts: Taco Bell's CEO Talks About the Precious Gift of Time | HuffPost Impact
Going against the grain here, but I actually kind of like them. Because when I’m particularly broke and haven’t been able to donate to anything lately, being able to at least add on a dollar at one place or another, is affordable. However, in those times, even $15 a month can be too much for me to absorb.
And they’re not the least bit intrusive if you’d rather not give. You can easily ignore a donation box and, at most stores, it’s really just one more step in the process of running your card…
Do you want cash back?
What’s your PIN?
Would you like to donate to X?
Is the final amount correct?
So, in the end, I like having the option to help if I can.
Years ago, I worked at a store that had a collection jar for a local charity. The store had absolutely nothing to do with it other than allowing the jar to sit on the counter. Someone from the charity would come by every couple of months to collect whatever had been dropped into the jar.
I have no idea how the “round up” or “add a dollar” to your bill collections work as they’re being done through the cash register. My assumption is the store or restaurant has a code on the register devoted to the charitable collections to account for them, and at some point, they remit funds to the charity. Hopefully the IRS has a procedure for not accounting for or reporting that “income” that’s temporarily in the restaurant’s custody as long as the business can show how they track and deal with the funds.
I’m confused. Is somebody at Taco Bell standing at the door and twisting the OP’s arm until they cough up money?
yer fuckin’ whaaaaaaat?
Round up? what exactly do they mean by that? because the only thing I can think of is them wanting you to give them more money for no good reason.
I hate those begging request at the point of sale. It is rude when done electronically, inexcusable to ask out loud in earshot of others.
I once had a very nice meal in a London restaurant and when presented with the bill I noticed that they had added a donation on the bottom. Not something that had been advertised anywhere in their restaurant or on their menu.
I told them to take off the donation and also to remove the service charge while they were at it. Having to have an awkward conversation about underhand behaviour does not make for a relaxing meal.
I live in an area that is 99% white and there are plenty of solicitations at the checkout of major chains, so Mexicans have nothing to do with it.
Companies and CEOs probably do make donations if only for the tax breaks.
“No thank you” takes about two seconds to say. You don’t have to give a reason or explain that you give elsewhere. And speaking of that, I don’t think anyone would blame you for not giving in a flush month in order to tide yourself over in months when you would otherwise need the food bank.