Do you make donations in stores?

[crazytalk]

I got an email from Carter's this morning, encouraging me to purchase PJ's for underprivleged kids in-store, that they will kindly donate for me. I remember buying a book at Barnes & Noble last year at the register (when I bought other stuff), and dropping it into their donation basket. TRU does a Toys for Tots bin in-store as well.

I hate to be a scrooge, but these things kinda irritate me. I try to remember to ask the cashier if the company is in any way matching the donation .... when I've asked, usually the answer is no. So they want me to buy their stuff, full price, so they can make donations for me? Way to go out on a limb. I mean, it makes donations easy for me, but I'm not sure what the company is actually doing that's charitable. Besides using my money to make themselves look better, that is.

When I make monetary donations to any 501(c)3, my company matches 100%, so I try to go that route in general. Does anyone else have this scroogy feeling about in-store donations?

[gt7301b]

I am a sucker, so I made a conscious decision not to give at stores. If a cashier asks me I just say, "I'm sorry, I plan all my giving in advance and can't participate."

I do make an exception for girl scout cookies, but I always ask the girls what they plan to do with the money and I won't buy from the parents. This drives my husband crazy.

[Deleted]

No, I do not. I prefer to make donations directly to charities since it is easier for me to track.

[phunluvin82]

I did the Barnes & Noble thing a couple months ago, but it was for a children's library that was destroyed in Hurricane Isaac.

I usually do the dollar at Petco/Petsmart for the SPCA, but that is one of my causes. Also, I feel like that's different, b/c I'm not buying extra stuff from them, just adding a dollar onto my tab.

ITA that I would be more likely to support these things if the store/company were matching contributions. Otherwise it's basically just drumming up extra business for them...not exactly super charitable on their part.

[rubytue]

I like to make my own choices and almost always say no.

I was behind someone in line and the cashier asked if she wanted to donate $1. She said yes and then "how could anyone say no to that?! It's $1. Do people actually say no? How terrible!"

I got up there and said "I'm a grinch. No. I don't know your charity." I'm not sure if she was still in earshot. I don't recall what it was, but it wasn't a common thing like St Jude or anything.

[Deleted]

I don't. I want to choose the organizations I donate, and be able to get a receipt for tax purposes.

[Deleted]

I am a scrooge and don't donate to any cause I have not researched independently.

[ddi741]

I always give the $1 at petsmart to help pets.
Ocassionally at the grocery store, they will ask when we check out and depending on what it is, we'll give a dollar or two. The only other store thing we do is again at the grocery store where you can buy a bag of dog food and cat food for $5 each and it gets donated to shelters.

[changedname]

I hate those "do you want to add $1? things at the checkout. Nearly every store does it now and they definitely make me feel mean if I say no, which I normally do.

I love OP's point of asking if the store matches, it has honestly never occurred to me that they are not contributing anything to the charity and just making me contribute to their bottom line while making themselves look good.

I prefer to donate to charities that I choose.

[raangoli]

Sometimes I do. If I don't I usually feel awful when I answer "Not today, thank you."

I don't really feel like telling the cashier that I like to plan my donations and get a receipt for tax purposes. They don't care.

[LacieMI]

It made me twitchy last week when I was checking out at a restaurant and was asked "Do you want to round up $1.00 to save a child's life?" I had many sarcastic thoughts run through my head, ie:

"No, no I'm really not into saving a child's life..." or
"Sorry.. I just spent all my money on feeding myself this unhealthy food I've got here.... no more money to save a child's life..." or
"That's amazing!! $1.00 can actually save a child's life??!"

I did ask the name of the charity, and the person couldn't tell me. I still said "sure".

[Susie]

Dec 5, 2012 11:22:18 GMT -5 @iheartcosmos said:

I don't. I want to choose the organizations I donate, and be able to get a receipt for tax purposes.

+1

[dexteroni]

Not usually. The worst one is at Petco - it says something like "will you help a homeless dog today?" and you have to press "no" if you don't want to donate. Jeez.

I do give Toys for Tots donations, but it's only of stuff I've found good deals on throughout the year.

[aspentosh]

Dec 5, 2012 11:19:10 GMT -5 @choco said:

No, I do not. I prefer to make donations directly to charities since it is easier for me to track.

This is what I do. I much prefer giving to a charity I choose since it usually means something and it's more than $1 at a time.

[explorer2001]

I hate the pressure of in store giving. You never know who you are asking for something that could be totally inappropriate. While I was going through my cancer scare a young cashier asked if I'd like to donate to children's cancer research, I started sniffling and basically said I needed to deal with my own medical bills first. The girl was starting to.say how much it would help the kids and then started stumbling, misquoting biblical stuff, etc. I just wanted to get out of there and broke down sobbing in my car as soon as I closed the door. The cashiers aren't trained to handle that, but they are being forced to ask and rated on it by their bosses. It's so wrong. Have the donation tag there or a sign, but don't pressure people. Ugh.

FWIW I donate a lot, planned through payroll deductions, company drives with matching, checks and goods to places I care about, etc. I also volunteer and like to vet my charitable giving to make sure I am good with what they support and how they manage money.

[Deleted]

I give money to the animal shelters in Petco and PetSmart (not at the cash register -- I give directly to the volunteers), but otherwise no. And I don't feel bad. We give to who we want to give to, and if stores want to be charitable they can donate their own money. Particularly if we're talking about giving stuff rather than money. If B&N wants me to donate a book through them, can't they at least sell it to me at cost rather than making a profit off of it?

[sa]

I usually do, but they've always been to well known organizations that I would donate to anyway or things that are local to the community.

[pamela]

Nope, will not donate that way. I give on my own, not through a company that is then going to claim "look how great we are for all our donations". And I really don't like pushing for donations through guilt trips. I understand it's not the cashier's fault at all, it's management/owners/non-profit fundraisers who suck and push this.

[Kore]

Dec 5, 2012 12:02:04 GMT -5 v said:

I give money to the animal shelters in Petco and PetSmart (not at the cash register -- I give directly to the volunteers), but otherwise no.

This makes me love you even more :heart: :heart: :heart:

[Kore]

Dec 5, 2012 12:14:32 GMT -5 pamela said:

Nope, will not donate that way. I give on my own, not through a company that is then going to claim "look how great we are for all our donations". And I really don't like pushing for donations through guilt trips. I understand it's not the cashier's fault at all, it's management/owners/non-profit fundraisers who suck and push this.

This is exactly why I don't donate in store. It's all for PR, and it annoys me. My H's former company had one location raise, like, $5k to help something in that community. The company (which is one of the largest retailers in the country) sent out glossy mailings to every employee to advertise the good deed. The freaking mailing clearly cost more than the donations raised.

[MadamePresident]

We donate to our own charities and I almost always decline the in store donation pleas. I'm also the person who always asks what charity at Whole Foods when they want you to donate your bag credits.

The only one I tend to agree to is rounding up to the nearest at the grocery store. They will do that sometimes, so you are donating less than a dollar.

[SJ]

Rarely/never

[Deleted]

Dec 5, 2012 12:27:13 GMT -5 Kore said:

Dec 5, 2012 12:02:04 GMT -5 v said:

I give money to the animal shelters in Petco and PetSmart (not at the cash register -- I give directly to the volunteers), but otherwise no.

This makes me love you even more

I can never walk by a kitty charity without giving them money!

[karinothing]

I usually give a few bucks to wahtever charity store the grocery store has each month. I figure it is a few bucks, what the heck?

[liveintheville]

Our whole foods have bags of non perishable items we can buy and have donated. We usually grab one of those at checkout. That's about it.

[mollybrown]

I don't, and like you, it irritates me that I have to be an asshole and confirm that I don't want to donate $1 to save hungry children or whatever. It makes no sense for me to donate money so then Kroger can turn around and make a donation. I love the idea of asking if the store matches the donation, and I will do that going forward. I'd be much more likely to donate money if the store is matching it. Otherwise, I don't need them to help me donate.

JC Penney had a new strategy last time I was there. They asked if I wanted to round up to the next dollar for whatever charity. I think most of us are even less likely to not give up the 12 cents or whatever, so I'm sure they had a pretty good success rate.

[perkyderky]

At one of our local grocery stores, they pre-package bags of "essential" food items that you can purchase, and then put in the bins at the front of the store. I've seen the charity picking up the bags from the store, so i will do that (when I shop there.)

As for when they ask for the donation at the transaction phase, I usually say no thanks and don't feel bad about it.

So, here's a ?--I know (and shop) at at least one retailer that will match donations, up to a certain $ amount or %. So, theoretically, if I donate through them and I keep my receipt, can I still claim it as a charitable donation? Because if I donate on my own, it doesn't get matched...so maybe in this instance, it'd be better to donate through the retailer?

[mbcdefg]

Dec 5, 2012 13:32:29 GMT -5 liveintheville said:

Our whole foods have bags of non perishable items we can buy and have donated. We usually grab one of those at checkout. That's about it.

Stuff like this, and the goodie bags at Petco, piss me off because it makes me wonder why the stores just don't make the donation themselves.

[limey]

The TRU toy drive irks me, for the reasons people listed above.

I do sometimes do the add ons at the checkout counter in grocery stores.

[Deleted]

Dec 5, 2012 18:18:48 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Dec 5, 2012 13:32:29 GMT -5 liveintheville said:

Our whole foods have bags of non perishable items we can buy and have donated. We usually grab one of those at checkout. That's about it.

Stuff like this, and the goodie bags at Petco, piss me off because it makes me wonder why the stores just don't make the donation themselves.

:Y:

Or at least sell them to their customers at a deep discount.