How f****g greedy people are.

So at my current workplace, I'm instructed to ask customers if they'd like to make a donation to our local Boys and Girls Club of America. In order to donate, I add an item onto their purchase price and these items range from twenty cents, to three dollars.

I see hundreds of customers in a day, and today I got fifty-two donations. Mind you, there were a few people that I didn't ask; if they were talking on the phone, or if they didn't speak English, but other than those few people, I asked everyone. Some people donated more than one item. One girl donated six of the twenty cent folders along with two one dollar items. So chances are likely that around thirty to forty people donated.

The more that I asked, the more disgusted I got when people said 'no,'

Some people even had the gall to say, "I don't have the money," No ->-bleeped-<- you don't because you just spent a hundred dollars on ->-bleeped-<-ty supplies and dollar item toys for your own kid. And one woman even said in a very snotty tone, "My child is autistic, so I only donate to foundations for autism," Well congrats for you......

Quite frankly, people disgust me.

Since when did society get so f****** selfish?

...

Funny thing about all of this though,
I mentally kept track of who was donating and who wasn't.
And men were most likely to donate. Almost every man, regardless of age, that I asked, donated - especially older men who I presumed to be grandfathers.
Women that were by themselves, donated sometimes, but if they had a child, they usually didn't.
Women were also more likely to donate if they were with a man.
Interesting, no?

Some people never donate to anything.  But others may donate privately or anonymously to charities of their own choice.  A billionaire might say no to you and then go home and write a $1 million dollar check to something else. So I don't judge someone based on a snap decision of whether or not they donate at a store. I donate maybe 10% of the time at these stores.  But my other donations that I make when and where I want to make them are larger.

If is someone doesn't donate at all, it is not necessarily a reflection of who they are as person. It's just one data point. And of course some people are completely selfish in every area of life. But that's not readily apparent at a store. Some people are just in a hurry and don't want to think about it. I think 52 donations out of a few hundred customers is a pretty good "hit rate!"

It's not so much the fact that they said 'no,' that bothers me,
But the way that said it.
And several people did tell me, "I can't afford that," and "Payday isn't until next week,"
Twenty cents won't break you, and if you come into the store that I work at - no one needs the stuff that we sell. It's not food, it's not clothing, and it's not shelter - it's a hobby store. I just think it's ridiculous when people buy a hundred dollars of useless crap for themselves and give me ->-bleeped-<-ty and snobby responses when I'm forced to ask for donations. If they were nice about it and polite, I wouldn't rant so much.

Many consider donations a private and personal matter and get annoyed when people ask for donations.  They get the request at a store then they go home and get yet another phone call from another charity.  And then they sit down to dinner and get another call.  Then someone rings the door bell asking for money. Pretty soon it all blends together and it seems like everyone has their hand out.   And that's when people get mad. That doesn't make it right but it does explain it.  They went to the hobby store to do something either fun or relaxing for themselves or to buy materials for a school project for their children.  There is nothing wrong with any of these things even if they are not necessities.  And many of the people who have created the things that have made our lives better got started with hobbies.  I'm personally tired of being asked to donate when I go to a store. If the store want's to take profits from it's sales and donate for itself, I am fine with that.  And for stores, this charity thing is basically marketing to make them look like a caring member of the community.  But they want to do it with our money instead of their own.

I like you for being mad that people are selfish! Hugs, Tracey

For me unless I know where the money that I donate is going I will not donate.  I don't make up excuses I simply say "No thanks".  Just because folks seem to have just spent hundreds of dollars in a store is no reason to get upset.  I give to one local charity on a regular basis.  It's a local Breast Cancer Support Group that provides support to local breast cancer patients.  I also volunteer at their charity fund raisers.  So if I say no "thank you" please don't be disgusted.

Let me introduce you to the sad state of affairs in capitalist America:

Those who have nothing give everything.
Those who have everything want more and give nothing.

If you never know adversity, hunger, and poverty, you'll likely never care about those who do. It's easy to sit on a pedestal and think you've worked your way there and are therefore entitled to say that everyone else is worse off because they didn't work as hard as you did. However, for those at the "bottom," it's easy to see that all the work on earth isn't enough to make the millions that only a select few are lucky enough to attain.

No offense, but I have my donation list. I do not donate in stores or by phone. If someone mentions a charity that I'm interested in, I'll go research it before I offer cash. There are a lot of really ->-bleeped-<-ty charities out there - ones that are backed by churches and fail to mention it, ones where over half the value of the donation is going to admin costs, ones with histories of financial mismanagement or poor results, ones with complaints of bigotry, sexism or homophobia... I don't donate out of the blue. You'd get a "no" from me as well.

I guess the important thing is to feel good about trying to help, and don't dwell on the success rate of your efforts. Not wanting to donate doesn't really give anyone permission to deliver snotty comments, but you work with the public, so you know that's how people are. Just keep asking, and remember you'll always get further with a smile! Hugs, Tracey