I'm tired of being panhanded...

[Trlsmn]

...at the register by corporations.

As you pay for your item it's always "would you like to donate too bla bla..." This happened 3 times at 3 different stores consecutively yesterday. Finally fed up, the third incident went like this: "Would you like to donate a dollar to Save The Children?" reply "No let them die". Needless to say that brought a dirty look. Why should I as a customer be put in a position to receive a dirty look and go away feeling harrassed after spending money? I already give to a favorite charity of choice of my own freewill and of no coercion and I'm tired of the "put them on the spot in public" guilt approach, AKA panhandling. Henceforth I will start informing such panhandlers that they are in fact panhandling to put them on the spot.

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[orygun]

Yep, this bothers me too. I've often wondered if the companies that do this are getting a tax break on the dollar I would "donate"?

 

[Certaindeaf]

Then there's the gauntlet of Girl Scouts. I think they pick the scrawny and pitiful looking ones for this guilt-fest.
I don't buy any of those cookies.. I thought I heard that the GS's were like $80 mil in debt.. how the heck does that happen? no thanks

 

[DMcGPNW]

I had some of the same feelings at first and then I got comfortable with saying "no thank you." Works just fine. Don't let anyone guilt you into something you have decided not to do.

 

[Caveman Jim]

I'm hard of hearing in the first place and at the checkout I expect the facts, a little chit chat maybe & how much $$. Then they start spouting all this talk in a foreign language & get the deer in the headlights from me & I say what? Then they start it all over again & I walk away with my receipt. I don't GARA (Give A Rats A$$) what they are trying to sell me on I don't want it!!! Call me a crotchety old fart, I don't care...

 

[drew]

Another reason I like self checkouts. It also avoid people wanting to have a few minutes of chit chat.

I will usually answer "Not today." Same answer I give people asking for money, selling things, or get to me to sign a petition asking the governor to do something about x. The last one I suspect they want to build an email and mailing list. No thanks. My elected officials at the state and federal level send me enough junk mail detailing their "accomplishments".

 

[WhyteCheddar]

The charities are usually legit and could use the $$. Problem is, once one store started doing it the others had to follow suit or look like they didn't care.
It's a PITA but I doubt the practice is going anywhere soon.

 

[Dunerunner]

With all the money that has been donated over the years to various charities, why are there still issues? I mean with the economy, I can understand hunger and housing as issues; but why hasn't there been a cure for Cancer? Plenty of new treatment options, but no cure. I guess there just isn't any money in a cure......

 

[unklekippy]

It is pathetic and it angers me. I don't need to go to a place of business, spend my hard earned money and then get the guilt bullbubblegum because I don't want to feed anybody else. Aren't the mouths I feed at home enough?

The only thing worse is real panhandling. About 15 years ago I was working in the NW Industrial District and a panhandler was arrested for panhandling(believe it or not, it's against the law and it should be). This individual was on the front page of the paper a few months later because he sued the city(meaning he sued you and I) because it violated his rights somehow. Forget the tax evasion and many other laws he broke while standing on the offramp of the 405. He was quoted by the paper, after asking what he would do with his $15,000 settlement, he said he would buy a new truck and go back to panhandling. The Oregonian seemed to think justice was served. I'm glad I was able to slave away back then at the ripe old age of 18 for 12 hours a day to pay for the food stamps and the new truck of the healthy, mid-30's guy that should have bought his own crap.

That was pretty much the day I knew I needed out of Portland. I made it out, but now the K. Falls Albertson's, Fred Meyer and Safeway all ask me "Hey man, ya got any change?". We should just change the name of The USA to New Europe.

 

[unklekippy]

With all the money that has been donated over the years to various charities, why are there still issues? I mean with the economy, I can understand hunger and housing as issues; but why hasn't there been a cure for Cancer? Plenty of new treatment options, but no cure. I guess there just isn't any money in a cure......

Hey, we've thrown 100 billion or so dollars at a BS "war on drugs" for the last 30 years so that more heroin, cocaine, meth and other bubblegum is on our streets than ever. Why not throw it at a fake problem like "poverty"?

Our new slogan: "America: Where Even The People Screaming Oppression That Have Never Worked A Day In The Life Of Their Last Three Generations Still Have 400 Cable Channels And A Flat Screen TV Are Too Unhealthy To Work, But Plenty Healthy To Show Up At The Occupy Movement And The Justice For Trayvon Rally".

It's over. Last one out, turn out the lights.

 

[Blaylocke]

Yep, this bothers me too. I've often wondered if the companies that do this are getting a tax break on the dollar I would "donate"?

Yes. It counts as a tax deductible donation from their end at the end of the year. That's why it's on vogue right now.

I'm tired of these things most:

Safeway: On the touchpad where you slide your card "Would you like to donate a dollar to muscular dystrophy research?"

No.

Cashier: Would you like to round up your total to help muscular dystrophy research?

No thanks.

---

And then real panhandlers. I can't stop at a GD stop light anywhere in town without hearing a sob story.

 

[skydiver]

Panhandlers and guilt trips everywhere...you should see how my wife and kids work me over!

 

[gallogiro]

I'm pretty tired of it as well. I remember in the past stores would do it off and on. Like every once in a while you would walk in a store and it was full of those little paper hot air balloons plastered everwhere, but it was just a short fund raiser and then they would come down. But now safeway does it non-stop. I usually say no, but I caved the other day. I paid with a $5 bill and my total was 4.99, round up your one cent? They just don't give up, haha.

 

[jbett98]

I was at the East end of the Ross Island bridge on Powell Blvd heading home to Gresham one evening and was watching the resident pan handler work the cars for free money.
He's dressed up in a fake bum outfit, but his clothes are real clean, his shoes are expensive Nike's and to top it off, he has dark glasses and a blind mans cane.
He taps his way up and down the middle divider soliciting his impairment and sports a permanent frown
The guy in front of me sticks his hand out of his truck with a brand new $100 bill right as the fake bum is as far away as he can be from us down on the divider.
The bum, who is supposedly near blind, see's the offering at 50' away, recognizes the large bill and starts hustling real quick back up the divider, furiously tapping his cane, just as the lights changed.
The guy pulls back the C note and flips off the faker while driving away.

 

[unklekippy]

I was at the East end of the Ross Island bridge on Powell Blvd heading home to Gresham one evening and was watching the resident pan handler work the cars for free money.
He's dressed up in a fake bum outfit, but his clothes are real clean, his shoes are expensive Nike's and to top it off, he has dark glasses and a blind mans cane.
He taps his way up and down the middle divider soliciting his impairment and sports a permanent frown
The guy in front of me sticks his hand out of his truck with a brand new $100 bill right as the fake bum is as far away as he can be from us down on the divider.
The bum, who is supposedly near blind, see's the offering at 50' away, recognizes the large bill and starts hustling real quick back up the divider, furiously tapping his cane, just as the lights changed.
The guy pulls back the C note and flips off the faker while driving away.

Unfortunately, you have to wonder how many Vera Katz voters gave him the real $100 bill. How is that any different than setting up a charity claiming to be an injured vet? Instead, the left will tell you "that's how hard it is out there. Corporate greed has forced this able-bodied man to walk past 50 HELP WANTED signs to steal your money.".

And all this time I thought the scammers were responsible for their scams. I should have known it was Wal-Mart all along.

 

[Burt Gummer]

I learned a few years back that almost all charities large and small are scams. The vast majority of donations never make to the poor.

For instance, a billion dollars was collected for Haiti's earthquake victims. Commercials showed horrific living conditions with one area of 14k or so people having no running water and trying to share six broken toilets.

That part was true - it really is/was that bad there.

So, a BILLION dollars was given by very sympathetic and generous Americans.

The problem is it is all the same, even right now, same toilets, same lives. Why? Because most (not all) charities are scams to take your money and funnel it off to the wealthy perpetrators, yes right up to organizations like United Way. Do you know that more than 93% of their revenue never gets to the street? That people on the board of directors are paid over a million dollars a year - all out of your contributions.
The right people get paid off so you'll never see that on the evening news.

If you think that the change you put in that jar or that gets added to your tally at a checkout actually gets a warm meal to a poor homeless person, think again.

Do you know in Portland if you are down and out of your luck and have worked hard all your life and need a bed at a homeless shelter the waiting list is over five months? That you can look forward to being harassed and clubbed by cops for their entertainment, taunted by teens, and pee'd on by the fellow homeless while you sleep. (YES, it is true - many homeless were once hard working types that simply could not find work.)

I used to give to a local charity here in Portland that seemed legit. Then three years ago they built themselves a fancy 14 million dollar office space in Portland and I thought WTF? That money is supposed to help starving/cold people you bubblegums!

If you want to be charitable do it directly. Everyone knows a friend of a friend who needs help.

When I had a bunch of clothes to give I went to the pay it forward thread here. Why give to some parasite organization like St Vincent DePaul or Goodwill? Think about what they do. You give them FREE stuff and they SELL it to the poor for huge profit margins. Disgusting really.

So when hit up at a register I say "No thank you, I like to know for sure that my funds are actually getting to the people who need it."

 

[oknow]

With all the money that has been donated over the years to various charities, why are there still issues? I mean with the economy, I can understand hunger and housing as issues; but why hasn't there been a cure for Cancer? Plenty of new treatment options, but no cure. I guess there just isn't any money in a cure......

FDA doesn't approve anything that works. you have to go to mexico or canada for that.
your right about the no money in a cure they loose money if they fix something

 

[unklekippy]

Is your legit charity with the 14 million dollar office space MercyCorps, by chance? When they moved into their new home(on top of what used to be The Satyricon, a legendary music venue where many amazing things happened, like Kurt Cobain meeting Courtney Love.) I put a bid in to move their cubicles, furniture and contents. They would not accept us doing it at cost and insisted on getting a $30-40k move done for free, to the point of trying to guilt a small business that keeps 50 families fed and with a roof over there heads into going bankrupt to move a "charity" spilling millions of dollars in hybrid cars for their board members and such. I do not believe in charity on that level. The 2 or 3 our of 500,000 that are "good" will just have to suffer for the theft of billions of dollars.

I hate to say it, but the 5-10% that truly are on the street without bringing it on themselves are pissed on and taunted by the other 90-95% that willfully go on the street because they didn't want to work minimum wage for their heroin. Just like with the organized charities, the 5-10% will have to suffer and they can thank their cohorts, the able-bodied 20 and 30-something's that don't have to work because they stole a Guy Fawkes mask.

 

[Caveman Jim]

I just used my new tactic to not be asked anything else but the purchase. "They ask me how I'm doing today and if I found everything I was looking for, Why yes, I did thank you for askin.... and please don't ask for any donations from me today as I just spent my last $$$ for this purchase, would you care to donate to my cause today? Deer in the headlights & crickets chirpin loudly....

 

[Blaylocke]

See though, it's not the cashiers trying to get your money. I'm rarely rude to the cashiers, because it's company policy that they ask. Cashiers get fired for refusing to ask for donations.