Am I being overly sensitive? - Holiday donations

[dex08]

First of all, how did this person get your home phone #? If it was a member of management, that's wrong to use private personnel information for soliciting.

I don't think you are being overly sensitive. I would just tell them that you and your family make numerous donations to your own favorite charities throughout the year and that you do not wish to participate in theirs.

 

[tlbwriter]

No, you're not being overly sensitive. I'd call them back and tell them you've decided to donate all the money you earned this week.

 

[ceecee]

A friend of mine got a seasonal job at a place making minimum wage and only working 5-10 hours a week and they collect $2 a week for a fund in case someone gets disabled or in a hardship they can give them the $. Unreal, do they not think the reason people are getting the job in the first place is that they are facing hardships themselves?

 

[happygirl]

I don't see the big deal, You are an employee of this place. They are asking all the employess to give money to this cause. If you didn't want to say NO.

 

[maggiew]

I think its a little pushy to ask you to contribute since you really haven't worked there much. If I were you, I would probably contribute the $5 though because I would feel it wasn't worth rocking the boat for that amount.

But I wanted to give you a different perspective. My DH was "volunteered" by his boss to be the annual fundraising campaign coordinator for his division. There was super high pressure to get 100% participation. It looks good on their "annual report" or whatever. But it put my DH in a terrible spot. So, please be kind to the person asking for the donation.

Maggie

 

[Sagginit]

i used to work in retail and the first chain i worked for collected items for a local women's shelter. the first two years at xmas we did it secret santa style where you picked a child and card of gift to give. it kinda worked but sometimes the requests were expensive and no one wanted to gift to that child. we then switched to pooling money and presenting gifts we picked out b/c the requests got out of hand (entire gaming systems).

i could totally understand how this could put someone off that just started working with us. the thing was the company wanted us to do it and we also had been doing it as a store for years so the shelter relied on us. as annoyed as you are i would just understand that there is a needy person on the other end of the donation. as for the hours they are right, the more reliable you look and friendly you seem the more hours you will most likely get. if you can i would just work a trip into the store for the donation into your errands one day.

 

[swilshire]

I know they caught you by surprise, but I would have just said no.

We get a lot of pressure to donate at work to the United Way. While you can target your donations, we donate generously directly to our favorite charities at our own time and place. I feel like Scrooge saying no sometimes, but it's not the way I choose to do it. I really don't care how high the United Way donation gauge goes.

Sheila

 

[Cruise]

Hi all,

Thanks for all of the points of view. To clear up a couple of things: this isn't a local business - it's a national retail store. The person who called me wasn't a member of management (I rechecked the names and numbers of all management I was given to call in case of sickness, etc). How they got my number is a mystery to me - I'm guessing, as someone else suggested, that all employees numbers are available to all staff in case someone wants to find someone else to cover for them. If that's the case, then I really think that should be the only reason the number is used by non-management.

I really wish I'd been quick enough on my feet to make some of the replies that some of you suggested (I've already given to my charities, I won't make a special trip, etc), but I was just caught off guard and felt the implication of "we all do this, therefore you're expected to as well" and didn't want to rock the boat. The $5 isn't much and it won't break me, but given that retail usually equals minimum wage and what gets taken out for taxes, I've basically been asked to work for free for an hour.

It really wouldn't have put me off as much if I actually felt like a member of the "team," but just being there for a few shifts doesn't get me there. Maybe I'm just cold-hearted like that.

 

[Lewisc]

I wouldn't make a special trip. Get a phone call after you don't show. Sorry I was busy and didn't have time to make a special trip. Should I drop it off next time I'm scheduled to work or do you want to come by my house and pick it up?

Hi all,

Thanks for all of the points of view. To clear up a couple of things: this isn't a local business - it's a national retail store. The person who called me wasn't a member of management (I rechecked the names and numbers of all management I was given to call in case of sickness, etc). How they got my number is a mystery to me - I'm guessing, as someone else suggested, that all employees numbers are available to all staff in case someone wants to find someone else to cover for them. If that's the case, then I really think that should be the only reason the number is used by non-management.

I really wish I'd been quick enough on my feet to make some of the replies that some of you suggested (I've already given to my charities, I won't make a special trip, etc), but I was just caught off guard and felt the implication of "we all do this, therefore you're expected to as well" and didn't want to rock the boat. The $5 isn't much and it won't break me, but given that retail usually equals minimum wage and what gets taken out for taxes, I've basically been asked to work for free for an hour.

It really wouldn't have put me off as much if I actually felt like a member of the "team," but just being there for a few shifts doesn't get me there. Maybe I'm just cold-hearted like that.

 

[scrapquitler]

Just looking for opinions if I'm being overly sensitive about this. I'm sick and grumpy, so it might be the case.

I got a temporary, seasonal job at a nationwide specialty-type store (not a department store). So far, the only days I've worked have been the day we did paperwork and orientation, one 3 hour shift for training to get "comfortable" with it, and Black Friday - the day everyone employed at the store was scheduled to work. This week, I've had some "maybe" shifts where I call in an hour before time to see if they need me, but they haven't needed me at all, so it looks like I'm working no hours this week. I'm really okay with all of this - I took the job knowing I was the temp help and the regular people would get scheduled ahead of me. That's not what I have a problem with.

Tonight, while I was at home, someone from the store (that I don't think I've even ever spoken to before) called and said that, every year, the store picks a local organization to sponsor for the holidays and that everyone contributes and she wanted to know how much she could put me down for and could I please bring in my contribution by Friday. I was just kind of too stunned to think of anything to say other than to ask what the usual contribution was - I did this by pointing out that I was only a seasonal, temp worker and I'd never been at the store when they'd done this before. She said some people were $5 and some were $20. So I just said to put me down for $5. And now I have to make a trip to the store even though I'm not working to make sure they get it by Friday.

Am I wrong to be a little put off by this? I mean - not only am I not getting hours to make any extra money - now they're asking me for money. I kind of feel like that if it's something they want to do as a store, then fine, but they should really only ask people that are at the store year-round. It's not like I feel like I'm part of "the family" because I'll be there for 5 weeks this year. And yeah, $5 isn't that much, but it's kind of more the point of the matter.

Has anyone else had something like this happen? I guess I feel like there's nothing I can do now since I agreed to contribute, but I have to admit to being a little angry about being blindsided by it. Maybe I should just take my antibiotic and go to bed.

You COULD have just said "No, I can't do that right now". End of discussion.

 

[MomToOne]

I'm at the stage in life where I've embraced the word "No".

No, I can't donate. No I can't help out at the school function. No you can't have that new toy. No I can't work this weekend. No I don't want to buy a piece-of-overpriced-crud from you just because you want money for something or another you should really be paying for yourself.



It did take me awhile to reach this point. But basically I just don't care anymore what people think of me anymore It's quite freeing actually! And once you embrace the "No", you'll find it comes quite easily and naturally in situations like yours!!

 

[Eastern]

You COULD have just said "No, I can't do that right now". End of discussion.

It sounds easy but the first time it happens to you, it can catch you off-guard. Once you know to expect it, it's easier to say 'no thank you'. I do it all the time now

 

[Eastern]

It did take me awhile to reach this point. But basically I just don't care anymore what people think of me anymore It's quite freeing actually! And once you embrace the "No", you'll find it comes quite easily and naturally in situations like yours!!

I love it

 

[scrapquitler]

It sounds easy but the first time it happens to you, it can catch you off-guard. Once you know to expect it, it's easier to say 'no thank you'. I do it all the time now

True, it definitely takes practice to get used to it. It's a good skill to teach yourself

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Think of it like the United Way campaign. There is a store employee tasked with bugging everyone to donate.

Donation requests always increase around the holidays--so I do think it is overly sensitive to be upset when you get solicited. Just politely decline.

 

[disneychrista]

I would have told them. I don't have any money to spend for this since I am not working any hours.

 

[jcemom]

DH's employer started automatically deducting donations for United Way from his paycheck, without asking.

 

[Cruise]

DH's employer started automatically deducting donations for United Way from his paycheck, without asking.

Is that even legal??

 

[hereyago]

OP: as other posters have mentioned learning to say NO is a very freeing experience.

With that said: you are nicer than I am because if I was barely working, I wouldn't be donating, let alone wasting my time and gas to make a special trip to do it.

Don't get me wrong, I donate to different things when I can, but I don't like being recruited or hassled.

I also worked for a resort here in VA that was all about the United Way as well. They had deduction paperwork and try pursuade me with the whole we have 100 percent in the different departments of the resort to donate( do they get a big cookie for that or something). and said it would be looked down upon if we didn't. I did 1 percent of check.

 

[kaytieeldr]

DH's employer started automatically deducting donations for United Way from his paycheck, without asking.

Is that even legal??

I don't think so! I could ask my boss - the United Way coordinator in our office - but we had to complete either printed paperwork or a form online (and we each had our own form, not a company-wide thing) authorizing any deduction.

jcemom's husband needs to talk to HR.