Inspired by "People begging for money":Anyone else hate being ambushed at the store?

[minniedisney1]

I agree! Sometimes they can get pushy. If it is a worthwhile cause, I will donate. The one that cracks me up though is when the local

Rock Hill chapter of candy sales in association
with the National Candy Sales Federation

sets up shop in front of the grocery store. Selling things like hershey bars etc. for $3 apiece. They can never tell you what you will be donating to/for.

 

[Brittney85111]

There's a wierd variety of chugger here in the Pittsburgh area (at least I've never seen it anywhere else)

Line up your kids at a busy intersection and have them approach cars stopped at the light! Talk about an ambush...and dangerous too.

and sometimes College kids with handmade signs about how they are raising money for kids with cancer....somehow I picture my $ buying beer that night.

The college kids in PA raising money for cancer is for penn state's THON which is a dance marathon for the Four Diamonds Fund out of Hershey, PA. It is the largest philanthropic event at any college in the country, raising $4.21 million this year and helping MANY MANY children and their families. Here is the website: http://www.thon.org/ I'm glad everyone in PA doesn't have your same mindset about what college kids are doing to help others.

 

[Pigeon]

I hate the fundraisers, too. I don't buy stuff and I don't allow my kids to sell stuff.

 

[Grandpa Simpson]

I dislike the fundraisers in front of the grocery stores. Most of the time they are selling candy (which I really don't need), but often they are fairly polite and not too pushy. I think that they may help promote the use of services like PeaPod (grocery delivery service).

 

[Chicago526]

Doesn't seem to be a big problem around here, we have Girl Scouts and cookies, and Boy Scouts and candy/popcorn/christmas wreaths, but other than that I never see anyone outside of stores.

Now, the people begging for change at busy intersections, that bugs the heck out of me. From April 'til October, every charity under the sun has adults stationed at every major intersection, asking for spare change. One of these days, a voluteer will get run over, and the villages will finnaly put a stop to it.

 

[MsLeFever]

The college kids in PA raising money for cancer is for penn state's THON which is a dance marathon for the Four Diamonds Fund out of Hershey, PA. It is the largest philanthropic event at any college in the country, raising $4.21 million this year and helping MANY MANY children and their families. Here is the website: http://www.thon.org/ I'm glad everyone in PA doesn't have your same mindset about what college kids are doing to help others.

If they are actually raising money for an organization that is officially set up enough to have that beautiful website then they need to have signs that aren't handmade with markers on posterboard. I still suspect that the folks I've seen are trying to take advantage of people, by which I mean that I don't think they are affiliated with the organization you mention.

If they are then they need to look more official in someway.

 

[VSL]

You know, I would love it if we had girl scouts with girl scout cookies over here!
Just get rid of the chuggers..

 

[sajetto]

I don't mind the girl scouts, boy scouts, or bake sales. However, the folks standing in front of walmart for various reasons I'm not crazy about. I say no and they keep talking to me well after I've go on my way and I'm walking into the store. Its the pushy attitude that's the problem

 

[parrothead365]

In the small town where I live, there is always sombody selling somthing at the door to the grocery store. Mostly it's kids trying to raise money for this or that. The problem is that since I have been coaching soccer for the rec leagues I know most of them and worse, they all know Coach Doug is a soft touch when it comes to "my" kids. I just can not seem to say no when it comes to helping kids. Well I guess there are worse weaknesses

 

[Marseeya]

What about the groups that stand in traffic??? I hate that! I don't mind when some fire departments have their annual fundraisers where they stand at a particular intersection with boots collecting money. The ones I'm talking about is where a group will come into a town and go up to car windows collecting money. They never say specifically what it's for, but it's usually a religious organization.

 

[inaminute]

Just Saturday I was going into WalMart. I had to walk in the street because the Girl Scouts had a tent set up in the middle of the walkway!

Next it will be the Little League at every entrance to every store in the area. Then it will be youth football. Then it will be Boy Scouts selling popcorn.

I don't mind the selling so much, but I hate the begging. There MUST be a better way for youngsters to raise money than asking for handouts.

 

[In a hurry]

Just Saturday I was going into WalMart. I had to walk in the street because the Girl Scouts had a tent set up in the middle of the walkway!

Next it will be the Little League at every entrance to every store in the area. Then it will be youth football. Then it will be Boy Scouts selling popcorn.

I don't mind the selling so much, but I hate the begging. There MUST be a better way for youngsters to raise money than asking for handouts.

Most I've seen are selling stuff rather than asking for handouts.

 

[Brianne]

Luckily it doesn't seem to be a huge problem out here although it was pretty bad in some places we've lived. Other than Christmas, the only other group I've seen are Girl Scouts recently---it was kind of cute because they did a "cookie crossing" & looked adorable. Still didn't buy any but it's one of the only times I've ever smiled because of a group blocking the doorway.

I'm not crazy about it all. I think these groups assume that because you're going into a store, you've got money on hand. I never shop with cash or a checkbook--I always use a debit card by choice. So I never have cash on me even if I wanted to buy something!

 

[BeNJeNWaFFLe]

I don't mind the girl scouts/boy scouts selling outside of grocery stores. I had to do it at some point. As long as they aren't pushy they don't bother me.

What did bother me was when I was approached at the local mall. Me and DBF went to the mall and outside the door was two college kids trying to sell candy. They said it was for their school trip but there was no signs and only those two kids. Sorry, but if you have no signs, no information about the school/trip, and are overpricing the candy I will not help you. I sold the candy for school trips before, it was always a $1 a candy bar. They were selling it for $3 a bar. Nice try but no. At least when I said No thank you they were nice and just left me alone.

Every year my family goes to upstate NY to pick apples. When you are leaving you can make a left or right, both lead you to the same road eventually. But when you are leaving they make you make a left instead of a right. Well, this is because up that road there is a fire house. This fire house always has people outside stopping traffic to collect money. It is a one lane road with a lot of cars all backed up for half an hour so they could collect money. And they are very, very pushy. We always donate to the local fire house near me. They at least set up a comedy night or a bake sale or something. They don't cause a huge traffic pileup to collect money from people who don't even live in the area. It is a very tacky way to collect money.

 

[liamsaunt]

I agree that it can be a little annoying, but around here the people are not too pushy. I will usually donate to the kids if they are collecting for a sport or charity, but I don't like to buy chocolate or cookies.

What really bothers me, though, are the people that stand outside the store to collect signatures for balloting. We had some instances a few years ago when people were telling signers that the ballot they were collecting signatures for was for one reason, when in fact it was for something else. They had the language for the "actual" cause covered up or folded back. Since then, I always make sure to take the document apart and check to see what it is for before signing. That, in turn, makes me feel bad as it appears I do not trust the signature collector, who usually is just some poor fellow trying to get a write on for a local election.

 

[goofy!]

I don't mind the kids at the grocery stores selling cookies, popcorn or whatever community project they are doing. As long as they are polite and I can choose to either donate or walk away.

What I hate is being cornered with no way out.

On St. Pat's day, we went to Bennigans. They had a troop of Irish dancers, both kids and adults, at the back of the restaurant. We got there just at the end of their dancing routine. They sent out a young girl, about 5, carrying a huge paint bucket (home depot type) and she stopped at every table asking for a donation. Even though we could not see the dancers and arrived after they were done, we went ahead and put a few dollars in her bucket. She then did her rounds and stopped again at our booth. We told her we had just given her some money. She just stood there, holding the bucket up. We told her again we had just given her money and we weren't going to put anymore in the bucket. She just stood there, staring at us. Finally, as the dancers were undressing (in the restaurant), she turned around and left. Guess we were the only ones to actually give her money and she thought we would give more.

I will never return to Bennigans again. I don't like to be harrassed while I eat. If the restaurant cannot pay their entertainment, then don't provide it. And don't send cute little 5 year olds to harrass the customers.

 

[dadto1]

I don't like the people who stand at the stoplights and collect when the lights turn red. It was funny I watched a show about a group of scammers who travel the company supposedly collecting for The United Negro College Fund and then pocket the money. Low and behold they were in our area two weeks ago so I was kind enough to mention seeing them on the tv when they approached my car with the window up and started banging on my window with the bucket and they were gone when I came back thru later in the day!

 

[jim and meesie]

The worst is stores that ask at the checkout "would you like to donate $1 to whatever charity" and add it to your receipt. First of all, I donate very generously to a number of charities directly (my accountant says too generously) but I resent the fact that these businesses turn around and make a large donation to a charity (using my and other customer's money) yet the business gets the credit for the donation. My business donates every year to support one charity yet I don't ask my employees or customers to pay for my donation.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

I don't mind the selling so much, but I hate the begging. There MUST be a better way for youngsters to raise money than asking for handouts.

I will buy from the GS and BS and any other legitimate organization. And our groups seem to have taken manner lessons lately.
But the Pop Warner Football and Cheerleaders in my area beg for money outside the stores. Sell me something and I'll buy it. Don't just beg me for my money so you can go to DW. I'm saving for DW too!

 

[Mom2Ashli]

Last year we stood outside of Publix to raise money for the Breast Cancer 3-day. Everyone has to raise $2,200 to be able to walk in the event. Not everyone that I had trained with had their money. So we decided to stand outside Publix.

We were very nice to people and if they said "No Thanks" we left it at that. I have to say for the most part everyone we encountered was very nice. We had several people come up crying that somebody they loved or knew had Breast Cancer and made a donation.

I am signed up to walk again and just might have to stand outside Publix to raise the funds.

But I promise to be nice and not attack anyone.