Does anyone know?
They seem to be more prevalent over the past month or so. I would've hoped that they'd be more passive.
Charity Stands outside Supermarkets. Are They Sanctioned by The Supermarkets?
kyle on 13/05/2023 - 07:34
Last edited 13/05/2023 - 10:11 by 1 other user
Last edited 13/05/2023 - 10:11 by 1 other user
Comments
As in not asking people walking past
Maybe write that information in your post as it's not clear what you're referring to by 'more passive' as it's said in isolation with an example or incident.
It takes minimal effort to half smile and say "no thanks"
Ill go one better and just walk past with no reaction - don’t wanna get their hopes up.
If you're offended by walking past a clearly advertised charity and the people behind the stand trying to get your attention and talk to you, perhaps you need to work on life skills.
It's incredibly easy to smile, say hi, shake your head in a no fashion and keep walking. I'd estimate it would add approx 0.1s to your current trip into the shopping centre.
I have to walk past a charity desk outside a supermarket every day and I tell you it gets annoying really quickly.
Now explain that to women in bar getting hit on by men all night?
oooffI think it depends.
Salvation Army desks seem to be filled with people just happy to give you a nod.If they’re a charity that has hired sales people to get you to donate, they’re a different bunch of people, and are often far too pushy even when you say you already donated to them.
Personally, I prefer to make donations on my own accord rather than being solicited by others. I find it uncomfortable when people use tactics such as asking personal questions or making small talk to stop me, only to then launch into a sales pitch for a cause. My approach is to avoid making eye contact, keep walking, and politely decline, even if they're just greeting me.
Regarding your question, in small centers, supermarkets are typically owned by property groups that are part of the company, such as Woolworths' property division. The presence of beggars is usually approved by the property division, and the stores themselves have little say in the matter. The same goes for shopping centers where the stores have no control over the presence of beggars.
I agree, is rather do it to someone I research and choose and get a tax deduction with.
Some places are just full of the charity muggers now.
Even KFC ask for donations now…Also Woolworths asks at the self service machine, is there anyway to disable this?
You know you can walk right past them and not engage them, yeah?
And I am pretty sure that the supermarket doesn’t get a say in what charity is there, as that would be up to the owners of the shopping centre.
And I don’t think this is an invite system, more of a case that the charity would contact the shopping centre owners and ask for a temporary space to hawk from.
Supermarkets exist in many places outside of shopping centres.
Just remember that 60% to 80% of your donation goes to a FOR PROFIT Marketing Company running this (they have costs like paying the muggers also), maybe a trickle ends up getting to those who need the support.
93% during the first 12 months
But if the chuggers weren't there chances are you wouldn't have donated. Therefore the charity views it as better to get 7% of a donation than nothing at all.
7% is better than nothing
But 93% of your donation goes to a cause other than the one you donated to
Do you want to support struggling charities and travellers? If so, sign up to donate to Greenpeace.
If marketing themselves increases their revenue 10 fold, then isn't it worth it, brings in more money for the charity in the long run?
I think it took more effort to write this forum post than it would have to simply walk past and ignore them.
Just hold on tight to your wallet and scurry past.
"No thanks, I gave at the office".
Actual answer…
Usually approved by the shopping complex/centre Not necessarily Coles/Woolworths approved, as they are just a tennant in the shopping complex.
Not a big fan of those stands (with reps) personally. An advertisement (eg. Where they normally have their stand) would suffice in my opinion…. hell make it a flashy advertisement on an LED screen, that will likely draw more attention and not be as annoying.
I find it a little incentive to be sticking reps in the middle of shopping centres that approach people that are likely struggling in this economy asking for donations. I don't know about everyone else, but I donate on my own accord, and if companies are going to stick reps in shopping centres to bother people trying to mind their own business and go about their day then I'm more inclined to completely avoid donating to them moving forward.
Had one the other day, she saw me coming from like 20 feet away and did a cute little wave to me (Likely her tactic to act all cute to seem more approachable) and I just said sorry I'm trying to keep myself afloat and she just moved onto the next person like I didn't exist. I'm guessing they earn a commission on whoever they get to donate on the spot.
They do, often with 100% of the donation in the first 12 months going to the marketing/commission rather than thr charity
Just use the standard, "Sorry, I don't have any cash". Like who carries cash these days?
I have noticed more and more having "Tap & Go" though….. so hard to make up an excuse for that.
Some of them want to sign you up for a monthly plan. Best thing is don't engage with them at all and keep walking.
I just put my hand up and say No, Thanks with no further explanation and they always accept that.
Tell them you can only pay with Dogecoin, ask them if their terminal accepts Doge, and when they say no be like ¯\ (ツ)/¯ and walk off
Whats the big deal. Dont make eye contact when walking past !
When I worked for a NFP, we used to get permission to set up an area in shopping centres with the purpose of recruiting volunteers for the organisation. We dealt with centre management and had to comply with a list of things to get permission.
I know Woolworths don't own their space, just lease. Not sure about Coles but suspect it's the same. They will be dealing with Owners, property managers or centre management. It isn't any different to sausage sizzle at Bunnings, cake stall at polling booths etc. They go where there is a good volume of people passing through. In my teens, in the 70's, we used to sell raffle tickets outside a supermarket. So going on for years. There also used to be people collecting at traffic lights but I guess that got too big a risk.
The difference now is that these charities are desperate as there are so many vulnerable people out there needing their help. I don't like being asked or approached. However it isn't just charities that do this. I used to avoid one part of a centre as a business would hassle me and it was hard to get away from them. I hated that.
completely off topic but whatever happened to the french skincare popups with the over zealous reps. They seemed to be everywhere and were very aggressive in their sales techniques so much so that everyone would go to great lengths to avoid going anywhere near them. I "hid" out in a store once waiting for them all to be busy when the sales lady came to ask if I needed anything. I told her what I was doing and she replied that she totally understood and that she hated having them there as they really stopped a lot of her business as no one wanted to walk anywhere near them so she missed out on lots of foot traffic and sales.
It's a bit funny when you see some of them, they try to engage you in conversation and asking about yourself all before leading into the inevitable pitch on signing up for their donation plan. There's the people who ignore them and keep walking, those who say no thanks and keep going, those who stop and listen to what they say, and then there are those who might be craving a little human interaction and love to talk to ANYONE. And so the person is stuck there listening to this other person tell their life story and you can see in their eyes how much they want to get away and try someone else……..
I dont have a problem with charities doing this though some can be a bit too keen to impede my day.
I have actually cancelled regular donations to one a couple years ago due to the conduct of a mugger. They were that inssistant they must be paid per sign up. We no longer sign up to any regular donations.
Our donations are now one offs we try to avoid the organisations that pay people to spruik for donations preferring volunteer based charities.
What does this even mean :/