Does your store have people by the entrance or exit of your store who ask for money for charity or for themselves, or seeking signatures for petitions, or girl or boy scouts selling cookies/popcorn, etc.?
I don't like it. Sometimes you'll have to pass these people 4 times per day (start shift, lunch, end lunch, end shift) and I don't want to ignore them. I don't want to sneak past them. I don't want to say no. I don't want to offer an excuse, I don't want to buy or sign. All the options are bad.
It's very hard to say no to little girls. You just have to buy their cookies. But you know what? Girl Scout Cookies aren't very good. They had one semi decent kind, but they discontinued it. Plus, there's a different troupe every day. So even though you bought cookies yesterday, today's Girl Scouts didn't get any cookie money from you. The probably don't want to hear excuses "I bought yesterday". "I bought 5 boxes from my niece, etc". I understand "no thank you" is what they prefer over excuses.
You know what else? I think Girl Scouts should have a genuine old fashioned bake sale. No crappy boxed cake mix either. No Pillsbury. Make home made cakes and cookies. THEN, I'll buy. And I'll like it too. What's all those patches,buttons/Brownie points for anyway if they are selling boxed cookies?????!!! Shouldn't they be taught how to cook something???!!! Kids are capable of baking. Me and my brother and sister did it all the time as kids. We'd get out the Betty Crocker Cooky Cook Book and follow directions. It was fun!
And the Boy Scouts? $10.00 for popcorn!!?
I recently found out that Salvation Army fed my grandparents (mom's side) lots of meals when they came here in early 1900's. So I now feel good about Salvation Army at least.
However, I don't trust some of the charities.
Some of the people look pretty able bodied to me. Can they lower their standards and get a job at Denny's?
I don't want to sound cold hearted. I'll buy a person a food item out of the store. I've bought a guy a meal at In And Out when he asked me at the door. He actually stood in line and bought food with the money. That makes me feel good.
Anyway, sometimes I do give money to people, but I don't like it being at my workplace so often. I don't like being in that situation daily. I know you can turn it around and ask "what if it were you?" Well, I might go in a restaurant and ask if I can clean the rest rooms for some left over food.
But only if they had an emergency eye wash station of course.
-- Edited by Burgermeister on Thursday 30th of August 2012 12:53:03 AM
Some chain supermarkets have a "no solicitations" policies- including the salvation army. which some stores took some flack-but the policy had more to do with being able to boot any union organizers out of their stores- if they weren't union.
If i remember right, all it took was a certain percentage or show of hands from a group of employees at a non union shop....to open the door for union talks,,,and this scared the hell out of management- so they enforced a no solicitation policy
I don't see that anymore where I am at in this small town. I have seen it before and I don't like it much either. Basically because I don't like giving out my money for anything other than my own needs. I don't have alot of money either and I got responsibilities of my own. No I have never seen the beggar types but I have seen the scouts and the collection charities and so on. Of course during christimas its the Salvation Army who I actually will drop some money with ONE time only. Its true the employees of these stores have to walk past these people several times a day there should be a rule to leave the employees alone. Every time I would walk past them someone would holler "Sir would you like a cookie?" *sigh* I had to just develop tunnel vision when they are out there and just head straight for my car or where ever I am going and not see or hear anyone else.
I think here they need the stores permission to do stuff like that. But they were soliciting you while you were on shift?? I had that problem a few years back when I worked for superstore. The Girl Guides would always (with permission) set up a table at the store entrance selling cookies and myself and a couple other co-workers who always took breaks with me kept getting asked over and over. So we went and talked to the store manager and he told them(and everybody else after that) that they aren't allowed to solicit employees of the store. I'm a nice guy most of the time and like cookies so I buy the odd box, but when I'm at work busting my nut I shouldn't have to worry about being asked for money everytime I go for a smoke lol
Some chain supermarkets have a "no solicitations" policies- including the salvation army. which some stores took some flack-but the policy had more to do with being able to boot any union organizers out of their stores- if they weren't union.
If i remember right, all it took was a certain percentage or show of hands from a group of employees at a non union shop....to open the door for union talks,,,and this scared the hell out of management- so they enforced a no solicitation policy
In California, the law allows it. The store can't make them leave. "Lucky" stores put signs out front apologizing with the explanation that the law won't let them do anything about it. Then the sign asks that people do not give money to the persons who ask. Pretty cool.
My store has a similar sign, but it doesn't ask you not to give. It says
_______ Markets apologizes for any inconvenience caused by solicitors outside our stores.
We do not advocate or endorse their views or expressions. Their presence on our property is currently permitted by California court decisions.
If you object to the presence of solicitors, contact your State Assembly person.
Geez, Larry you're in a grumpy mood this week? Must be a holiday week!
We get all that. Doesn't bother me. I walk right by them. In a small town, like it or not, the supermarket is basically the new town square. It's where people gather...
Now if they're yapping and taking up space in front of the meat counter, that's another story!!!!!
Geez, Larry you're in a grumpy mood this week? Must be a holiday week!
We get all that. Doesn't bother me. I walk right by them. In a small town, like it or not, the supermarket is basically the new town square. It's where people gather...
Now if they're yapping and taking up space in front of the meat counter, that's another story!!!!!
Not grumpy. Things seem more serious when you read them. If I had spoken that to you instead of writing it, you'd see. I just wanted to get some conversation going. It's been slow.
Yes, people having a long meeting in front of the counter bugs me too (unless they're hot), and IS another story. And a good idea for a new thread.
Geez, Larry you're in a grumpy mood this week? Must be a holiday week!
We get all that. Doesn't bother me. I walk right by them. In a small town, like it or not, the supermarket is basically the new town square. It's where people gather...
Now if they're yapping and taking up space in front of the meat counter, that's another story!!!!!
Not grumpy. Things seem more serious when you read them. If I had spoken that to you instead of writing it, you'd see. I just wanted to get some conversation going. It's been slow.
Yes, people having a long meeting in front of the counter bugs me too (unless they're hot), and IS another story. And a good idea for a new thread.
When you get THAT thread going I got something to say about that. I have been tempted to take a cattle prod to some of these people having "social gatherings" in front of my meat case.
Geez, Larry you're in a grumpy mood this week? Must be a holiday week!
We get all that. Doesn't bother me. I walk right by them. In a small town, like it or not, the supermarket is basically the new town square. It's where people gather...
Now if they're yapping and taking up space in front of the meat counter, that's another story!!!!!
Not grumpy. Things seem more serious when you read them. If I had spoken that to you instead of writing it, you'd see. I just wanted to get some conversation going. It's been slow.
Yes, people having a long meeting in front of the counter bugs me too (unless they're hot), and IS another story. And a good idea for a new thread.
When you get THAT thread going I got something to say about that. I have been tempted to take a cattle prod to some of these people having "social gatherings" in front of my meat case.
