January 11, 2010 | Read Time: 1 minute
Are checkout-line solicitations a bad idea?
Eric Felten, an opinion writer for The Wall Street Journal, last week wrote he was annoyed by the growing trend of stores pressing customers for a donation as they pay for food, clothes, or other items.
At his local grocery store, he says, a checkout clerk celebrates those who give by announcing gifts over the loudspeaker — a practice he finds irritating. “I know I should be grateful that folks who prefer to pocket their change don’t get a shaming shout-out as well, but can’t I just get a gallon of milk in peace?”
Brad Tuttle, who writes a Time magazine blog about personal finance, also finds the solicitations distasteful and perhaps bad philanthropy.
“If a charity’s best fund-raising bet is a quick public pitch — the equivalent of someone in a department store makeup section trying to spray perfume on your wrist, only with guilt — that doesn’t speak well of the charity’s worthiness,” he writes.
Joe Waters, director of cause marketing for a Boston charity, says the store solicitations would be less annoying if stores improved their pitches.
On his blog, Selfish Giving, he offers ways companies can do this. For instance, they should embrace the charitable cause they are asking their customers to support.
“Don’t treat your cause campaign like a stray dog you plan to care for one day and then drop off at the pound the next day. This cause belongs to you now. Treat it accordingly,” he writes.
What do you think? Do you find checkout solicitations annoying? How can they be improved? Click on the comment button below to share your views.
