To be annoyed the charity shop called me rude

Does your husband own his own business?

Re gift aid - the FT a while back pointed out that the effect is to take the money away from public use (via taxes) and give it to the charity. This might be justifiable with a small local one but not imho for the big ones with fat cats at the top. So I never do it.

Despite being a tax payer, on many occasions I say I don’t do gift aid. I did gift aid once at Oxfam and then received unwanted emails. At entrances to sites ( eg Kew Gardens, museums) there is often a large queue building up while people are being asked to give gift aid details.

I had this a while ago, donated a big bag of my children’s clothes (all very nice good quality stuff) and they asked for gift aid, my response ‘oh no I don’t work so I can’t unfortunately’ they pretty much just rolled their eyes with a huff and then completely ignored me!!! Needless to say we have not been back to donate more! I was tempted to pick my bag bag up and take it elsewhere tbh

I’m a volunteer in a charity shop. Why is it stressful?

I’m not often on the shop floor, but when I am, I always thank donors, unless they want to leave electrical goods, or larger items that we can’t display. Then I politely point them towards the several charity shops two minutes away who do sell those items. My colleagues, volunteers and staff, do the same. It’s hard sometimes to say ‘thank you’ when it’s obvious that we’re being used as a dustbin. Last week a donor brought in loads of stuff. Old, greasy burnt pans and plastic kitchen items, ancient, dirty artificial flowers, and a bag with old shoe cleaning brushes and half empty and dried up tins of polish. Not one item was saleable.

@ohmydays37 I agree the volunteer/staff member was rude. I’d just ask if you were a gift aider, or would like to be. Most people who already are tend to say so when they donate.

Rude.

I said my husband deals with that and I explained I wasn't comfortable giving his details without his permission. how did you say this? In a "you're going to steal our details" kind of way. In all honesty you're best off just saying you aren't a taxpayer and leaving it at that.

I often find that people who accuse others of being rude often talk too much and don’t listen nearly enough.

I just say I'm not a tax payer.

But yes she was rude.

You have the right not to leave any personal detail if you don't want to and no one should comment on this. The shop assistant comment was inappropriate, why should she offend you, just because you don't do what she wants? I would take my stuff back to the next charity shop. I hate when people act as entitled, in this case to have your details. Moreover they should say thank you for taking the time to select and bring them your stuff rather than throw it away. I see more entitlement in that.

She was abrupt but you could have just given the postcode, don't really know why you wouldn't do that tbh

She was rude but you could have just said ‘I don’t pay tax’, instead of saying your husband deals with all that. It implies you do pay tax but that he sorts it for you, which would be quite frustrating to hear in this century.

Just tell them you’re not a taxpayer next time,
problem solved.

😆

When asked for gift aid details

'No thank you' should be enough the person does not need to know if you pay tax or not or anything else nor tour life story

If you don’t pay tax you can’t gift aid, or if you do you’ll get a tax bill.

Charities are huge businesses in many cases.

I was recently sorting out stuff of mine that’s been in my parents’ attic for years and, sad as it was, I will never see size 10 dresses or size 6 shoes again (thank you, DC!) so I took them to a charity shop.

They were also surly with me because I couldn’t gift aid it. I’ve lived abroad for many years and I’m not a UK taxpayer. I’m not going to lie!

Absolutely this. This is very concerning. Gift aid benefits the charity significantly, and costs the giver nothing.

Welcome to Roystan Vasey

Well the follow up question would have been the house number; they need the full address.

No she doesn't, and that's not what she said, she told them she wasn't happy giving her husbands details. You on the other hand do sound aggressive

Well, she might have been rude.

But I imagine it's policy.

It's a bit like objecting to someone in McDonald's saying would you like fries with that?
The conversation will be scripted and they will be expected to stick to the script.

This is common in retail - eg WHSmith saying we have water on offer would you like one or when BP are doing a loyalty card drive they ask literally everyone whether they have one.

Most charities that I have interacted with recently - national trust, English heritage, etc always ask about gift aid now.

As an aside, saying your husband deals with it is if not rude, odd. Surely you know if you pay tax?

I didn't know you could give someone else's name to claim gift aid? Thought you had to sign etc

Gift aid means a charity receives your tax money rather than the government. Every time people complain about lack of resources in eg. Education, SEN support, it's because less money is sloshing around for the government to use. Some of it is going to pay extraordinarily high salaries of "charity" CEOs etc instead. That is why lots of people do not gift aid.