Aibu? I’m genuinely not sure

Yes, it is unreasonable, when you're expecting it from someone who is NOT the organiser.

Also very unreasonable is saying "I'm sorry this happened to you" to someone who didn't get a thank you from a person who didn't have anything to thank them for.

Nothing is “wrong” with people who, having spent time and money participating in a Christmas initiative, expect to receive a very basic level of good manners in return, ie a “thank you” from the organiser. That’s not an unreasonable expectation surely?

YANBU. Poor management. Poor training.

If you are going to manage a positive initiative such as this then the least you can do is say “thank you” or prepare a card or sticker saying “thank you for participating in the Dunelm Christmas challenge” or similar. Make people feel good about their participation.

What you don’t want to do is create a damp squib feeling when they leave the store! Not only is it rather impolite; it’s quite poor marketing.

Wouldn't have bothered me, but I agree it's not the best customer service. Seems a bit harsh to stop participating because of it though - it's not the fault of the recipient and now they could miss out because you're miffed with a cashier.

I’d just provide the feedback to the store via email. You don’t have to go into detail about description of staff member etc, but maybe it could be feedback to the entire team just to remember to say thanks. It’s not a big ask.

It would have been nice if the cashier said thank you, but they were likely busy. Op just asked “where do I put these” and was given an answer. That was the interaction. It wasn’t rude of her to not say thank you, even if it would have been nice of her to do it. OP having such a fit over this interaction that she wouldn’t want to help the children involved is quite weird. It is indicative of wanting some kind of resounding gratitude, yes.

Nothing happened to OP, she has not suffered. She wasn't a customer and didn't need any customer service.

What is wrong with people, seriously?

The minimum wage employee isn't asking you to do anything. It's not her initiative, it has nothing to do with her. She doesn't benefit from it or gain anything.
She does not, in fact, owe OP a thank you. Sure, it's the polite thing to say, but it's in no way necessary.

Calling her a dickhead is extremely cunty.

’Thank you’ is now resounding gratitude? I despair…

I find this outlook quite strange. The point of doing nice things like that isn’t to make you feel good about yourself, it’s about doing something for other people? No?

I’ve done similar initiatives, dropped off food parcels and the like too, I am usually the first to say thank you when they take it off me out of habit. It’s always returned with genuine warmth and appreciation.

What an absolutely rubbish cashier. Sorry that happened to you. I hate how crap CS is these days.

So many staff, especially at that level, are poorly trained, treated, and paid, so ‘extras’ like ‘representing the company’, customer service etc, get buried under a tide of tiredness and resentment. (Can you tell I worked the tills for a few years when I was young?!)

I think you did a nice thing OP. Don't let someone's poor reaction put you off.

I've worked in various shops and believe you have to play a role. People have chosen to bring their custom to you, when they could've gone elsewhere, and the least you can do is greet them and look them in the eye. They are paying your wages. You park any personal stuff and act as if you're pleased to see them.

It's noticeable how customers tend to be greeted warmly in some places and ignored in others. You don't get ignored on the tills in Waitrose, for example, but the cashiers at the supermarket where we used to live would carry on their conversation across the tills and ignore the customers completely, with no eye contact, until saying "£20.59" or whatever. So it's a cultural and training thing for each business.

If you are just doing it for kudos try FB
Otherwise just be happy that you have probably made someones life a bit better for 1 day

You got crap service from the cashier - for most people it's hard to imagine being handed something and not saying thank you. But that doesn't diminish the impact you'll have on the recipient, which is ultimately the point of what you were doing. I'd assume it's a one-off event and not representative of Dunelm's standard approach.

I think that’s stretching it a bit to be honest

This is poor customer service but YABU to think a Dunelm sales assistant represents the recipient of the gift (as a former retail worker both in store and head office, this is a huge stretch) and YABU not to donate to the scheme next year because of this.

Dunelm are really really bad at customer service! I refuse to shop there any more.
Sadly your experience doesn’t surprise me.

The cashier was rude. A simple 'thank you' was required.

If my years in retail are anything to go by the cashier was standing under a big sign saying "Delivery of Joy Collection Point"

I'm only joking OP it would have been nice to get a thank you, but I'm saying thank you, you did a really nice thing that took effort so well done x

But you’re spiting those in need because you didn’t get a thank you from a store worker. Yes you can donate to another charity but it is still a petty reaction.

Will you be telling the organisation that you were so put off by their representative's lack of grace that you won't be donating next year?

If you aren't comfortable doing that, then I think you're being unreasonable.

'I just think that as the cashier is the representative of that person'

I disagree, the cashier is a representative of Dunelm, not the recipient,

The cashier is not “in charge” of the initiative nor is she representing it. She did not ask for donations, she has nothing to do with donations in actual fact. Her job is to guide you where to drop them and continue ringing up other paying customers. The initiative is adjacent to the actual running of the store and in actual fact, very little to do with her actual job.

There are food bank stalls at the supermarket - if you ask the cashier where they are do you expect her to also respond in resounding gratitude ?

The fact you’ve taken the hump to the extent you won’t be participating again is what makes you unreasonable. You wanted a little song and dance and to be noticed for your good deed. You didn’t get it. No matter what beautiful reaction the child will have, you didn’t get yours and it’s been deemed unworthy now. Put you right off. For that, unreasonable.

It's not how I would do customer service. I really enjoyed helping (nice) customers in my retail days.

She may have had her mind on other things.