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Original poster

Charities grabbing you at exits in stores!

116 replies

MonroeM · 29/07/2019 17:11

I hope this is in the correct place to ask this, if not then apologies.

For the last 15 years at least I have made regular donations to 3 charities of my choice and very happy to continue. I also donate unwanted goods and clothes etc. to charity shops and buy all kinds of everything from those shops too.

Lately I have noticed the fund raisers have started to set up their stalls inside stores but at the exits so customers can not avoid them. If they stood there and not tried to grab me that would be one thing but I do resent it when I know they are watching and waiting for me to pack my shopping. I can feel their eyes on me.

What are your thoughts on this? Maybe there are some charity fund raisers here but does it annoy anyone else as it does me?

OP posts:

mbosnz · 29/07/2019 18:53

I got 'do you like dogs?'

Nope, cat lady, dogs can fuck right off.

A total lie, I love dogs. But I am so sick of the facile high pressure tactics.

I'm lucky, I can also say, I'm only visiting, don't live here. . . another total lie of course. . .

miaCara · 29/07/2019 18:56

I must have a ferocious RBF because I very rarely get approached by these people.
If they do have the temerity to come near me I just put my hand up palm vertical and at their face level. It happens in a second and they tend to veer away . Its worked with all sorts including a Gypsy woman in Paris trying to get me to look a a ring she 'found'. I dont give to charities that collect like this.

LolaSmiles · 29/07/2019 18:59

I hate them with a passion.

Then again I'm a miserable git who thinks charitable giving should be between the person and their chosen charities, not chuggers in the street, not learning boxing for a month and begging friends and family for donations, not some silly water challenge on social media.

amusedbush · 29/07/2019 19:03

I read a post on here a while ago and it made me laugh. A poster was practising being more assertive when stopped by chuggers but the next one she saw threw her off by asking if she liked animals and she shouted "no!" at them

YesItsMeIDontCare · 29/07/2019 19:15

@miaCara I do the "talk to the hand" gesture too, hasn't failed me yet 😁.

I also told the Scottish Power salesman at Morrisons that I'd shit in my hands and clap before I signed up to them and if he ever asked me again I'd shit in his hands.

MmmBlowholes · 29/07/2019 19:26

I put my palm up in a "talk to the hand" kind of way and say "no thank you" whilst briskly walking away.

MmmBlowholes · 29/07/2019 19:26

I didn't rtft 😂

Nautiloid · 29/07/2019 19:31

I loathe them. My local hospice has a stall every week in the corner shop. They always, always approach you, and start it like a lovely chat which is tricky because I want to be polite but also don't want to give any hint that I might sign up.
It always makes me want to give too much information. Once I said 'Sorry, not got any spare cash at the minute'. Got back 'We're not asking for cash today'. I replied unthinkingly with the truth - 'No, I mean I don't have any spare money at all, my husband's been made redundant'.

listsandbudgets · 29/07/2019 19:39

I once had a door to door collector bang on the door at 9.30pm.

I said I wasnt interested and she tried the "dont you want to save children's lives and stop them starving to death" line with me.

I was so incensed I replied " not really not that fond of them. Good night" and slammed the door

Madfrogs · 29/07/2019 19:39

We get a lot of animals ones.

“Do you like animals?” Yes on my plate thanks bye.

ALongHardWinter · 29/07/2019 19:47

This pisses me off no end. Not content with trying to pounce on you in the street (my local high street is swarming with them practically every day) they now try and grab you when you're entering or leaving a shop. They annoy me with their fake,phoney niceness,trying to be your new best friend. I give monthly by direct debit to my chosen charity,I have no desire (or money) to support any more. When I told a chugger a year or so ago,that I already donated to the Blue Cross animal charity,he thought he'd try and catch me out by saying 'And what is the name of the animal that you have adopted?'. Cheeky fucker. I told him it was none of his business.

BigStripeyBastard · 29/07/2019 19:50

When they ask 'Do you like xyz' just say no, I only really like otters. Do you have anything with otters?
I figure the chance of stumbling accross a random otter charity is so minute that if I ever do, I shall stump up a fiver for the entertainment factor alone.

PickAChew · 29/07/2019 19:51

Let me guess? WHS? Last time I bought something big in one particular branch, I was frustrated by the fact that the large items I bought were tricky for me to get into the carrier bag I'd taken, as i have useless hands and the assistant just stared at me, even when i asked for help holding the bag open. I walked down the stairs, got accosted by an overly bright and breezy chugger who said "Can I ask you a question?" to which I responded "YOU JUST DID!" because I was already at the end of my tether with the place!

TheFatberg · 29/07/2019 19:56

I avoid our local co-op when they're in there. I genuinely never have cash these days but I don't see why I should explain myself either. It won't be long before they have contactless devices and ask you to tap to donate.

PickAChew · 29/07/2019 20:00

I got "do you like animals?" once. Yeah, they're really tasty :o

Surely they must have a cribsheet of questions not to ask because they're just inviting facile responses.

DaisyChains6 · 29/07/2019 20:09

Have you ever come across the ones at the tills? You put your card in then it asks if you want to donate to a charity and you either press yes or no while the assistant is stood beaming at you.

Original poster

MonroeM · 29/07/2019 20:37

You can't really get away with this one in the stores at the exits but if they are in a busy street and try to stop you just say "we have already chatted today" and see how easy it is to walk on by.

The PDSA is a charity I gave monthly to for many years and it was to repay all they did for free when I was eligible to use their services some years earlier. I am sure I repaid them many times over and went on to do so but while still donating each month I got stopped in the street. I told the guy I was already donating monthly to them but that was not enough. He hounded (no pun intended) me to stay and discuss how i could help nationwide and not just in my area. ???

No thanks.

I am never rude or abusive but often feel like swearing at them to leave me alone!

OP posts:

NoIsACompleteAnswerSometimes · 29/07/2019 20:41

We had a cat charity in the doorway where I worked. I was so hoping he'd ask me on the way out, so I could tell him that I hate cats, and the bugger had gone home before I left work!!

However, when I came in on a non working day, he pounced on me as i walked in, I had great pleasure in telling him I hate cats!

MrsGrindah · 29/07/2019 20:42

Complaining to the store is pointless. They have a national agreement and they don’t give a fuck cos it’s virtue signalling on a grand scale. I just walk on and don’t engage.

daisypond · 29/07/2019 20:48

I have never once seen charity collectors in shops!

Banananananas · 29/07/2019 20:53

@miaCara @YesItsMeIDontCare
Thank you, both of you. I shall use these

Ragwort · 29/07/2019 20:58

I work for a charity (not in direct fund raising) & was once approached by a chugger for the same charity, I took great delight in asking him questions about the CEO, of course he didn’t have a clue what I was talking about . I agree they are appalling but have to admit that it does work as a fund raiser or the charities would not be doing it.

Greyhound22 · 30/07/2019 06:45

The one that flummoxed me was the Cats Protection League at Crufts.

I go to a lot of big shows like Crufts, Horse of the Year and you get leapt out on at these now. Does my head in.

Anyway he jumped in front of me at Crufts 'excuse me madam do you like cats?!' I said 'erm. No. Not really' he said 'well I admire your honesty' and and I said 'we're not really your target audience are we' he sloped back to his stand deflated. Poor sod.

spacedone · 30/07/2019 06:59

I hate this too. I just want to shop and not be hounded! I pick which charities I'll give to myself. One thing I really hate is that you can't just put spare change in anymore, it's all direct debits.

Shopping centre near me have their collectors stand right at the bottom of the escalator so you're pounced on straight away during that moment where you're trying to step off safely, so it's not as easy to rush past. Bloody annoying.

Punxsutawney · 30/07/2019 07:12

There was one at the exit in my local Aldi yesterday. He was inbetween two double doors so you couldn't escape him. Fortunately for me he had collared a young guy a few mins before I walked past. From what I could gather he was talking him through setting up a direct debit. No one should be doing that at the exit to a shop, people should always have time to think about commitments like direct debits.

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