to not want people packing my bags at the supermarket checkout to raise funds for their kid's football/ice hockey/ highland dance trip to Croatia?

[bleedingstill]

My kids have hobbies. I pay for them.
Bag packing at supermarkets is a bit annoying, no?
On several counts.

I feel better now

Good for all of you that the clubs that your children attend can raise enough to support their 'hobby', some carn't.

For some of the children the event that they are collecting for is going to stay in their memory for along time. I carn't understand the complaint agaisnt a child that is not spending 24/7 sat in front of a computer getting fat, isn't that the worst crime ever, according to MN?

There is a six months waiting list to go to pack bags so applications have to go in well in advance.

My disabled daughters school got funds cut straight after the coaliation government came in, if a local business man hadn't have stepped in a trip that was planned would have had to be canceled. They have now started to apply to pack bags, we live in a disadvantaged area.

Many clubs will have a bag packing event on standby because they never know when funding will be withdrawn and the children will have worked hard all year, being then let down would not teach them anything.

Whats wrong with just saying "no thank you" and throwing in a spare 5p if possible. There are people in need in this country, charity can begin at home.

Mmm, collecting money/donating money is one issue, but I'm extremely particular about how my bags are packed and I don't even like the staff of the checkout doing it for me whilst I unload the trolley. Even with everything on the conveyor belt in the right order for the bags at the other end, there's only me can pack it properly, though the DCs are learning quickly.

Really if you are shopping for food in M & S I find it hard to believe you can't chuck 20p in the bucket .

I help with bag packing for my son's fund raising efforts - I really enjoy it and we have plenty of adults to help/supervise. It's great fun chatting to people and the most unlikely people are often the most generous. I also love having my bags packed by someone else .

If you don't want to have your bags packed just say 'no thank you', even if you have your bags packed you don't have to give a donation. I think it's good that the kids are involved in doing something, far better than endless sponsoring for the marathon and such like.

I am a bit on the fence with this one - I have bagpacked several times, both with the Scouts and to raise money for my daughter's world challenge trip. I do feel that with the world challenge thing I am asking people to donate towards my DDs "holiday of a lifetime" - that is why when she was fundraising I steered her away from doing any sponsored events - I really would feel uncomfortable with that. however bag packing / cake sales / summer fairs all have an element of a service being provided - which the customer can decline! i always drummed it into her to ask whether people wanted their bags packed, and to step away from the till if they didn't. I also gave her bagpacking lessons. The vast majority of people were polite and interested in what she was fundraising for.

i feel more comfortable bagpacking to raise money for the scouts - this goes towards camping equipment, and I know that this organisation provides fantastic life experiences for kids.

god what a miserable op

In usually give some change, but I am another one who is completely anal very particular about the way my bags are packed I pack them in a way that makes it so much easier to put away when i get home, and so noone else can pack them to my satisfaction.

I agree that, despite not wanting their services, i feel under pressure to put money towards whatever they are collecting for (most of the time I don't even know what that is!). I have no problem with fundraising, but think there must be better ways to do it, tbh. Bag-packing seems completely unimaginative and mostly unwanted.

Lesley33-i live, work and shop in 'poorer areas' and the children do raise money for trips abroad, it is the only chance that they would have to go. Most of the trips contain educational activities such as a trip to the local market and sampling the food. The children may then realise why learning another language is important. It is not the childrens fault if they don't get this from their parents.

My daughters school wanted to do a sweepstake for the national, but couldn't because they did not have a gambling licence. The PTA work hard to raise funds, but sometimes there are insurance and other issues and the event hads to be 'inclusive' so some ideas are not practical.

Yes, these packers do tend to use too many bags!

For those that are saying that there are other ways to fundraise, please do send these suggestions to the local schools and clubs. Raffles do not pull in much and with things tighting up it is getting harder to get donantions of goods from any source. So the schools look to have a range of contributers and local supermarkets are one.

Its usually kids from private schools around here. I say no and don't give them money, I prefer packing my own shopping or using my own kids. Charity car washing is better (at least its a kind of useful service even if you don't get the best job.
I do prefer my local comps because at least their kids are usually doing something charitable out there, not just an expedition (building a new school etc.).
However my DD will be raising money for an expensive trip, with only limited charitable side, however I would veto bag packing as a fund raising measure.

"Really if you are shopping for food in M & S I find it hard to believe you can't chuck 20p in the bucket."

As I said I do have money now. But actually I used to go to M&S occasionally for a treat to buy 1 or 2 things very occasionally e.g. a bit of cheesecake when it was impossible to get real cheesecake from any other shop. M&S has some clientele like myself now who shop bthere pretty regularly and can afford it. And people who go there occasionally for 1 or 2 items for a treat.

I have never seen this either!

Our club have done bag packing. It is hard work (when done properly!). It is great for team morale to all muck in together. Most customers give and most with good grace. Some customers are really nice and give big tips or have a chat (lots of oldies at this supermarket so they like to reminisce about when they were that age).

We always donate a portion of the money to the supermarket's pet charity.

birdsgottafly I work part time for a charity. I can tell you there are other ways to fundraise as we do it all the time. But bag packing is a preferred way because it does not involve very much effort from the children for good returns. That is why it is a favoured form of fundraising - not because there aren't other methods.

And if you don't know any other methods, there is lots and lots of advice out there from people like the Directory of Social Change on other methods.

Fair dos - if you're shopping at M&S you should be able to afford 20p, and it's true that they do have the best cheesecake in the land.

I don't agree with any form of fundraising which makes people feel under pressure to give or that makes them feel a twinge of guilt if they don't. This doesn't work very well for me as I have just been involved in setting up a charity, but at the same time I am well aware that there are ways to raise money without putting individuals in a position where they would rather not be.

Bag packing may be 'providing a service' but it's a service that many people don't want or need. And if they do need it, most supermarkets will provide the help anyway.

I agree that it's great for the children that they are being involved in raising money, it's just a shame that it's not so great for the people that are being asked to give. Why can't they just stand with a collection tin at the entrance to the shop so that people reslly do make a clear choice over whether or not to donate? Instead of forcing them to make a donation or have to say no?

From some of the posts on here using words like 'miserly', it's clear that people are judged as being tight if they don't donate, so it's really not as easy as just saying no.

The problem is that you carn't ban bag packing in some areas or for say a private school versus a 'poorer school'. If my local schools washed cars, that would take business off the hand washing car local business, who are now down to two men after cutting staff as it is. The whole situation in some areas is dire. Our local firemen was cars for funds!, some goes to burn victim charities as well but they are underfunded so have to raise money on top.

Just say no thanks. They're only children. They're not that hard to shake off surely or do they wrestle your shopping off you and punch you to the ground in their frenzy to do a good deed?

Now of course if they came home, put it away and cooked tea...that'd be another matter entirely

I don't like anyone else packing my bag, but I will chuck change in the bucket depending on what it's for. School equipment/sports kit etc yes, trips to Australia no! At school I had a lot of friends who went to private school (i didn't) and turned them down flat when they were looking for sponsorship for their Australia sports tour. I feel the same to an extent about people cycling across China/trekking through the Andes etc for charity.

[miser emoticon]

I'm not judging anyone at tight if they don't donate - only if they resent the kids even being there! No-one would mind someone just saying 'no, sorry'. But they would if you said 'no, and why don't you get a proper job, and why don't you piss off, I can afford my kids' hobbies, why can't your parents afford yours, knack off!'

I wouldn't donate to any child from private school though, personally

as tight, sorry.

bubblecoral-you can only collect with a tin for a registered charity in some supermarkets, this is down to the managers discretion. How do you raise money publically without making people aware that you are there? If you walked past hem surely you would still feel guilty. Don't hold them responsible for how you feel, anyway.

'miserly' is used to mean the stopping of such events not the not giving of a donation.

I cannot stand the bag packing sinario. It is not that I am tight and don't want to give to charities but I do prefere to support lifesaving charities of our choosing. What I hate is that shopping now is such an expensive business. We spend quite alot of money and yet the respect for our shopping and how much has been spent, is so very little. It gets squashed down the belt as fast as possible and then we are expected to have it packed in some radam fashion by kids that don't know how to keep raw away from cooked and so forth. I blame the shops, if packers are to be had they should first be taught how to do it. If we were to come down with food poisoning due to meat blood over everything who would be to blame. Even some staff can't pack right to save their life. It is just so so annoying. We say no now but usually pop some money in anyway to ease our guilt. Dp has enough stress with the checkout people, to save our food from being flat packed

Bubblecoral - good post.

Yes, I have to admit it's that face-to-face cold calling kind of asking for money - knocking on your door or standing next to you at the check out - guilting you, that's a bit intrusive. I prefer folk collecting at the supermarket door, from a distance, - and I'm more happy to give then.