Fed up of businesses aligning themselves with politics!

[thehorsehasnowbolted]

I was about to grab a turkey and cranberry sandwich yesterday at a major retailer when I noticed on the package that 5% of that purchase would go to Shelter.

Why are we being increasingly forced nowadays to contribute to causes we may not necessarily agree with in this way? Why don't businesses stick to selling goods? Why the constant virtue signalling? It's annoying

I do not intend to comment on this charity in particular, but I have seen my fair share of pensioners being out of pocket to evict problem tenants who were in a position to pay the rent and look after properties but simply didn't want to and just played the system.

The results of charities activities are not always 100% positive, so customers shouldn't be forced to contribute in this way.

Why do businesses assume that their customers agree with the charities they pick? The constant virtue signalling is patronising and insulting.

Oh, and I do donate, but my donations are very targeted, usually to specific people, my Church, etc.

Isn’t there tax relief associated with charitable giving through business? I suspect it’s much more this than actually giving a shit about the charity.

Meh, it's up to them isn't it? The flip side is some people will buy from them specifically because of the donation. No one's forcing you to buy said turkey sandwich, so you can vote with your feet.

Possibly RudsyFarmer but it's relentless!

Businesses are allowed to support whatever political ideology or charity they want. If you disagree that much no one is forcing you to buy the bloody sandwich.

The constant virtue signalling is patronising and insulting.

Disagree wholeheartedly.

No one's forcing you to buy said turkey sandwich, so you can vote with your feet.

I know, I didn't buy it BTW

The entertainer do this! So annoying even the staff said say no if you don't want to donate but it's pressure people can see you pressing the red button they KNOW your declining

Disagree wholeheartedly

Why? Businesses are there to sell, not indoctrinate. 50% of customers may not agree with the ideologies most are currently pushing anyway. They are doing themselves a disservice

it's pressure people can see you pressing the red button they KNOW your declining

I push the red button, I don't really care if people are watching. I don't appreciate being told who I should donate to

No one is “forcing” you to do anything, it’s simply up to you as to whether you feel strongly enough about the 5% of the cost of your sandwich going to a charity to purchase it or not.

Businesses support charities / organisations / projects because it usually supports their business ethos and is a nice thing to tell investors / customers that they do; builds brand awareness and reputation.

A business will look at the overall sales and things like hits to their website / press releases / reputation monitoring as a result of partnership and if it’s on the up that will be a success. If customers hate the partnership and it damages their sales they’ll drop it.

But you, the customer, are not forced in any way to interact with almost any business. Vote with your feet. Don’t buy the Christmas sandwich if you hate homeless people yadda yadda

Donating to a homeless charity is not politics.

Crikey if this is top of your list of worries you need to get a grip.
Awaiting accusations of wokeism and all the usual stuff.

I see your Christian love for those less fortunate positively shining through your posts.

Same here. If I'm expected to give to a charity and pushed to do so in that way I will always decline. It could be that every single penny goes to puppies, kittens and tiny babies and I'd still say no.
I do agree about Shelter. Whilst it does have its good parts, it also means that some decent landlords are fucked over by scummy tenants. Like many things, there's positives and negatives.

Other Christmas sandwiches are available, not just from Pret. And Pret also have a range of other foods. Nobody is forcing you to donate to anyone.

And not sure why you are being coy about naming them either. Pointing out they support a well established charity isn't exactly going to be harming them or be considered libellous.

I only allow myself to buy their Christmas sandwich once we get to the first working day in Advent so that will be 28 November this year. Very happy that it also sends money to a good cause.

If it was Mermaids they were supporting I would buy my lunch elsewhere. Nobody forcing me to do it.

I see your Christian love for those less fortunate positively shining through your posts

I guess you didn't understand the example I provided WRT pensioners and why the activities of some charities may have some undesirable consequences

I agree. I'm also finding that when I pay in shops I'm now prompted to decide to donate to certain charities before I can complete my purchase!

I used to work as a fundraiser for a major charity. The things I learned and the lies I was told to tell to draw in more donations led me to stop donating myself, as I had a few monthly DD's set up to a few different charities so they all got cancelled.

Also, finding out a major cancer charity was investing in the nicotine industry, the Grendfell donations that disappeared and the fact charity bosses help themselves to over £200,000 donations as a wage (so if monthly donations are £10 then 20,000 people have to donate just for the CEO's wage), and a friend who worked as a receptionist for another big charity telling me the offices were refurbished with very expensive beautiful real wood everywhere, top of the range equipment and luxuries for staff all paid for by donations doesn't sit right with me.

I suspect so. Plus the small print is nearly always % of profit. So if a £3 sandwich maybe makes the retailer 20p after all costs deducted, the 5% is worth a single measly penny to the charity.

Donating to a homeless charity is not politics

This is debatable and just an example. I've seen many charities riddled with political messages, hence why I rarely donate directly to any

They will have assessed the causes they sling their brand with and their customer base and made a decision accordingly.

Im sure 50% of their customer base will not feel so strongly about actively NOT supporting sheltered that they will refuse to buy the product.

They aren’t doing themselves a disservice, I’m sure they have made an informed decision.

You however can chose not buy it, perhaps that’s a custom they are happy to lose.

Not every business needs to operate without a moral compass.

A business will look at the overall sales and things like hits to their website / press releases / reputation monitoring as a result of partnership and if it’s on the up that will be a success. If customers hate the partnership and it damages their sales they’ll drop it

This is all very woolly and intangible. At best, they are being misled. Who's feeding them these 'reputation monitoring results'? Who's taking part in these assumed 'focus groups' (who has the time to take part in these focus groups, certainly not those who would spend £3 on a sandwich?)

It’s not wooly and intangible at all, and has almost nothing to do with focus groups. If you can’t understand even the basic premise then I am not wasting time explaining business reputation to you but I can assure you, it’s a thing.

Not every business needs to operate without a moral compass

'Ethics' mean different things to different people, so businesses should stay away from trying to drive this assumed 'moral compass'

Bloody charities supporting the bloody homeless trying to raise more money.

There is no ‘should’. A business can do what it wants within the confines of the law and supporting a charity is not illegal.

I find it truly baffling that someone so religious who regularly donates money to ‘their church’ is arguing so much about whether or not a fucking sandwich shop donates to a homeless charity.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say someone who actively doesn’t buy a product because some of the proceeds go to charity is in the minority.
Clearly it’s the case or Pret would have changed their strategy.

Bring a home made sandwich next time if someone else’s charitable contribution offends you so much.