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.

They make more profits with their charity links than they do being charity-free, i.e. for every customer who (like you) is offended and walks away, they will get maybe e.g. 1.5 customers who spend more money there. Or maybe 1.1 extra customers.

This is virtually impossible to prove. What exactly is driving increased sales (or profit)? There are countless factors. It could be low prices, high margins (in this case companies could be exploiting suppliers, for instance), trends, a competitor going bust, etc.

It's unlikely to have anything to do with 'causes' or charity associations. And surveys are often flawed and/or facetious

It's not just pre-prepared sandwiches that have additional charity donations, plenty of food does. Even entire supermarkets have charity policies where a certain amount of profit is donated.

Then shop elsewhere

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

But you're not being told. You're given a choice, ffs.

Even entire supermarkets have charity policies where a certain amount of profit is donated

Expensive marketing campaigns commissioned to global advertising agencies (who mostly push the same virtue signalling rhetoric) surely must contribute to bulking up prices that consumers have to pay for these goods too

Pretty much all supermarkets donate a certain amount of profit to charity - including Aldi and Lidl. If someone is on the breadline they won't be able to afford to change supermarkets. Bit of a tone deaf assumption to think people can "just shop elsewhere", don't you think?

Guess what, they don't have to "prove" it to you.

Businesses operate as their managers see fit. Don't like it, shop somewhere else.

But you're not being told. You're given a choice, ffs.

How about everyone donating individually if we feel like it and not being steered by the place we want to shop from?

Don't like it, shop somewhere else.

Sod the customer then. That's the attitude. You've proved my point

I am fortunate not to be on the breadline. I have been in the past, and it never occurred to me to be angry with supermarkets donating a relatively miniscule amount to charity. On the contrary, I was happy that organisations that would potentially support me if I needed them were being helped to provide services to people like me.

@thehorsehasnowbolted I am Christian (Catholic) and was raised to be charitable, at school chapel we would donate tinned food and at the weekends I did volunteer work, I’ve continued doing volunteer work until recently where my health hasn’t allowed it. I’m fully on board with brands working with charities to both raise funds and promote the charity. I buy from brands often times because they specifically donate to charities, like brands where you buy a pair of shoes/prescription glasses etc and they match this by giving a pair of shoes/glasses away to those in need etc..

When I moved to London to study, I had awful experiences with landlords, thanks mostly to the terrible lack of protection to tenants paying enormous rental fees and not receiving safe, liveable and dry housing in return.

Shelter was ENORMOUSLY helpful in tackling these landlords and I’m extremely grateful to them for their help.

I would love to say that as a Christian I’m shocked by your attitude but I’ve seen at other churches some awful small minded individuals, that blame poverty on the individual, benefit bash etc, and these people don’t live their lives in my eyes, in a Christian way.

Christian or not, just be a character from a Victorian novel and lean deeper into it, it seems that’s what you’d like to do. In my view you have raised a question to not listen to others views that differ from your own so you clearly think you are in the right and I’m not sure why you asked if you believe yourself to be correct?

5% to any charity on a ruddy sandwich is definitely not indoctrination.

I suggest if that’s your attitude (and by saying ‘your Church’ I’m assuming you’re a Christian), you’d better grab your old Bible & have a good read, because you’re not showing any Christian ideals in your post.

And maybe instead of buying the sandwich, buy the ingredients & donate them to a food bank (if they align with your skewed ideology, of course).

The opposite. The majority of customers are important. The small minority don't.

This thread illustrates it perfectly. More people would shop there than would walk away. They are pleasing the majority of their customers.

Well that's you. Your ability to not be able to see other perspectives doesn't make the point wrong.

It's unlikely to have anything to do with 'causes' or charity associations. And surveys are often flawed and/or facetious

You make that statement with such certainty. Evidence? Also look up 'facetious'.

We live in a capitalist society. Businesses do what they do to improve their profitability. If you have evidence that they do it for nefarious conspiracy type reasons, let's see it.

Are you now expanding your point to state that you feel businesses should not be allowed to donate to charities at all?

@Sigma33 yes! You succinctly explained it! Many more customers, like us, would prefer to spend their money at supermarkets or brands that support charities! So they are catering to the majority.

This has got to be a wind up. Noone is obtuse enough to be anti-antihomelessness surely?

@EscapeRoomToTheSun my inlaws hold similarly nasty views, so I can well believe it sadly.

Yes, poor old pensioners with their multiple properties. I’m sure they’ll be ok. 👍🏻

@thehorsehasnowbolted I am sorry you are not as important to M&S as you would like to be. Maybe you have too much invested in the relationship. M&S have chosen those of us who take the opposite view. I realise rejection is difficult to accept.

Has there been a poll on the country's opinion? How have you decided that you're the majority?

So they are catering to the majority

Why do so many people believe they are the majority when they are not? It's baffling. You are also making a lot of assumptions on your previous post Margot

😂the majority on this thread.

And given the major money-making businesses are doing it, I suspect that it is because they make more money by doing it than not - they exist to make money, have sophisticated systems for tracking the profitability of various decisions etc.

Unless you are claiming that they deliberately lose money for some weird reason?

Noone is obtuse enough to be anti-antihomelessness surely?

Please read the OP properly and also the whole thread

This is so revealing isn't it

People are given a totally free choice about doing something nice and they interpret it as being forced to do something

It's like that's the only reason they can think of for doing something nice, because they're forced to