To be annoyed the charity shop called me rude

[ohmydays37]

I donated two huge bags of clothes to local charity shop. Before I could even ask a question the woman who worked there demand my postcode for gift aid. I said my husband deals with that and I explained I wasn't comfortable giving his details without his permission. She then said, I was extremely rude and it was for gift aid and she was running a business. In no way was I being rude (which I told her).

I guess my AIBU to think you can't just ambush people for gift aid without knowing if 1) they pay tax and 2) you need to explain the details of it. Which she didn't.

I sincerely hope that you are calling Marie Curie disingenous and not me? I posted their information in good faith.

What you say is interesting, but I can’t imagine that it’s remotely possible on a practical to chase individuals to pay tax on old clothes returned to a charity shop.

If hyperbole means what I think it does yes

I wouldn’t punish those who are helped by the charity just because one volunteer/ employer was a bit rude. That’s utterly disproportionate.

What?

They just tag the items to the person then claim against the sale price.

That’s why they asked for the details when the bag was dropped off.

Sadly they do chase you if you don't pay enough tax as my mums friend got a tax bill for her donated items. I don't understand why anyone does gift aid. Learnt on this thread although I should have known it takes money from the gov for services.

I don’t know why people are wringing her hands over what op said. Her husband does deal with that as he’s the taxpayer. When I signed up for gift aid years ago I had to fill in a form and sign it confirming I paid tax and was happy for some of my tax to go to the charity. Op couldn’t have done that. The way people pick apart posts on here is fascinating!

It wouldn't have been just the postcode though, they'd have wanted the house number and his name as well. DH was self employed so I would never have given his details for gift aid without checking with him first.

She’s was definitely the rude one and obviously not understanding the gift aid tax rules.

A lot of people don’t realise you have to state the gift aid amounts on your tax return (if you have to do one, I’ve stopped gift aiding because it’s a nightmare to sort out).

id write to the Charity (anonymously if you like) and I doubt I’d drop my stuff there again.

When you complete your self assessment there’s a section to declare any donations you have made that are eligible for gift aid. The charity send a letter detailing this amount periodically, which have to be kept and declared. It’s a massive ball ache unless you are super organised. I wouldn’t be happy if DH or anyone for that matter, signed me up in a charity shop. It just adds to the admin headache.

Next time just say you’re not a taxpayer or stuff it in one of the clothes banks. Much easier.

I don’t know why you just didn’t tell her you don’t work or pay tax so they sadly they can’t claim gift aid on your donation.

She didn’t have to do anything. And if the woman in the charity shop is indeed “running a business”, she won’t be a volunteer - managers are paid.

Absolutely! DH has it off to a tee!

There’s a limit to how much you gift aid a year. You probably won’t hit it in a charity shop mind, but self employed people need to keep track of it.

All she wanted was your postcode, then details of gift aid so the charity can save money. It's not unreasonable. And it doesn't lead to junk Mail/begging requests.

An adult woman saying that she can't give out that info without talking to her h would make me

If the woman said it as the op said then she absolutely is breaking the law.
The company can then be fined.
You cannot approach things in this way.
A person’s personal information has to be dealt with under strict guide lines.
Randomly asking someone for their postcode without firstly expressing clear intent, is breaking the law.
The woman should have clearly explained what Gift Aid is and then checked to see if the op is eligible.
This would have ended long before bluntly asking to take the op’s postcode, which is classed as identifiable information, and as such falls under the guidance of the laws on how personal information is obtained and stored.

She would have needed the full address. If you don’t pay tax you can’t give gift aid.

Postcode, house number, name. As others have said if he does a self assessment it's a pain in the arse. It's also a pain in the arse when the spam starts so I would expect DH to check with me before giving out my details

who is the knob? If the husband then he’s perfectly entitled to say no to gift aid.

Our nearest charity shop insists on unpacking donations and examining the contents of the bag whilst you wait to see if they want to accept the donation!! When I asked them why they explained that they only wanted items that they could resell and would give back anything they felt was not saleable. I honestly don't want to stand around whilst they do this so now just fill the charity bags that are collected.

To be honest I wouldn’t give out any personal details either.
I have volunteered in charity shops - any one with additional needs would not be on the shop floor. The woman was clearly rude and entitled.

Must be at least a week since we had the charity shop bashing thread. (Haven't read the whole thing, has anyone said the volunteer is probably just there to steal the "good stuff" yet?)

I am a volunteer - not staff - and no, I don't have learning difficulties and am not volunteering because I can't get a proper job. We ask EVERYONE about gift aid because if you are signed up we get an extra 25% on the value of your donation - something you give us we price at £10, we actually get £12.50 through the tax reclaim system.

The system is widely misunderstood by donors, they think that once they've signed up with one charity, they're signed up for them all. So yes we ask for your first name initial, surname and postcode to check whether you've signed up before, and if you haven't, we'll ask you to sign up IF you are a tax payer. If you are not a tax payer then that's fine. The charity I volunteer with does not bombard people with emails, just one a quarter to tell you how much you have raised through your donations which is a legal requirement.

Never any excuse for rudeness but there are always two sides to any story, aren't there?