Would you like to round up to £1? No I fucking wouldnt.

[DavAtTheCampaignForMoreBankHolidays]

I cant be the only one who is getting increasingly pissed off at being asked to donate 20p everytine I pay for something?

The recent one in a charity shop was being asked to round up to the nearest pound AND then being asked to donate 25p. In fact, it wasnt even asked, it was "shall I round it up?" and "press green to say yes".

I always end up feeling really tight but apart from the fact that it would cost a fortune if I gave a donation every time I was asked, I really resent that businesses get tax relief for this whilst also bragging that they donated £x to charity.

Fair point - although the one in our local Asda has a big Asda-branded sign around it saying something like "Let's work together to help the hungry".

Even if it's nothing to do with them, they get the good PR from apparently having arranged it, or at least hosting it. "We're a caring supermarket... who boost our profits by specifically encouraging people to buy from us to give to the needy".

I don't like it either. It requires a snap decision, and from experience, some of the most generous/kindest people are those with the least.

I'm concerned that the more financially vulnerable would think they should don it because it's the decent thing to do, when they really can't afford it.

It suspect the main driver is board-level virtue signalling by the supermarkets. 'Aren't we great, we've increased charitable giving by X%.

When the reality is the supermarkets wield so much ecomonic power now that if they want to effect societal change they totally can out of their own profits, without putting responsibility onto Anne whose just donated 40p she cant afford cause she's on Pension Credit.

I get that many people don't use cash nowadays, so they're much less able to put money in a collecting tin on the counter.

Thus, just as people bow usually pay by card when they buy things in shops, the non-cash equivalent for the charities would be to have a separate small clearly-labelled contactless sum-up card reader on the counter or nearby.

No need to force people to decline before they can pay for their shopping. No need to badger them. No need to trick customers into giving by mistake - especially with just a green button on a card terminal, which many people - particularly those with cognitive issues or poor eyesight, in a rush or distracted by small children - will assume is just a 'confirm transaction' button and not a 'charge me a bit more' button. No need to involve the assistants after all.

The decline in the use of cash is clearly just an excuse. It's an obvious ploy to use pestering, confusion and social shaming in order to get people's money.

They're usually not, though - they're specifically trained not to be.

I mean, yes, you can point-blank ignore them as they speak directly to you, but they rely on people not wanting to appear rude or socially awkward.

Why should folk feel they have to stare at the ground and rush out of the shop hurriedly, without making eye-contact with anybody - even just to wish a friendly-looking stranger a good morning or make a passing comment on the weather? It's a normal human thing to do and difficult and unpleasant to feel restricted from doing by people wanting money from you.

But the charities who deal with the homeless or people who have alcohol or substance abuse etc say not to give money.

I'm inclined to go with what the experts (many of whom have expetienced homelessness themselves) say.

My nationwide flex account does that too.

The lying from the chuggers is also endemic. They always ask if you can 'spare a minute', when they know full well that it will be more like 10 or 15 minutes if you show any weakness.

The forced pleasantries to make it sound like they care about you as a person and not simply as financial prey.

The spiel about which charity it is, all of the great work they do and how desperately they need YOUR money - with the implied 'don't be a bad person by backing out now' as they close the deal.

The emotional haggling over a monthly amount, so they make sure they sign you up for the maximum possible.

Completing and signing their direct debit form - bearing in mind that many people won't know their account number and sort code without having to check by scrabbling around for their purse.

The gift aid question - often oddly designed to make you feel like you're personally failing the charity if you don't earn enough to pay tax - and then another form, of course.

It's absolutely nothing like the old holding a bucket at the side of the street that people can often toss a few spare coins into if they wish without even breaking their stride.

If you feel tight about it, that is your own personal problem. It takes less than three seconds to press no.

And this is exactly how this all works and the people who do it justify it.

It isn't a case of passively and gratefully accepting any donations that people may freely decide to give; it's actually all about forcing a snap decision when they know people are busy and often stressed, with the excuse that "oh, you only have to press No" alongside the clear implication that anybody who doesn't give is automatically 'tight'.

Especially considering the arrogance whereby a great many just ask for money '"for charity" and don't even deign to tell you which charity they want your money for.

Whilst of course it isn't compulsory, the very obvious expectation is that you should just shut up and give them the money they ask for by default.

I have often noticed the cashier lean over and press the red ‘no’ button without asking the customer. Makes things simpler for everyone.

I don't think I've ever seen this in Ireland apart from in Dealzs? Anyway our groceries cost enough as it is! Is it in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales as well as England?

It’s in McDonalds but that’s the only place I’ve seen it in Ireland.

I don’t think their lives are empty; I just know it’s easy to notice what the person in front is doing without actively seeking to do so.
It’s not an issue for me personally, but it could cause anxiety to some people.

I haven’t been in McDonalds for years so hadn’t seen it yet.

Thing about chuggers is, I was told they get paid a portion of your donation, they are funded on commission. Charity presumably gets more if you go and set something up online. I would never want to pay the salaries of these annoying people! But if they are blocking your way, causing annoyance (I sometimes feel like I am being harassed), a word of complaint to any businesses you might be avoiding as a result of their presence will get them moved on.

Same. I like to do due diligence on charities first . This is why I dislike ‘opportunistic’ charity - chuggers, door to door charity reps etc. It shouldn’t be something you do on a whim - no matter how small the donation

It’s repellant to me to be harassed ‘ for charity’ so often. I mean, seriously, are you joking! Get money from the supermarkets profits, not from broke little me. Jeebus.

The ones that bug me more are the people like (I am naming this ne as the man in question was a real bully) The Dogs Trust. Stopped me in the street and really would not let me go. I said I had four charities I already donated to monthly and I was not interested and he bombarded me for half an hour. Every time I tried to move, he moved to stop me. In the end I had to turn and go back the way I had come from to get away. He ran after me at which point I asked him for his card - with my phone out - and told him I was going to report him for threatening behaviour - at which point he let me leave,
These people are presumably on commission and are just ville. I do strongly feel this is a task that should just be done by volunteers!

I feel exactly the same, I think to myself why doesn’t the f@&£ing CEO of Tesco donate one of the 9 million pounds he earned last year alone to charity and stop trying to force us to donate when most of us are just about making ends meet! Grrr

Same here. I just think it's so arrogant for them to expect you to sign up to a commitment to paying them money every month, without even dreaming of offering you information about their structure, accounts, payroll, key projects etc.

However, if you tried asking the chugger for more financial information about the charity that they supposedly represent, they wouldn't have a clue. They're always 'passionate about' whichever charity happens to come up in their assignment today.

Charities that get funding from the lottery or government grants have to jump through loads of forensic hoops before they're given a penny. Why would the public - who collectively give a lot more than the grant-giving organisations - not be deemed worthy of this basic info before making their giving decisions?

Brilliant! I love that!

How on earth did you put up with that for half an hour? I'd have said, I am not donating, get out of my way NOW and started shouting if he didn't move.

You get the impression that some are really horrible bullies.

They're often at the railway stations. It's annoying if your train is late as you may be around to be hassled by them more than once or walk around more so end up walking past them more than once and trying to avoid eye contact.

In the end it definitely helps to not be a people pleaser! I am not. I don't (generally) care what strangers think of me, and I am definitely not giving money if people try to use chugging tactics, whether at the till or chuggers themselves.

Not all homeless people have addictions

My partner isn’t English, and although he’s completely fluent when a chugger approaches he adopts a confused face and does his best ‘I don’t speak London’. It both impresses and amuses me because they leave us in peace.

Ironically I’ve been approached twice on my lunch break today. Both times I was deep in conversation both a colleague and both times we walked as far away from the chuggers as possible. Yet still they walked towards us and interrupted our conversation both times. Incredibly rude.
We both ignored them but they are incredibly rude. A man they approached straight after us, he was elderly and walking slowly, had to physically put his hands up and shake his head to show his much he really didn’t want to be harrassed by them.
They are an absolute pain in the backside.