To hate the charity workers helping to pack your bag at supermarket checkouts?

[alicet]

I am sure I am being very uncharitable but I hate the people who loiter at supermarket checkouts, with a bucket full of change labelled with some spurious charity I've never heard of, offering to help you pack your shopping away.

1 - I am a bit of a control freak about packing my shopping esp as I carry it on the back of my pushchair and need to prevent it toppling so prefer to pack myself

2 - I want to CHOOSE to give money to charity and not be guilt tripped into it

3 - I would never choose to support the charities that do this anyway preferring something I have actually heard of and know what I am giving to

I guess at least they are doing something for the money but I think it is on a par with people that send you charity Christmas cards through the post and then get really rude when you call and tell them you don't want them. I know I should just tell them I don't want them to help but I always feel bad so say yes and then seethe for the next hour!

So AIBU?

[milknosugar]

yabu. i hate them too, mainly because they cant pack bags properly. but you can just ask them not to do it.

[BouncingTurtle]

I'm control freaky as well and always bring my own carrier bags.
I just tell them not to pack.
I do toss a bit change in their bucket regardless, because 'round my way they tend to be collecting for local sports teams and charities, and I prefer to support local initiatives like that.

[MrsTittleMouse]

It's always local junior sports teams around here. Which I find annoying as we live in a very well-off area and I will guarentee that the parents of these children have a lot more money to buy their bloody kit than we do!
Plus they are always high-school age and squash all your fruit under the tins. So YANBU, it is far better to make a calm and considered decision about who you think is worthy.

[alicet]

By the charity christmas card thing I mean people that send you packs of them with a note saying something along the lines of 'we are sure you will be delighted to send us £5 for these lovely cards that a blind deaf and dumb man with no arms has painted in india to support his livelihood. If you don't want them then please return them or live in guilt forever' not friends that send charity cards....

Just reread and thought it wasn't clear!

[Pruners]

Message withdrawn

[AuntieMaggie]

I agree - i like to pack my shoppng in peace without anyone looking over my shoulder!

Also, I never have any change so never give them any and end up feeling guilty about it!

[alicet]

Yes today it seemed to be some bloody dance school and I thought 'wtf? how is this so important I should support it?' but my mum had already said yes to the help thinking it was just a regular supermarket employee!

Understand about wanting to support local initiatives though. Just would like to be able to make a considered choice and not be made to feel guilty but a teenager standing by watching me pack with a long face though....

[MrsTittleMouse]

Aren't they called "charity muggers" nowadays? The thing that really annoys me about the high street stalkers is that they get paid to get you to sign up. So unless you give a direct debit for a long time, the charity actually loses money.

[cornsilk]

I hate them as well.I don't want my shopping manhandled and they take bloody ages.

[Pruners]

Message withdrawn

[rookiemater]

Oh I think they are great.

At least they are offering a service for the money and its good for children because it teaches them better values than just rattling a can in someones face.

You can always just say no, if you don't want them to do it.

[muppetgirl]

Alice, you are lovely.

And I totally agree with you x

[MrsTittleMouse]

trefusis - I had gone off on a tangent, inspired by pruners. It was the high street big names that I was referring to, not the bag-packers. Love the name, by the way.
I don't like either though, which probably makes me a grumpy old woman.

[Pruners]

Message withdrawn

[MrsTittleMouse]

pruners - BBC article here about charity mugging and how they don't tell you how much of your money will go to them, not the charity.

[expatinscotland]

ah, yes, MTM, 'chuggers' in the high street.

i always tell them i'm just visiting. the accent helps .

[spicemonster]

MrsTittleMouse - around here it is always the private schools wanting to raise money for their sports equipment. I think if their parents can pay £££ for fees, they can buy them some decent sports equipment too! I wouldn't mind if they were state schools but they never are

[pointydog]

I don't mind giving a quid for a local group but I hate watching 9 year old boys make a cack-handed job of packing my shopping. My heart does sink a little when I spot them

[bobblehat]

When my dc's were babies dh did the shopping a couple of times. He used to give the baby to the packer to hold while he filled the bags!

[fullmoonfiend]

I'll get flamed for this, but dh and I werre incesed the other week as a very expensive private girls' school were bag packing at our local 'cheapy' supermarket. They were rather aggresive int heir approach, basically starting to pack before we knew who they were or why they were doing it.
Turned out they were collecting towards a lacrosse world tour. I mean FFS, most of us shopping at that supermarket can barely afford the weekly shop, let alone feeling blackmailed into contributing towards some privileged young women's jaunt....!

[fullmoonfiend]

incensed

[MrsTittleMouse]

fiend - don't worry about getting flamed - we all agree with you. It's never the schools that really need the money is it? I suppose that they have enough problems getting the children to turn up at school, never mind to get them to pack people's shopping.