Solicitors at retail exits

I was at Target yesterday, and someone had a table set up asking for donations for some random cause (children's cancer? hopefully they were against it.).

Now I consider myself a generous guy; I give at least 3% of my income away every December. But I really don't appreciate having to walk a gauntlet after making my purchases. It's stressful. Even girl scouts selling cookies bother me. I can't buy them because they're not vegan, but I don't want to get into a big discussion with them. So I have to just say no, and that makes me look and feel like a jerk.

Retailers take note: By giving permission to these people, you are stressing out your customers. And I will take that into account the next time I'm deciding where to shop.

Comments

[Eric Burke]

disclaimer: I'm the parent of a Brownie.

Saying "no" doesn't make you look like a jerk (unless you're mean about it). These kids are learning how to sell, and sometimes people say "no". That's a fact of life. Even when people are mean, it's a good time for us parents to have a teaching moment about how to handle that.

If you would rather say something else, I always use the famous, "Oh, you know, I *just* bought a bunch of boxes from my niece. Sorry about that. But good luck!"

[Against Children's Cancer]

Wow, 3% every December...how very Christian of you. How dare these people stop you and make you feel uncomfortable as you return to your big house to play with your expensive geek toys!