Hello again lovelies,
Been a while, however, I wanted to word this next rant right. Why you ask, well because this is one of my biggest pet peeves since working in a gas station. Most places do donation drives once to three times a year. For MDA in March (Jerry's Kids, or Muscular Dystrophy Association), Relay For Life around that time, And CMN sometime around September (Children's Miracle Network).
Each of these donation drives give the company a bunch of little things for their customers to fill out so the company can paste them around their store. Shamrocks, balloons, or what have you. These things you buy for increments of $1, $5, or $10 and then put your name on or the name of someone you love and then next time you come in, you look around the location to see it in bold hanging up on the windows or walls and have yourself a proud moment. Kids love to see their names up there, knowing that they've helped out.
It's a wonderful way for a company to help out their community as well. Most of these drives make sure that the money that is supplied with in that area is dispersed to children or families from that area. For example, with MDA, for each $700 I believe it is the location gets to send a kid to camp. There they learn ways to live and play even with their disability. Or it goes towards medical bills or wheel chairs for them. Making life for those children that much better.
Now, here's my rant.
In most locations it is required for the cashier or server to ask if you want to make a donation. No mater how many days a week you come in, how much you purchase, or how many times you have come into the store that day. It's their job. Some don't like it, others are happy to do it. Regardless they have too. And in some of these locations they have little change collectors. So sometimes you will have someone that asks for a full dollar, others that just ask for your change, and others that will just ask you for a donation for you to decide what you want to do.
1.) The most common joke or comment that we hear is "I think they should make a donation to me" or reworded "Someone needs to make a donation to me". You know how much that just erks us? It makes me so mad when someone says something like that, because I am poor myself, by no means living in even a trailer of nice standing. Yes I could use some help to get by, but I would never joke about that in regards to a donation drive regardless of what the drive was for. That is tacky, distasteful, and rude. I will make no hesitation to tell the person flat out that I don't find that funny. Because it's not. Don't say it.
2.) "They need to get up off their asses and work for their living just like the rest of us." Yes I have actually had a few people say this. One, if they COULD do so, do you not think that they would be? Two, even if they can, and are, these drives are for the less fortunate. The ones that can not afford to keep roofs over their heads and feed their family and still pay hospital bills. To add to that, most of these drives are for children, who even if they could work until their illness became to much for them are not allowed to by law. Get off your high horse and zip it.
3.) "I don't have enough money" or "I'm too poor" right as they finish purchasing a lotto or lottery ticket. Eye brow up, really? You don't have a quarter to spare to a good cause but you can blow your money on gambling? For those of you who don't know, the actual odds of winning on most lottery tickets (or scratch offs) is 1 in 7 on average. Including money back prizes. About 50% - 75% of the people who win from them, only get what they put into a single card. You loose more than you put in, in most cases.
4.) Don't complain. Don't yell. Don't get mad. We ask you because it is first and foremost our jobs to do so. We can get into trouble if we do not ask you, and in some cases, loose our jobs. You only have to hear it once a day if that depending on how many places you go that are doing it or how many times you have to go in to a location. We have to ask anywhere between 100 and in busier locations such as a grocery store in New York City 800 people plus a day the same thing we ask you. Think about that next time you wanna pop off. We don't expect a yes every time. Which brings me to...
5.) You do not have to donate every single time you come in. No one expects you to. Hell you don't even have to donate once. We loooove it when we get a donation, however, we are not going to freak out if you don't. The excuses, the comments, the list of things you do donate to that are not what we are asking for, are unnecessary. We don't care in all honesty. A simple no is good. A no with a smile is better. We don't need or want your attitude. We have to ask so many people each day, we can't keep track of everyone we have asked, or everyone that has requested that we stop asking. Understand that we are not trying to aggravate you or get all your money. We're just working here.
There are so many more things I could go on about for this topic, but I will leave it at that. Just be nice about it, don't give us any bullpoopy, and just say no if you don't want to. Remember, we are working to help support a good cause, and most of us actually donate ourselves either through putting money into it during the drives, or having it automatically deducted from our pay checks. We know how hard life can be and how sometimes you just can't or don't want to donate. We wont hold it against you, so don't hold it against us when we ask. It's hard to smile and be respectful and nice to everyone that walks in the door, especially when we get those random meany heads that just wanna cuss us out or be right bastards, so when you see that smile ask yourself how bad a day they might have had or how many excuses they've heard, and give a smile back and a simple happy no.
That's all for today. Thanks for reading.
NotSoWise
