Charity Consumerism & Capitalism

A few days ago I was with my 3 year old son and he was being decently behaved while I was at a used book store searching around, and promised him I would get him a few little cars or trucks like he wanted if he kept it up until I finshed browsing. After we left the bookstore I knew there was a Dollar Tree (Everything for a dollar store) within a few blocks so we stopped in there and I told him he could get whatever he wanted. He ran amok for 10 or so minutes searching and looking at nearly everything that amused him. He ended up finding some plastic toy cars that interested him and a thing of blowing bubbles, I said ok get what you want and went to the checkout line.

From what I could tell there was only 2 people working in the entire store and both were on register. There were 3 people in front of me waiting to checkout and each time the checkout person would ask them after their purchases were made, if they would like to donate a dollar to the "troops coming back from overseas looking to advance their education." Only once did the cashier leave out the "advance education" part, but still that was the mission as I could tell. But, it was not donating a dollar, it was picking out an object from a basket of paper supplies, pens/pencils, folders etc that the customer would pick and the employee would place into a sack to be donated once it was chosen

I noticed all 3 people in front of me paying an extra dollar (insugnificant) for something pre-chosen for them, as if it would really help a veterans education made e really stop and think while in line for a few short minutes.

The Dollar Tree obviously makes a good deal of profit from what they sell to their consumers, at least 50% upmark on all products if not more. So buying a product from that company at retail price to give to "veterans" for a percieved good is still making them boatloads of profit nationwide when done on a massive scale and over time. I mean I could literally be paying a dollar for a ten cent product to be given away and the company reaps ninety percent commission off of it. So how is that charity?

When I said no to the charity, I was in no mood to argue, but the lady in front of me gave me a glare and the man behind me shook his head at me, either because I looked young and fits the stereotype for an anti-military person or because I'm not willing to throw away a dollar, IDK. I didn't care, but to me it seemed morally wrong. I would rather give a dollar to a veteran in person if I thought they deserved "my dollar outside of my tax dollars" than to pay for something through a coorporation that they already upmarked to make profit through. Plus, do these people shopping at a dollar store have money to just throw away or think that veterans don't get paid decent money and can get grants for education?

Does this not seem like a scam? I have read alot about "non-profit" charitys pretty much pocketing the money of donators in the past, but this instance was just too obvious to me. Normally when you are asked to donate it doesn't require you to pick something out of a pre selected basket to do so, it is just a dollar given blindly and you might get to put your name on a piece of paper on a wall or something. But this seemed like a coorporate scheme to get everybody to by an extra item for a dollar. What are your thoughts?

a reply to: iDope


*CHARITY* is BIG BUSINESS these days !!!

originally posted by: eletheia
a reply to: iDope


*CHARITY* is BIG BUSINESS these days !!!

I get a person at my door asking for charity every week, along with brochures or postcards in the mail that ask for charity donations, all causes, all shapes and sizes. I mentioned to my ex a year ago or so that it seems like big business. Start a charity, get a tax break, ask for money, donate to a cause that leads back to you, boom, free money. Sure it's wrong, but if the cause is made up, whose fault is it for donating to it? That was my reasoning as to why it's not decieving, I mean who donates to Mickey Mouse for having alzheimers for being so old? Morally I didn't do it, but I thought it was a scam that could be effective if not is already effective, but my morals held me in check.

a reply to: iDope

When I said no to the charity, I was in no mood to argue, but the lady in front of me gave me a glare and the man behind me shook his head at me, either because I looked young and fits the stereotype for an anti-military person or because I'm not willing to throw away a dollar.

Peer pressure from lemmings is very annoying, its used on people all the time. Good to see you stood up to it. You would have only felt worse had you caved into the pressure.

The thing to do is develop a response to this kind of thing and remember it for future occasions. e.g. thats why I pay my taxes.

I stopped giving to charity since I noticed the big charities behaved like greedy people interested in skimming the money for high salaries.

I give money directly when appropriate.

originally posted by: LittleByLittle
I stopped giving to charity since I noticed the big charities behaved like greedy people interested in skimming the money for high salaries.

I give money directly when appropriate.

Isn't that what charity is supposed to be? Why do we need to go through corporations in order to give back? If I give a few bucks to a homeless man on the street or treat him to lunch, I fell 100x better than giving away randomly hoping it will reach the intended cause. Not to sound selfish, but it is a fact most charity people do it for their own serotonin rush, not to ention they are helping someone in person, which is more fulfilling.