Would you like to donate a dollar?

Today I want to talk about another disturbing pattern I've noticed lately among retailers. Now we've all seen the Salvation Army bell ringers outside the grocery stores and department stores, collecting money during the Christmas season. This is something that they have been doing for years and I have memories of giving some change to them when I was a kid. One thing I have noticed that is different lately is how early they begin setting up their kettles. I spotted by first bell ringer this year on the day after Halloween! Yes, November first. And I would be willing to bet that they will not go away until well after New Year's day. But that's not my beef today. Twice in the past week, when I have checked out of a store and was waiting to swipe my credit card in the card reader (this is a future blog topic), I was asked by the cashier if I would like to donate a dollar to some charity, I forget which one. Now I am not a scrooge, I give lots of money to churches, charities, and non-profit organizations, but why does Toys R US or my Mobil "On the Run" convenience store have to ask me if I want to donate to a charity? Isn't that my business? Or why doesn't the charity have their own people in the store asking the same question? Sure one dollar is not a lot, but if you get hit up for a dollar at ten stores a week, that could translate to $50 during the holiday season! $90 if you're on the Salvation Army schedule. The reason why they do it, is because it works. I did give a dollar to Toys R US when I purchased my kids Christmas gifts. What's an extra dollar on a $200 bill? But when I made a $10 purchase at the gas station, I respectfully declined. Not today I said...maybe next time. I knew there would be dozens of more times that this same thing will happen before the end of the year. I'm glad I let my wife do most of the shopping. I wonder what she would do? I better have a talk with her.