OK, we are all pretty tired of the "feel good" stories about simple acts of kindness, but I have a gripe. Wednesday I visited a local thrift store. Well, more than that, a very sophisticated social service with everything from manufacturing to re-selling donations. They have all kinds of training programs and get big bucks from the state and federal governments. This is not a neighborhood operation. I was looking for something I could afford for a neighborhood kid, who won't get much this season. It couldn't be much, I didn't want to embarrass his mom, but it should be personal for him, and something he would prize. A cheap digital camera fit the bill.
Well, they crew working was low, and only the "new ones" were manning the store. When I went to pay, a lady in front of me had a huge cart of clothing. She was really trying to hurry, and was helping the clerk as much as possible. I took note of the fact that she was buying warm and good condition winter coats, in all kinds of sizes. I gave her a hand busting some up to the counter and commented she must be buying for charity. She said so I and the clerk and the other four people in line could hear, "They are for the Homeless". I looked directly at the clerk, and said, "Is there a manager here who can give her a discount or something????" It went unanswered until the clerk gave her the total of $162.00, and said it was beyond her authority to give any discount.
The embarrassed lady, threw the coats in another shopping cart and said she would bring it right back, if she could take it to the parking lot. I said, go ahead when I was done, I'd see the cart gets back inside. I gave the clerk the look of death if she opened her mouth.
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON????? Here is a lady getting training a paycheck from a charity who gets their inventory for free (donations) and someone is trying to do the right thing. What does she meet and what are they training the clerk for? Business stonewalling. I help with a local Habitat for Humanity Resale store, and if someone came in and bought all our bath tubs and sinks for distributing to the needy, we'd load them up an send a volunteer or two to help with the unloading. I gave a sink to a guy who was struggling with the five bucks for one or ten for another. I also threw in some plumbing stuff. Have we so grossly institutionalized giving that we are no longer able to do it.
When I returned the cart one of the volunteers for the day (a do-gooder) was arguing with the same clerk that she didn't understand why she didn't get at least a 20% discount after putting in a whole day volunteering. Her parting comment was, "I guess I worked all day for nothing!!"
BHAAAAA-HUMBUG.
Well, they crew working was low, and only the "new ones" were manning the store. When I went to pay, a lady in front of me had a huge cart of clothing. She was really trying to hurry, and was helping the clerk as much as possible. I took note of the fact that she was buying warm and good condition winter coats, in all kinds of sizes. I gave her a hand busting some up to the counter and commented she must be buying for charity. She said so I and the clerk and the other four people in line could hear, "They are for the Homeless". I looked directly at the clerk, and said, "Is there a manager here who can give her a discount or something????" It went unanswered until the clerk gave her the total of $162.00, and said it was beyond her authority to give any discount.
The embarrassed lady, threw the coats in another shopping cart and said she would bring it right back, if she could take it to the parking lot. I said, go ahead when I was done, I'd see the cart gets back inside. I gave the clerk the look of death if she opened her mouth.
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON????? Here is a lady getting training a paycheck from a charity who gets their inventory for free (donations) and someone is trying to do the right thing. What does she meet and what are they training the clerk for? Business stonewalling. I help with a local Habitat for Humanity Resale store, and if someone came in and bought all our bath tubs and sinks for distributing to the needy, we'd load them up an send a volunteer or two to help with the unloading. I gave a sink to a guy who was struggling with the five bucks for one or ten for another. I also threw in some plumbing stuff. Have we so grossly institutionalized giving that we are no longer able to do it.
When I returned the cart one of the volunteers for the day (a do-gooder) was arguing with the same clerk that she didn't understand why she didn't get at least a 20% discount after putting in a whole day volunteering. Her parting comment was, "I guess I worked all day for nothing!!"
BHAAAAA-HUMBUG.
