Not sure if hypermarkets do the same thing in other countries, but I’ve seen it in the states and it pisses me off
These corporations then pass off your donations as their own and get a tax write off
This has to be more widely known! They pay less taxes because of your donation!
Doesn’t matter to you that this is false and is just something you repeat every chance you get I assume
No they don’t. You are the one making the donation, according to tax code, you are the one who gets to claim the donation.
You’re often donating to the store’s charities, which can function to ease their burden.
Like who? Best Buy does St Jude’s. Most grocery stores are doing it through Feeding America.
And that means that you wouldn’t be able to use the donations as tax deductible on taxes.
Safeway does that shit. No, I don’t want to end hunger. You’re a grocery store, you end hunger, assholes.
They’re not even ending hunger that’s the worst thing. At best
you’re paying their taxes.EDIT: Apparently this is a common misconception. At worst you’re also funding fascist ‘charities’ if they decide to just lie and put the money towards “end transness foundation” or the “kill all gay people fund” instead.
I’ve seen this in Australian supermarkets and especially in clothing stores
Can’t shop at Cotton On anymore.
Would you like to buy the single use plastic water to provide safe drinking water to people? No. How about make a donation to starving kids? No. How about buying these socks to support shelter for some country? No. Are you a member? No. Would you like to be a member? No.
Would you… “NO. JUST LET ME PAY FOR MY T SHIRT”
I always say “nah, fuck em.”
I’m not helping them get more tax breaks.
They do not get a tax break for it. They do get cheap PR though.
Just so everyone is aware, when companies ask you to donate, they have ALREADY PAID for the donation and they are trying to get their money back by nickle and diming their customers. Don’t fall for this.
Suspected as much, donating money is an easy way to get a tax break in most places. Wouldn’t be surprised to see most companies donating just enough to be sure they got the full tax break from it.
Yeah most do. They get to take those donations as tax write-offs for the rest of the business.
I sometimes joke “no thanks I’m more likely to be the one actually needing those donations” and some cashiers look pretty horrified lol
Wow, this place really is becoming Reddit!
I had to see that particular lie for like 13 years there, glad to see the same bullshit transfer right over!
Good for you for spreading hyperbolic provocative lies on the internet without ever looking it up for yourself!
And just like Reddit, the quickest way to get accurate information is to post inaccurate information and then get 10 super snarky corrections by know it alls in the comment replies!
Then to be even more like reddit, we have a confidently incorrect asshole spreading easily googleable misinformation who is somehow now – plot twist – the fucking victim. Because yeah that’s how this shit works. We should all just spread lies because anyone who corrects us is the real asshole! Make sure you never fact check yourself people! It’s just too burdensome. Just say shit and get mad later if you’re corrected
Cunningham’s law in action
Exactly!
May god help the ignorant or stupid.
There is no god, the ignorant and stupid are our problem.
No they don’t, this is tax fraud and illegal. Companies are not allowed to claim donation round-ups as their own for tax purposes. They may match donations, which they can claim, but they cannot claim money they did not spend as their own donations. You, however, can, if you keep your receipts.
“Just because it’s illegal doesn’t mean they don’t do it” – Fair point, but this is the IRS we’re talking about. I doubt big business are willing to fuck around that particular avenue. Other avenues, definitely.
Canada does it all the time as well. I don’t feel even a hint of guilt denying it. They also want my name, phone number, address and postal code, all of which I refuse to give, even if I can save 25% on whatever I’m buying.
I’m not a prostitute.
Prostitutes have an assumption of anonymity.
25% is actually a lot
It is. It was being pushed on me by a cannabis store to get cheaper weed a couple weeks back. So its fresh in my mind. However, not giving out my information has resulted in no spam calls on my phone, and that peace and quiet is worth a few extra dollars.
She claimed they would never sell or use that information except to get me to confirm my phone number in a text.
It reminded me of when I was at Cabela’s about ten years ago, and gave them my name and email, only she misspelled my name real bad, and I didn’t correct her. I got spam emails for years with that misspelling afterwards.
There is always a price to pay.
Care-washing: the greenwashing-adjacent pretending to give a shit about anything other than sloppy blowjobs for your board, top executives, and large shareholders.
Which company is giving out BJs? I probably want to invest promptly
I dont know about BJs but apparently Activision-Blizzard has free breast milk.
Giggity
I love it when McDonalds does this shit
Like, bruh, how about you take money from my order and give that to charity instead?
Maybe even match the donation, or even half of it. I get that a penny here and there adds up really quickly to an enormous brand like McDonald’s, but seriously matching it even for pennies on the dollar would go far to prove that they’re not just trying to associate themselves with being charitable.
or even half of it
I mean they basically do. $20m vs the $56m raised by customers.
But don’t let facts get in the way of you frothing at the mouth.
If they actually cared they would donate a dollar of each order they get to charity, that would be houndreds of thousands if not a million per month
If you have any to spare, give your money directly to the victims of capitalism: homeless people.
Most charities under capitalism are an excuse to overpay MBA board members with your donation dollars and then brag about being on that board in capitalist circles. Most corporate drives are a way for those corporations to lower their own tax bill on your dime. Most things that need charity under capitalism are glaring reminders of what parts of society capitalist greed leaves out in the cold to starve.
If the homeless spend it on liquor, good for them, a slight reprieve and numbing of the pain our society inflicts on them 24/7 for the crime of being sub-optimal capital batteries. What, did you think $20 was enough for them to pull themselves back from the abyss the capitalists sent them to to die of exposure and
policeoligarch defense force brutality?And if you won’t do that because you won’t get a receipt from the homeless human beings to write your donation off on your own taxes, starving the commons of revenue, then fuck you, that isn’t charity. Charity is giving with no expectation of return, save a warm fuzzy feeling inside.
There’s a name for giving money and expecting something tangible back in return like a tax break: a transaction.
Direct action works. Charity only reinforces the capitalist status quo.
If the homeless spend it on liquor, good for them, a slight reprieve and numbing of the pain our society inflicts on them 24/7 for the crime of being sub-optimal capital batteries.
I fully agree with you, expect for this part. Not because I want to control what they do with the money, but because I don’t want to give means to substances that will most likely extend how long they are in that situation.
I know the US has very little social services, but substance use is often comorbid with homelessness. In that way, how can I give money – in good conscious – to someone I’d be worried could be making their situation worse? Or should I just accept that everyone has free will and that they themselves know what’s best for their futures?
By that logic you should never buy anything because you’re funding the coke addiction of every single CEO.
Fun fact: seeing how capitalists took the one thing that would save their system and make everyone (at least within the country) happy is what pushed me over to actually wanting a full on revolution. Like they’re not even willing to do the bare minimum to save themselves if it means throwing even a few scraps to the common man in a scheme that ultimately benefits them. Fuck them. They don’t deserve to have any of it.
That’s nice news, but a promised UBI must undoubtedly give a different result than randomly receiving smaller sums?
Check out givewell.org. They evaluate charities based on cost-effectiveness.
Good reply Seitanic, thank you for the constructive rather than antagonistic input, it is noticed and appreciated
I’m not really offended by the asking for donations at the register thing, as long as those donations go 100% to the charity and it’s a good charity, then doing something to make it easy for people to contribute who wouldn’t otherwise take the time is ultimately a good thing.
The one that annoys me is where they match the donations. It feels like a method to guilt people into it by making their refusal to donate $1 into $2 not being donated.
Rich people are begging poor people to give charity and this makes you, a poor person, feel good?
I’m outraged by chutzpah of asking your customers to give to charity when the company barely does any charity of their own.
I think you’re both right here. Making it easy to donate to a cause with which you believe, by making a donation box available, is awesome. Guilt tripping you into it is wrong. Asking you loudly at the register is wrong. Matching my donation (a form of shaming if you don’t donate) is wrong. A grocery store around here use to do a “we are donating $x to this charity, help us if you can by adding to the pile” thing, which was nice. They donated what they donated, and you added on top of that if you could. They made it easy. Then they got on the “we’ll match your donation” train, and that, imo, was wrong. Pure chutzpah. I stopped donating at the stores when that happened. I’ll still donate directly to the organization, though, if I agree with their cause.
Walmart had $572,800,000,000 in revenue for 2022. Thats up $14,000,000,000 from 2021. They paid out shareholders $15,900,000,000
I’m sure my $1 will make a huge difference.
I think it is completely inappropriate. Some people can barely afford to live and then have to feel shame and judged when they have to say no.
This is also why tipping culture grinds my gears
In Vancouver the expected % of tipping has become higher than the interest rate of a grocery store credit card. Even moral purists who think they’re saving the world by tipping are starting to say no.
If you, the civilian, donates to a legitimate cause, the billion dollar company won’t be able to claim that donation on their tax deductions.
If they donate, it’s a zero sum game. Maybe 5 mins in the spotlight for alturism.
But if you give them the money to donate on your behalf? They don’t spend a cent and are able to get tax deductions for “philanthropy”. It’s the best possible outcome (for the company).
TLDR; those donations go straight to the same corporations’ pockets and “help” them :D
I always refuse based on principle. You’re really going to guilt me in public into giving a few cents even though you’re a corporation who could easily afford millions or billions? Fuck you.