A Vent.

Yesterday’s answer was an easy one that everyone got. The names all had names of cities in them. Let’s try a little bit of a harder one today. A ball, a fish, a cold. What do those three things have in common? The words all being four letter words is not the answer.

Yesterday I got tired of something. So this is Bill vents day. I’m tired of being hit up for donations everywhere I go. Safeway. Wendy’s. Doesn’t matter. At the checkout stand at Safeway when they check you out the question is “would you like to donate a dollar to the, insert name of charity here? And if you don’t you are going to look like a cheapskate to this long line behind you at the check stand.” Then you go to Wendy’s in the drive up window to get chili for your mom and her caregiver so they don’t have to cook dinner that night, when they tell you the cost of the order the additional question is “would you like to donate a dollar to, insert the name of the charity here.” What I want to say to them is “what I would really like to do is to be able to do normal daily errands without being guilted into donating money every where I go.”

Look I believe in charity. I’ve won awards for donating my time to several different charity organizations including abused women shelters, children hospitals and cancer research. I’ve given money willingly to several different charity organizations. I’ve done it from the heart. I do it as often as I can afford. Can’t I just have some peace when I grocery shop or go to a restaurant?

I mean what happens if you are in line and behind you is this attractive woman smiling at you. Oops. That never happens to me. What if you are desperate and this woman old enough to be your grandmother is behind you in line smiling and winking at you? That smile is going away if you refuse to donate a dollar to breast cancer research. And it isn’t just a dollar because it happens every damn time you go to the store. Being responsible for the grocery shopping for two households and with a mother that often leaves items off of her grocery list (staples like milk and bread) that is several trips a week to the store.

So come on retailers and restaurants! Let me shop in peace. Let me order off of the value menu in peace. Let me choose what charity I want to give to. Let me choose when I am going to give to that charity. Let me choose how much I give to that charity. Instead of embarrassing me every time I am paying for my order put a sign on your door “we believe in charity but we appreciate your right to shop in peace and not be embarrassed when you checkout. So we won’t ask you for your hard earned money. However, if you want to donate to our favorite charitable organization please tell the checker when you are at the check stand before he or she rings up your order.” That I could live with. End of vent.

Where do you land on this issue? Do you mind the plea for donations when you are shopping?