This really bugs me!! I dont know if they all do the same thing, but our local Wal Mart allows fund raisers to solicit at the entrance and exit area of the store. I have no problem with the high school basketball team, band, drama club, whatever is might be, raising money. I raised two kids, and did my share of it back then too. But my complaint is that they are so 'in your face' about it at Wally world...Today, there were two girls with a big bucket and a sign on it, right at the entrance...Im talking like 1 foot away from the door. On the way out, there was a table set up selling stuff, and about 4 people with cans. They would stick it right at you, and ask if you wanna donate to so and so... I dont like to be 'shamed' into donating to anything..matter of fact, I spend quite a bit on these fund raisers, but never at Wal Mart...I guess it's the way that they do it. Why cant they give them a space a little bit down from the doors so you have some room! People that want to donate will still do it. Sorry for dumping, but the morning was not good so far!!!!:mad:

John,I hate that crap as well! Besides the fact I really don't want to go to Wal Mart,I have to deal with people that want me to donate money too?? :mad: I just ignore them and stare straight ahead.

I haven't been to Wally World in two months,that's when I found out that they support gay rights.Haven't been back since.

All you have to do. Is talk to the manager. They get a couple of complaints. And they will solve the problem. tell what your concerns are. Plus its a fire issue

Well, proposition the girls and ask them how much it'd cost and MAYBE you will shut them up!!

Just say, I'd give "$X" for 5 minutes with onna you young beauties............. Any takers??

He, He!!

Just kidding here.................

We have them here too but usually it's older people so they aren't in my face like kids can get..

pdq67

Complain to the stoer manager and if that doesn't work call the corporate office and complain. That usually gets it done but there is always going to be someone collecting for something. They are only supposed to be at exit doors(Wal-Mart wants first crack at your money)and a set amount of feet away. Sometimes they just show up without clearing it with the manager and after a complaint they make them leave. My wife took a call last night asking if the Girl Scouts could set up to sell cookies this weekend. The manager said no, one: it is too cold and they would end up in the lobby which is against policy and two: it is SuperBowl weekend and will be really crowded and they did not want customer complaints!:)

i think that part of the problem is that wal-mart has such a poor reputation they really need to change the publics perception of them. imagine if they don't allow any fundraising on the company property it would help their rep. i believe that they have hired a public relations firm and within the next year they will be pushing hard to improve their reputation. right now they are top of the food chain and in due time someone will come along and take a bite out of their azzes. mike

they do allow that here, but since I have not been in/near a wal-mart in about 5 years it doesn't bother me at all.

As a kid I can remember the Salvation Army folks in front of every store and on every street corner around Christmas. They rang their bell and thanked folks for their contribution but were never aggressive. Folks didn't mind dropping in their change.

These folks are much more aggressive these days. We finally had to get nasty with the Maryland Fraternal Order of Police. They called here 7 days a week looking for donations, and kept calling even after I sent them 20 bucks. I hang up on them immediately now. Around here we have the "will work for food" and "help disabled veteran" homeless guys on many of the major intersections in town and about three times a year this large group of black church members bug the crap out of you as your trapped in your car at the intersection on the dual entering town. Years ago I was actually stopped at a road block by what at first appeared to be policemen, but were in fact local volunteer firemen in a one horse town in upstate NY and asked for a donation.

I rarely give any of them anything and ask them to move on.

MOST of the supermarkets, K Marts, Wal-Marts, etc, allow that here. If it's not the local H.S. basketball team, it's the local soccer team, little league and on and on and on. It's been that way for years. Just say "no thanks" and walk past them. No biggie.

Years ago I was actually stopped at a road block by what at first appeared to be policemen, but were in fact local volunteer firemen in a one horse town in upstate NY and asked for a donation.

Hey, what's wrong with that?? We actually used to do that on occasion when I was a member about 30 years ago. They do that around here still, and I always donate! As I said, it's not that I dont want to support, it's just the way that Wal Mart allows it that bugs me...and a lot of you guys too I see! I will let the manager know what I think for what it's worth. There is no other large chain nearby me at this time, the only competition was a new K-mart, but that closed up a few years ago. So Wal Mart is it for the time being. I have to travel about 16 miles to hit a Target or a mall. It's really only the weekends that it's a problem. I'll try to just go there during the week if I have to.

Learn a phrase in another language.... ie. German - when they ask just reel out your German phrase.

Then just act like you have no idea what THEY are talking about.

They will leave you alone.

'bear

Hey, what's wrong with that?? We actually used to do that on occasion when I was a member about 30 years ago. They do that around here still, and I always donate!

First, I'm not a member of the community putting the tap on me. 2nd if I were in an auto accident in your fair town and needed your fire department they'd bill me, 3rd. I am forced to donate to my local fire department via taxes and if they come to my house, (one time when a elderly neighbor called them because of my smoking "smoker") they billed me big time. 4 fire trucks two rescue squads, two ambulances and 50 men for a smoker. :eek: I live in a cape and they even had the tiller steer ladder truck with them. Glad there wasn't a real fire somewhere, every fire engine in the county was at my place. Price was nice also. 500 bucks for the ambulances and a grand for the fire company. When my wife and kids were in a car accident back in 94 it cost me nearly 3 grand for the transport bills. 4th, what right does your fire department have to stop a motorist for any reason other than to keep them clear of an accident or a fire in progress?

I guess you could say that it "really bugged" me. :D

He, He!!

A couple to three weeks ago, we had 6, SIX!!!, 6, mind you hook and ladder units in the back of our neighborhood for NO apparent reason!! Plus a Chief in his little vehicle.

Go figure!!

Musta been checking response times is the ONLY thing I can figure out...

pdq67

I have not been to Wall Mart in 10 years, You can find anthing you need with out them! Remember the good old days with the mom and pop shops, Thats where I go!!
And yea I will pay 10% more and thats just fine.

Well, proposition the girls and ask them how much it'd cost and MAYBE you will shut them up!!

Just say, I'd give "$X" for 5 minutes with onna you young beauties............. Any takers??

He, He!!

Just kidding here.................

We have them here too but usually it's older people so they aren't in my face like kids can get..

pdq67

Love the local car washes...we'll get wet washing the car.

Yep, I still frequent the few remaining mom and pop stores when I can. And I try to buy from independants over the chains, with a few exceptions.

First, I'm not a member of the community putting the tap on me. 2nd if I were in an auto accident in your fair town and needed your fire department they'd bill me, 3rd. I am forced to donate to my local fire department via taxes and if they come to my house, (one time when a elderly neighbor called them because of my smoking "smoker") they billed me big time. 4 fire trucks two rescue squads, two ambulances and 50 men for a smoker. I live in a cape and they even had the tiller steer ladder truck with them. Glad there wasn't a real fire somewhere, every fire engine in the county was at my place. Price was nice also. 500 bucks for the ambulances and a grand for the fire company. When my wife and kids were in a car accident back in 94 it cost me nearly 3 grand for the transport bills. 4th, what right does your fire department have to stop a motorist for any reason other than to keep them clear of an accident or a fire in progress?

Well, I guess because I was a member for almost 20 years, I will usually donate to another volunteer dept. Now, our dept. hasnt done the fund drive as mentioned here in over 25 years, the ones I mentioned seeing are in some surrounding areas, and they are done at intersections, where you come to a stop anyway...but I have to agree with you, it's annoying sometimes! Little league teams do it very frequently around here.

And this is probably for another post, but no, you would not have received a bill from our FD....we have never sent out a bill to anyone, ever. I know that the volunteer (yeah, right!) ambulance service does that however...but not the FD.

I was asked by a gas station cashier if I wanted to donate to the Children's Miracle Network (Pretty sure it was that-the balloon one), I said no. He then proceeded to scold me on how I can come in and spend money for gas and a few snacks while there were kids that needed my donation. He caught the wrong guy on the wrong day. I had just come from the Children's Hospital intensive care unit where my then 2 week old preemie daughter had been re-admitted for stopping breathing. I also instructed him in the finer points of how his ears might keep his head from coming back out of his a$$, as they would act like fishhook barbs. Then I stuffed a couple chocolate coins they had by the register into the canister, and told him to kiss his own a$$.

After control of PM2.5 kicks in, I figure ALL burning except permitted will be outlawed everywhere in a bit.

In other words, even if you are out in the country, you still gotta contact/go see someone and get a permit to burn your own crap.

Unless, they wave permit requirements due to natural emergencies like tornadoes, huricanes or ice storms..

pdq67

Here you have to get a permit to burn in the county and burning in the city (Hagerstown proper.... 50 feet away) is strictly forbidden.

Yea, I was really happy when I got the bill. They wanted me to turn it in to my insurance company and asked me for my home-owner's policy info while they were here but I refused to give it to them. I was not going to pay higher rates because my neighbor calls in a false alarm. I took my time paying them as well. I should have walked the bill over to the old bat next door but my momma didn't fetch me up like that.

What really burned me about it was that we had contributed to a fund raiser the fire company had a few years ago when they needed a new truck or something and came around door to door. That and the fact that our taxes pay these guys. Every year they publish the budgets of the fire company, the ambulance corp, the city and county maintenance department and the local landfill workers. These folks make good money and have multi million dollar operating budgets.

Another one that gets to me is when all these people at work start bugging us to buy crap from their kids for some fund raiser or the other. There seems to always be someone trying to put the squeeze on us for something or other. I never buy any of it but they keep asking. We never did that with our kids. When they played sports or were in band and had a fund raiser, I just wrote a check for the candy or what ever it was and we kept the stuff ourselves.