Do you want to add extra cost to your shopping for charity?
By S.E
@SerenityEngel (525)
United Kingdom
September 17, 2017 2:23pm CST
Twice now, I've been using the self serve in the supermarket and the price has been, let's say, £4.67. The screen then says, would I like to add 00.3p to my shopping price for charity? To be honest, no. I just want to pay for my shopping. If I choose to give to charity it will be one of my choice when I want to, not because I'm being caught on the hop. We have to pay for carrier bags now at all shops; now they are trying to add a few more pence on for charity. How would I know the supermarket would give the money to charity? I don't like this new practice. I feel nowadays everyone is looking to get some cash out of everyone. Anyone else noticed this happening? How do you feel about it?
11 people like this
14 responses
@marguicha (215711)
• Chile
17 Sep 17
In my country it is known that whatever money the supermarket collect by those means for charity mean that they pay less taxes. It is as if the supermarket was giving the donation so they substract it from their earnings. So even if it is a penny, I say no. I admit that sometimes the cashiers don´t like it because it means more work. But I say: "sorry, it is my money".
3 people like this
@SerenityEngel (525)
• United Kingdom
17 Sep 17
Now that is interesting! I wonder if that is what is happening. This is completely new. It's happened to me twice in 2 different supermarkets.
3 people like this
@marguicha (215711)
• Chile
17 Sep 17
@SerenityEngel Check if this is happening. I used to give my change until someone told me that it was a new way of not paying taxes the supermarkets had discovered.
1 person likes this
@NJChicaa (116095)
• United States
17 Sep 17
My store usually asks if I want to donate $1 to whatever charity they are supporting that month. I always say no. Yesterday they asked if I wanted to "round up" my total to the next dollar amount to help fund the food bank. That didn't rile me up as much so I agreed. The amount? 91 cents. 
3 people like this
@SerenityEngel (525)
• United Kingdom
17 Sep 17
Seems like we were a bit slow here in the uk getting this going judging by these comments. I'll be expecting more it then in the future.
1 person likes this
@SerenityEngel (525)
• United Kingdom
18 Sep 17
I guess the next step is the cashiers asking us if we want to give to charity, not the self check out.
1 person likes this
@SerenityEngel (525)
• United Kingdom
17 Sep 17
Exactly. It's putting you on the spot and trying to shame you into giving. I give all my old clothes, cds, etc to charity and I tend to do that several times a year and I buy books from charity shops all the time, so I give money on a regular basis, but that's when I choose, not when tesco or sainsburys want me to.
1 person likes this
@MALUSE (69413)
• Germany
17 Sep 17
I haven't seen this in Germany. I wouldn't like this, either. Some supermarkets have a savings-box near the till into which customers can put the small coins they get back from the cashier if they feel like it. But nobody ever asks a customer to do it.
If you don't want to pay for a carrier bag, take one with you when you go shopping. Easy.
1 person likes this
@marlina (154165)
• Canada
17 Sep 17
@SerenityEngel Can you believe that here they charge us for the plastic bags + sales tax on them.
I bring my own bags.
1 person likes this
@SerenityEngel (525)
• United Kingdom
17 Sep 17
I do always take bags with me. They charged 5p at first, now I think its going to be 10p. All is fine until one day you forget, then you get the bag tax 
3 people like this
@mythociate (21437)
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
24 Mar 18
Not in America (in the state of Oklahoma, anyway). I think we get 'the bags' (though they're just cheap plastic bags) for free, tho we ARE encouraged to 'recycle' them (either by using them to line little trashcans at home, or by bringing the empty bags back to the store & putting them in a recycle-bin near the front of the store).
Although "Pizza Hut" (a famous American pizza-franchise) often asks us if we want to donate money to The Literacy Project to help provide free books that are age-appropriate and culturally-relevant to children in need in communities like yours.
Donate now to The Literacy Project to help support kids in need & inspire reading in our communities.
@TiarasOceanView (70035)
• United States
18 Sep 17
Yes they do that online too as well as the shopping out.
It is great when I am shopping with coupons trying to get a bit of food and they ask for more money that I dont have..not that I wouldnt give it if I could but...
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (43081)
• Staten Island, New York
17 Sep 17
There are times when I go shopping, I get asked if I want to donate say $1 to charity. I always say no. I don't want to donate to any charity, especially on the fly without knowing what they are about and towards what the money will go. But I've seen a lot of people actually donate money.
I don't think there are any stores in NYC that charge for bags. But there is a store (Whole Foods Market) that will take ten cents off your total purchase if you opt not to use their bag. At least they used to do that. Not sure if they still do as I didn't pay attention to that the last time I was there.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43421)
• Denver, Colorado
18 Sep 17
Our local grocery store always asks if we want to round up. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.
1 person likes this
@Hannihar (129516)
• Israel
26 Mar 18
@SerenityEngel
S.E., we have to pay for plastic bags we buy now in the supermarket but I have gotten enough in the course of my shopping knowing after they told us that we would pay and bring my own along. Once in awhile I will buy a plastic bag. When they ask if we want to contribute to a cause I let them take out. They also have boxes at times so people that cannot afford to get things we buy extra and put in for them. I feel like I am doing something.
