Charity collectors ‘driving out shoppers’?
Monday 24th August 2009, 11:21AM BST.
Shrewsbury’s business chamber is set to discuss the issue of charity collectors for the first time amid concerns that they are driving shoppers away from the town centre.
Chamber chairman said the issue of “charity muggers” or “chuggers”, who patrol Pride Hill trying to get people to pledge donations by handing over their bank details, had been around for some time.
He said: “If feedback from our customers is they are feeling harassed and can’t walk down the street then something needs to be done.
“Sometimes there’s an awful lot of them, it seems like one charity will have six or seven people in Pride Hill.
“You can feel like you’re dodging them constantly. It could be bad for business as it’s annoying.”
Last week it was reported that councils in London were looking at ways to restrict street fundraisers after a survey found 500 of them working on four roads over a six-week period.
Mr Airey said regulation ought to be adopted in Shrewsbury.
He said: “It might come under discussion with the chamber as we have strong retail representation.”
He added that he thought the problem was particularly bad in Shrewsbury because it was one of the busiest retail streets in the county.
Carol Foster, licensing team leader at Shropshire Council, said there was currently no legislation to limit direct debit collectors but the Government had outlined plans to introduce new laws next year.
She said: “We work alongside the charities and have an informal arrangement where no more than one charity comes to Shrewsbury in any one week.”
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Its not charity collectors discouraging shoppers from Shrewsbury. Its the councils parking policy. Why bother going to Shrewsbury when you can go to Wrexham a much better experience.
Alan Oswestry.
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Wrexham a better place??????? . Many factors are keeping people away from the town centres they are on line shopping you can buy anything and have it delivered why go to a packed town centre on a saturday which is the only time many towns are busy, parking wardens and over the top fines, parking charges, most big stores are now going on to out of town shopping centres (cheshire oaks great place)and free parking.The country is changing and the way people shop etc is changing that is the answer to why people do not flock to the town centre , and as for charity collectors and the like cant people get a bit of back bone and say NO or just walk past .
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Will be interesting to watch them apply one rule for one, and one rule for another.
I mean will the chuggers be banned and the Salvation Army be allowed their brass band playing Christmans Carols while holding donation tins?
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just tell the charity collectors you will do it if they give you a standing order form. watch their faces when you ask them that it’s hilarious!!
as for going to wrexham, i agree, shrewsbury council need to sort out their parking charges else this town is going to be ruined by them even more. i live in shrewsbury and have to say that the shopping centres and shops are looking dated, run down and full of empty shops because the rents are too high to afford.
and yet thery insist on wasting time on promoting a dead town in a glossy mag every year leading up to xmas. i think there is a real shock in store for reatilers in shrewsbury this xmas and it’s not a good one!!
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I agree Alan. The parking is just another Tax. Is the business chamber chairman stupid? People who do not want to give just say NO. Its the council who are to blame.
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Couldnt agree more, in particular it really annoys me when collectors shake the can or ask for a donation (which I believe is actually illegal?) As for the Chuggers this really should be made illegal – any charity who utilise these people will NEVER receive a donation from me.
Lucy W.. An interesting point about the Salvation Army the SA tins don’t actually state what the money is for, you do have to wonder where all the money came from for the swanky Oakengates Hall?
My solution is that I only ever give to a handful of charities and only then when I am happy with the proportion of turnover which goes towards administration and advertising!
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Shaking the tins is illegal, I believe it is a form of begging in the eyes of the law.
Didnt some boy scouts get done for shaking their tims last christmas?
So, if you get harrassed by these people, call the cops… then lose your job for the amount of time you will have to wait for one of the boys in blue to turn up… Should be within 5 days…
Lucy W, once again insightful comments… I fear I may be falling for you :)
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It isn’t just the town centres that have this problem, almost every time I go to the local supermarket there’s somebody there wanting to empty my pockets of cash, at least one positive thing has come out of it, I’ve started to use the local corner shops where I can go hassle free.
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Charity collectors should not approach the public – if a person wants to donate they will approach the collector – I’m fed up being made to feel guilty after saying no Thank you to yet another collector who does not realise that I actually make a number of purchases from and donations to charity shops. That way I feel I’ve helped and received something in return.
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we all gonna die it’s the end of the world…. no it’s charity collectors after your money for more useless charity organizations.
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what about the big issue sellers?
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hang them all , the theiving do gooding lefties
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Worse than the charity collectors are the ones trying to get you to change electricity or gas supplier, or to switch mobile phone package. They seem far more likely to call out and be pushy. I’d ban them first – at least most charities do some good in the world
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CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME AND STAY’S THEIR
Shrewsbury is to hard to go anywhere it’s all uphill Oswestry far better it’s flat for me to push my disabled wife around
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Suellan Fowler said “I actually make a number of purchases from and donations to charity shops. That way I feel I’ve helped and received something in return.”
Another thread and another excellent post from Suellan. Likewise I do all my Christmas shopping at charity shops even though I don’t practice any religion.
It gives me a great sense of well being knowing that I have helped someone worse off than myself and got something in return for it. That’s what charity is all about.
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Serotonin: I thought that the new Sallys Army place at Oakengates was for the homeless?
Actually, I once went to a Salvation Army New Year Eve Party – quite an experience toasting the New Year in with apple juice!
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bring back public punishment and the guilotine!!!
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I play in a brass band (not the Salvation Army) and we collect over the Christmas period. Last year we played by the entrance to the indoor market and have collecting tins which we are not allowed to shake – I think standing with a band and letting people decide if they want to make a donation is different from actively chasing people down and asking them for their bank details
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Lucy…
According to their website its a worship and community hall and you will find I am right about were the money came from. I am aware that even repairs to the band equipment take priority over any SA charitable work!
Colin
I think that the SA is slightly different – people seem to assume that the SA are always collecting for the homeless whereas if you shook a tin under their noses they would probably question what it was for?
And before I get accused of unfairly bashing the SA – To be fair to them they do have a homeless project in Wellington called KIP which does good work and I have nothing but praise for the SA officer that runs it. If I knew that when I put a pound in the SA tin it was all going to the KIP project I really would have no problem donating.
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No Lucy, charity is not about “helping someone worse off than myself and getting something in return for it”. It is purely about helping others either through the donation of time, stuff, or money.
All you should get back in return is a warm feeling in your heart derived from the pleasure of knowing you have improved someones lot in life.
Unlike Andy, I am not falling for you, especially if you do your Xmas shopping in charity shops. I prefer my socks and ties new.
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Smellie: Oh dear, socks and ties for Christmas again? What unimginative friends you must have.
However, I have been able to shake of the shackles of materialism to discover the freedom of frugalism. I brought a wedding dress from a charity shop and returned it to a charity shop when I got divorced.
My last purchase was a Laurel and Hardy VHS video for £1.49 and I filled the Gift Aid thing in. Contains 59 mins of good clean humour and will make someone an excellent present, that can be re-donated to charity after – or do you still want socks?
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Going back to the parking issue! This does need to be sorted ASAP. The charges are too much! I am fortunate to live close to town and for most of us that means on street parking. People are taking advantage of this more and more and residents of Belle Vue and Coleham are having to park considerable distances away from there homes or risk parking illegally just to unpack the car.
I actively promote Shrewsbury and encourage friend and family to travel to visit the historic town and I have to agree with Plum’s comments that Shrewsbury is starting to look run down and empty shops are upsetting when there is so much potential, yet greed in the form of rent and car parking takes over!
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Kate – “Going back to the parking issue!” Have I missed a bit in the story??
For me, worse than tin shakers are the all too frequent supermarket, end of checkout, shopping baggers/helpers, usually for local football teams etc. The first time this happened I thought how productive of them, but it now seems as if every time I go in, there are little oiks wanting to put my potatoes on top of the bread and get paid for it!
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If you read the comments from the start you will see that parking issues are raised.
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Tim – What supermarket do you go to? I would love some help with my packing!!!
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Tim: What Kate says is very serious. These tin-shakers take up limited car parking spaces. Heaven knows how many car parking spaces the Salvation Army Band takes!
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Tim: That’s very interesting what you say about those helpful youths who so kindly pack my shopping.
Are you sure they want money for it? I thought it was a charitable gesture whereby they were rewarded by the sense of well being they felt when they helped someone less fourtune, by way of being bone idle, like me – just as Smellie decribed in #21?
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are you seriously suggesting we hang people for fundraising in the street ??
its facist elements like you within the conservative party which turns me off, despite Camerons good leadership there is so many little Englanders within the party that is why you will never shake the ‘nasty party’ tag and why i shall be voting lib dem or UKIP instead
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Kate – There were indeed 2 off-topic comments that mentioned parking, however the article is about charity collectors, and as such should remian the topic of comments.
Kate – The first time it happens that your bags are packed for you, yes, it is rather refreshing, but believe me, it soon becomes tiresome. I should point out that I’m a Shropshire lad now living in deepest, darkest Aberdeenshire, so it is supermarkets up here I’m referring to, which is kind of strange given the fact Scots are supposed to be rather fond of not parting with the pennies.
Lucy – yes they do want money – the large bucket, taking up valuable space at the end of the conveyor with ‘Thanks for donating’ or similar gives it away! If you have the audacity to say you don’t wish them to pack for you, looks alone near render you dead on the spot!
Lucy – Andy might have some competition!
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