Here's a million dollars. Now shut up and go away:
Target Corp. (TGT) is slipping $1 million into The Salvation Army's kettle, but it still won't allow the familiar holiday bell-ringers in front of its stores.
This will be the third year that Target has banned the bell-ringers from its stores.
[. . .]
Target stopped allowing Salvation Army bell-ringers in 2004 to make its policy against fundraising at its stores consistent. It also wanted to spare shoppers the potential discomfort of being asked for donations.
Of all the annoyances of the Christmas season, passing a Salvation Army bell-ringer on the way into a store, and having to decide whether to give something or not, is pretty low on the list. Target's continued cluelessness about a holiday tradition is a wondrous thing.
Comments
Personally, I never thought a guy in a red suit ringing a bell at Christmastime was exactly a fish out of water. But I suppose Target has studied the matter and found a percentage of customers who were annoyed.
Tough as it can be to squeeze a penny out of some Scrooges these days, I don't think the "embarrassment" of a Salvation Army bell-ringer is all that much over the line -- any line. People tend to need a shock to the senses to do many things nowadays.
The only thing I ask is that the Salvation Army make sure these 'ringers don't make off with the kitty.