Target of my Disgust

I wrote targat a letter over their refusal to allow the Salvation Army to ring bells in front of there stores. I really like what the Salvation Army does. When my mom's house burned down, they gave us clothes, toys (as it was a few weeks before Christmas) and really took care of us.

Here is what they said:

I appreciate the opportunity to respond to your e-mail to Target. Like many nationwide retailers, Target Corporation has a long-standing "no solicitation" policy that it consistently applies to all organizations across all of its stores.

We receive an increasing number of solicitation inquiries from non-profit organizations and other groups each year and determined that if we continue to allow the Salvation Army to solicit then it opens the door to any other groups that wish to solicit our guests. While some of our guests may welcome the opportunity to support their favorite charity or cause, allowing these organizations to solicit means that Target would also have to permit solicitation by organizations whose cause or behavior may be unacceptable to our guests.

We notified the Salvation Army of our decision in January 2004, well in advance of the holiday season, so the organization would have time to find alternative fundraising sources. Target also asked the Salvation Army to look at other ways that we could support their organization under our corporate giving guidelines. To this date they have not provided a proposal that fits those guidelines.

Local Salvation Army chapters can apply for grants through their local Target stores. For decades, many non-profit organizations across the country have successfully worked with Target in this manner. We are asking the Salvation Army to work with us in the same exact manner as the other groups and organizations who ask to solicit our guests.

This decision in no way diminishes Target Corporation's commitment to its communities. Target has one of the largest corporate philanthropy programs in America, donating more than $2 million per week and hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours each year to the communities in which it does business.

I really hate Target. I will never shop there again.

The Common Voice has a different spin on the situation. It seems that people who can't afford a dollar for charity after buying a pack of cigarettes bitch and moan.

He says it's boycotting when we don't want to shop at a place that doesn't allow soliciting. It IS their right as a store to not allow solicitors, just as it's my right to say screw you to Target.

Posted by psugrad98 at December 14, 2004 10:26 PM