Dear Editor;
I work at a local drive-thru restaurant in town and we are a very busy establishment; every year we host an annual event to raise money for a certain charity, we do this by asking our customers if they would like to make a small donation. The other day when I was working the drive-thru window, my other co-worker asked the lady on the other end of the speaker if she would like to donate to this particular event, the lady told her no; my co-worker said “ok thank-you, your total is ^-^- at the window”. I opened the window to ask the lady for payment for her order when she very rudely and almost yelling told me that she was “sick of being asked to donate for this and that, she has certain charities that she donates to, and that is all. She just came to get the items she ordered; she was sick and tired of always asking to donate money for this or that”
I was at a loss for words. I simply gave her order and her change and told her “thank-you and have a great weekend!”
Not long after this experience I was shopping at a mall in the city when I was asked to donate for 1: the victims of China’s earthquake and 2: to help support and raise money for an upcoming graduation class’s safe grad; I thought about the lady that I had to deal with and wondered if she was in the mall that day would she have rudely told these people the same thing as she told me? I would truly hope not, it is your choice if you want to donate or not but stop and think that we are just doing what our employers have told us we have to do, it is part of our job. If you do not want to make a donation simply say no thank-you and continue with your day; or if it really bothers you then instead of ruining my day or someone else’s, speak to the owners or managers of the establishment; or just mark your calendar when these events take place and don’t visit during our campaign times.
We try to be nice, friendly and efficient for each and every customer, don’t’ we deserve the same courtesy?
Carrie Kraft
Ponoka