Try shopping in a Safeway. They invariably beg for money at checkout for whatever feel-good cause de jure of Safeway's CEO. I hate shopping at Safeway for a number of reasons anyway, but I do like their Safeway Chipolti Salsa, and the quart jars are usually on sale for $2.29, a real bargain.
I always make a minor scene now when they beg me for money at checkout, raising my voice very loudly and intensely protesting being hassled with their begging when all I want to to do is quietly buy a couple jars of salsa in peace, and that's why I hate shopping at Safeway and why I avoid it like the plague. Most people just mumble no or shake their head and feel vaguely guilty from saying no to Safeway's begging. Not me. And I always feel so much better about myself after retaliating. (BTW, I don't direct my tirade against the checkout clerk, but to the store in general.)
I know what you mean. The closest grocery store to me is a Randall's which is a unit of Safeway and every month there's a new ribbon or some other questionable cause being pushed. This month they're pushing blue ribbons to help "raise awareness" for prostate cancer. Note that they don't promise to do anything with your money other than to give you a blue ribbon, presumably so you can spread "awareness".
Fortunately here in Austin we have Central Market which is one of the premiere full-service groceries in the country. It's a pleasure doing business with them each week and well worth the drive.
When I have to run into Randall's for something quick I always use the automated checkout lines just so I can avoid the human cashier's programmed begging.
It's amazing how few businesses bother with real customer service. Brick and mortar stores that can't figure this out will wither and die over the coming years. They simply can't compete with online sources for most things.
I’ve often wondered if these companies like Safeway use these customer donations as part of their corporate “donation” totals.
More importantly, do they deduct them from their taxes??