Protests Ring Out After Target Bans Salvation Army

NewsMax.com ^ | Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2004 | Carl Limbacher

[Judith Anne]

The link in #68 doesn't say a thing about the Salvation Army, or unsold merchandise going there.

[HamiltonJay]

Again you find one Target in a mall and you think that's their policy? Please, most Target stores are Big Boxes, just like MOST Circuit City, and Home Depots etc.

Give it up, Target's made their bed, now they have to deal with it.

Becoming their Bush2000 here for them isn't going to change things.

Fact is, Target could have approached the legal issue in many ways, instead it just decided to cut and run.

If Sam's, Sears, Wal Mart, etc etc etc find a way to make it work the idea that Target can't is just flat out insulting. And don't tell me they don't.

You can keep shopping at Target, more power to you. Sorry though, as much as you may not like it, my $$ goes elsewhere.

I won't donate my time or money to a church that condones homosexual marriage, I won't spend my money at a business that sells sexualized clothing to pre teens and kicks out the Salvation army from their doors during the holidays... you don't have to agree, you can spend all your $$ at Target, your choice.

[Ciexyz]

I shop Walmart all the time, not just at Christmas.

[Texas Mom]

The 6th and 7th from 2:00 till 4:00 P.M.

Our Republican Womens club and our church volunteer each year.

It's really quite enjoyable you get to meet a lot of really nice people.

[Texas Mom]

Salvation Army hires people who are just recovering to do that.It is often down and out people first chance at a job and a step towards improving their lives.

Not in this area. The bell ringers are volunteers.

[Texas Mom]

The SA may do good work, but they keep losing more and more of my respect. Combine this target fiasco with their refusal to accept millions of dollars because the donor won it in a lottery, and it makes me wonder if their ultimate goal is to help the poor or just look pious.

Maybe you should check with those they have helped. The most recent being Florida and the victims of the hurricanes. The SA was right there as well as the Red Cross although the Red Cross got most of the publicity.

[Arthalion]

Walmart's lawyers apparently don't see the same problem Target does.

Which is exactly why I have such a problem with Targets actions. Despite the ninnying of their lawyers, there was simply no need for them to boot the SA from their property. Other retailers have found ways to deal allow them on their properties while keeping other soliciters at bay, but Target simply couldn't be bothered.

My refusal to shop there is more practical than symbolic though. To be honest, my Mervyns card only had an $18 balance on it and I haven't regularly shopped there in a few years, and my Target card only had a tiny $150 balance, so paying it off and closing it really wasn't a big deal. As for the boycott, I spend $50 to $60 a month in Target on household stuff, and several hundred yearly buying Christmas gifts. I'll just shift that to another store the same way I did when I began boycotting WalMart a few years back for their support of the Chinese Communists (I can count on one hand the number of times I've visited a WalMart in the past two years). We have a decent selection of large retailers in this area, so shifting my purchases from one to the other shouldn't be too difficult.

[Gum Shoe]

Sorry if this has been brought up prior, I've not read all 127 posts to this thread...but isn't Target owned by some French Corp?

[bfree]

No, it is a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange.

[FFIGHTER]

BE FAIR AND CONSISTENT ADD THESE TO THE BOYCOTT LIST -
Sears doesn't allow Salvation Army.
JC Penny doesn't allow Salvation Army.
Home Depot doesn't allow Salvation Army.
Safeway doesn't allow Salvation Army.
Kroger doesn't allow Salvation Army.
Best Buy doesn't allow Salvation Army.
Circuit City doesn't allow Salvation Army.
Pep Boys doesn't allow Salvation Army.
Meryns doesn't allow Salvation Army.
Marshalls doesn't allow Salvation Army.
Saxs fifth Avenue doesn't allow Salvation Army.
Toys are Us doesn't allow Salvation Army.
Applebees doesn't allow Salvation Army.
Lowes doesn't allow Salvation Army.
KFC doesn't allow Salvation Army.
McDonalds doesn't allow Salvation Army.
Burger King doesn't allow Salvation Army.
May Department Stores doesn't allow Salvation Army.
Macys doesn't allow Salvation Army.
Boycott all stores that don't allow Salvation Army.
Boycott Walmart they allow democrats to shop there.

[FFIGHTER]

Don't forget to add any store that buys any goods from China, France, Canada, etc.
Then move on to bookstores, which sell controversial books.
Then on to Hollywood Videos and Blockbuster, for pandering R rated movies.
Post A List of Stores That Comply with all requirements and only shop there.

[bfree]

Sorry, but Target still gets a letter and a no business from me and my family. Too bad, so sad. There are alternatives to Target.

[FFIGHTER]

Name A Few

[FFIGHTER]

Can you name a few?

[DennisR]

"Combine this target fiasco with their refusal to accept millions of dollars because the donor won it in a lottery, and it makes me wonder if their ultimate goal is to help the poor or just look pious."

And why should they honor gambling money? What - you are mad at them for having honest, decent principles? I give up...

[pepperdog]

I wouldn't know where to go to shop for Christmas if I didn't follow the sounds of the Salvation Army bells. No bells, no business from me. And yes, family members have been bell ringers. If you can't ring it do the next best thing, put money in it.

[bfree]

Kmart, Walmart, Kohls, Sam's club. I'm happy to pay a few cents more at the grocery store for everyday goods. What products does target carry exclusively? None to my knowledge. Shop there all you wish, I used to but I won't now. Sorry if that offends you, but TFB.

[Nightshift]

Yes they donate to these charities. I work for a trucking company and guess what? What they donate are items that are unsellable, wrong items or damaged. Ok cool so they give to these charities, but what you may not know is this: they take their tax writes off on this. So they are only giving because they can gain finacialy not because they want too. Money, thats their point to giving. has nothing to do with REAL charity. How do I know this. I am the one who trucks the stuff into them and haul out to the charities, the stuff they don't accept. You would be amazed at how much merchandise is refused by target, walmart, home depot and others every day. Millions and millions of dollars worth of merchandise, Just because a box may have a corner dented (nothing wrong with the product inside) or maybe a small scratch. And lets not start on Food products. If you knew how much food is just thrown away, probably enough to feed the homeless in detroit for a year.

So Target giving to charities just has the Government giving something back to them.

[MissouriConservative]

You seem to misunderstand what Target gives to the Salvation Army.....

"The retailer also donates $2 million to charities nationwide, including the Salvation Army"

That 2 million is total...and includes the Salvation Army...not millions and millions to the Salvation Army. It costs the store nothing to allow these people to collect outside their stores. It is true that Target has a right to deny them the ability to do so....just as it is my right to take my business to another store that seems to have the spirit of the season down a little better.

I have figured up, roughly, what I would have bought at Target for my daughters and have written a check for 75% of that amount and sent it to the Salvation Army. The rest will go towards another business that allows Salvation Army ringers out front.

Oh, and I will not short change my daughters any Christmas...the donation is just above and beyond the Christmas budget.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Is it that the beautiful people are too good to have their shopping experience interrupted by these bell-ringers?

Is it because they won't give?