Posted on 12/19/2004 7:06:27 AM PST by madprof98
The parking lots in front of Target stores are quieter this Christmas season.
Absent is the pealing of Salvation Army bells and the pitter-patter of some former customers who may have crossed the retailer off their shopping lists for banning the bell-ringers.
Target announced in January that it would extend a long-standing policy prohibiting solicitors from standing outside its stores to the Salvation Army's volunteers and their signature red kettles. But the decision got widespread attention only recently, as the Christian charity publicized the ban and criticism against the retailer mounted.
On Thursday, Target rival Wal-Mart added a jab. The world's No. 1 retailer touted its willingness to welcome the kettles by agreeing to match all customer contributions to the Salvation Army through Christmas Eve, up to $1 million.
A fine kettle of fish Target now finds itself in. The company name has been turned against it as mostly Christian-rooted groups such as the American Family Association have targeted the chain for criticism and encouraged followers to buy their gifts elsewhere.
Target, which wouldn't comment for this story, has said it opted for blanket enforcement of its non-solicitation policy at its 1,300 stores when other organizations sought the same privileges as the Salvation Army. The retailer emphasizes its charitable record. Target donates about 5 percent of its pretax profits --- more than $100 million a year --- to charities, including the Salvation Army.
There are signs that Target is feeling repercussions for banning the kettles.
America's Research Group, a shopping-behavior tracker and marketing firm in Charleston, S.C., phoned 800 households nationwide and determined that Target was the only major retailer with fewer customers last weekend compared with the same holiday-shopping weekend in 2003.
The survey indicated 55 percent of U.S. consumers visited stores over the weekend, with 12 percent patronizing Target. A year ago, 43 percent went shopping, and 30 percent of those shoppers included Target in their rounds.
"That's a significant decline," said ARG Chairman Britt Beemer, who noted 16 interviewees offered without prompting that they avoided Target. "There is getting to be a significant amount of backlash."
'I wouldn't picket'
Some local shoppers said they disagree with the ban, but it didn't keep them out of Target stores.
"It's pretty crappy of [Target]," said Mindy Thompson of Snellville, who was shopping at the retailer's store on North Druid Hills Road, "but I wouldn't picket over it."
Chris Davidson of Chamblee accepts the chain's explanation for shooing off the kettles. "If it's their policy, and they are going to enforce it for everybody else, it should be enforced [for Salvation Army]," she said. "There's plenty of other places for them to go."
The Salvation Army says poor children and their families, for whom the bells toll, are being hurt by Target's decision.
The charity won't match the $93 million it took in last year, said Maj. George Hood, a national spokesman for Salvation Army. He attributes most of the decline to Target, where the Salvation Army collected about $9 million last holiday season.
In metro Atlanta, coins, bills and checks dropped into crimson containers at Target entrances last year made up 28 percent of the $860,000 the Salvation Army amassed at 25 locations.
Through Thursday, metro area volunteers had hauled in $596,000 toward the Salvation Army's $1 million goal. That is similar to the amount that had been collected at this time last year, but the organization's metro area goal was lower --- $900,000.
Still, Maj. George Hoosier, general secretary for the Salvation Army's Georgia chapter, said Target's silencing of the bells "has put us in a bind."
Meanwhile, other seasonal charities are thriving. Toys For Tots, for example, is reporting record highs for corporate donations.
The Salvation Army's Cobb County wing got some relief Tuesday when guests at U.S. Sen.-elect Johnny Isakson's Christmas gala kicked in $9,601.
"I just can't understand how people standing out front [of the stores] to raise money for those in need --- why they would not allow that," Isakson said during an interview at the event in the Cobb Galleria.
Criticism harsh
Target has risen to lightning-rod status for some Americans angry at the state of year-end commercialism, said Atlanta marketing strategist Jim Neal.
"This has been unfair," said Neal, of Kurt Salmon Associates. "[Target is] taking the hit from the Christmas crabbies."
Target is not the only high-profile chain that forbids sidewalk solicitations. The Salvation Army is verboten at Home Depot, Toys "R" Us and Kroger, though Hoosier said some of those retailers provide aid or assistance directly.
Even Wal-Mart limits the organization's bell-ringing to 14 days.
Target did not anticipate such harsh reaction, said Laura Rowley, author of the book "On Target: How the World's Hottest Retailer Hit a Bull's-Eye."
"I think they made a big mistake," said Rowley, who teaches a course on contemporary moral values at Seton Hall University in New Jersey. "I understand where they are coming from, but they completely underestimated the significance of the Salvation Army. It's not just another charity. It reminds people of Christmas. To them, this takes away the spirit of Christmas."
Target has not said whether it would amend the prohibition next year.
"I would if I were them," said Beemer, the researcher. "What Target is doing may satisfy a very small group that might complain, but there is a much larger group that is mad about it."
Neal would urge Target to weather the barrage. "Their reasons are valid," said the consultant, who maintains Target's tepid holiday revenue is a reflection of a widespread shopping malaise. "They should stay the course."
--- Staff writer Craig Schneider contributed to this article.
My mom and I were outside of Furr's cafeteria the other day and were rather annoyed when a bell ringer clearly made his ringing louder to try to get our attention.
However, most of the time, I think the bell ringers do a good job. I like the sound....and I will make a point of giving some at the local Wal-Mart. I hope they have a way to keep tabs on people stealing from the kettles though...
Target used to be a lot of fun until they got politically correct.
It is tempting to shop at Target just to save money over even Wal-Mart.....they are dropping some prices ridiculously low....cearly they are REALLY hurting this year and makinng huge price cuts to try to attract shoppers.
But, I won't shop there.
And the guy at the end of the article saying everybody is hurting is nonsense. Reports so far are that shopping this year is very robust compared to past years.
The policies at the other stores have been in place longer. I bet there was a boycott of them at first as well.
Tub, when a company changes its policy, it will get media attention. Since Target has done so, it is feeling the wrath. The other policies have been in place much longer. Hence, they don't get the attention.
It is not un-Christian to criticize the company which is changing its policy.
It was named in 1908, back when Druids were simply a historical and romantic blip on the radar screen (think Welsh Eisteddfod). Joel Hurt Sr., who married my great great grandfather's oldest sister Sarah, developed the property, had famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted design the development, and sold it to Asa Candler (the original Coca-Cola man). The development was officially named Druid Hills the same year.
It's a major Atlanta street that runs from Peachtree Road all the way over to the Stone Mountain Freeway, more or less eastward across the NE quadrant of the metro area.
At least the MIDDLE part of N. Druid Hills is fairly tony. The east end, down near Scott Blvd. and the Lawrenceville Highway, is kinda dicey. Run-down apartment complexes and lots of able-bodied young men without any apparent means of support. Fella who runs a convenience store down there wound up in a shootout with three bandits a year or so ago . . . killed two of 'em IIRC.
This is the first word I've seen in the mainstream press about the impact of Target's decision to cut out the Salvation Army this year, and I don't think it's been posted here before.
Makes me glad because my wife and I have avoided Target this Christmas season, and we let them know why.
Pity the poor innocent employees, I'll bet they did not agree to this banning nor were they even asked for their feelings concerning it.
It's always the little guy who gets squashed.
Your problem is that you are as bad as I am when it comes to serious inconveniences. Heh heh heh... If these were the most serious inconveniences we had to put up with...
I'm not sure what protective measures they use to keep the kettle sealed. I'd imagine that could certainly be a problem. Still, other organizations steal major percentages off the top, so I guess it isn't so bad.
I think the Salvation Army does better than most of making sure the funds get where you'd want them to.
Walmart matches sale prices for competing stores - including Target and Best Buy.
Still, I emailed Target and complained, and received their standard reply.
I happen to love the Salvation Army bell ringers, and have happily handed over my money to department stores like Hechts.
It's an acutal road in the northeastern part of Atlanta.
I went to Target today just to get something I can't get anywhere else (they have great baby wipes - Target brand); and did notice it was not as crowded as I thought it would be.
Besides Walmart, Whole Foods Market had Salvation Army people there;I left a note with the manager telling them that I was extremely pleased and would give them more of my grocery business.
THEY ASK YOU IF YOU WANT TO BUY COOKIES.
And the Boy Scouts around here sell Christmas greenery to raise money.
Lefty heaven.
Although I do shop there from time to time.
And it is a never-ending source of amusement to me to see just how unhappy so many of those politacally correct vegan progressive types appear. In fact, some of them look as if their high colonics got stopped about halfway through...
LOL!
My wife says if you take the Target sale price ad to Wal-Mart or another store, they normally honor the sale price
Just made a quick stop at Walmart and dropped $10 in the kettle. Felt like Christmas.
I happily shoppped at Target again this year and will continue to do so. I like the store and it has been great competition to WalMart. WalMart has practices that far outweigh the slight to the Salvation Army that has been an unfortunate decision by Target.
To rejoice that people may have seriously damaged a credible competitor to WalMart is beyond me. I can see the folks at WalMart doing the high five, further bouyed to attack the next community. Emminent domain is a more serious threat to a community than not allowing the Salvation Army at Christmas.
Funny, I didn't see the red bucket at Home Depot... or Lowe's... or a host of other stores. Are you all boycotting them as well? Are you all only shopping at stores where you find the SA?
But for some of you I guess it's always a happy day when you can help to put a store out of business and send even more folks to the unemployment line... Merry Christmas to them.
Just seems to me there are far more important issues for all of us to take a stand against. Maybe like removing the Ten Commandments from a court house? Or removing a Nativity? Or even erasing Merry Christmas from our society?
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