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February 15, 2007
Purple rage
I was in a good mood - despite a number of gremlins having struck the papers this week - until I saw a group putting on bright purple jackets and lurking menancingly by the entrance to the Chimes Shopping Centre.
Hopefully they would have moved on by the time I returned from a quick stroll around Uxbridge town centre in the winter sunlight.
How wrong I was and who are these people I am talking about....
They are the dreaded 'charity chuggers' who appear to have returned to the streets of Uxbridge in force this afternoon.
And when one of them in his bright purple jacket and smiling face suddenly jumped out in front of me I quite simply told him to 'get lost'. Not very nice you might think but, my view is these people should be banned from town centres with their pathetic antics to try and get people to hand over money for charity.
I don't even know what charity he was collecting for and I really don't care....
I will happily donate money to any good cause but I will decide when and where. I certainly do not need some idiot in a purple bib jumping out in front of me waving a clipboard in my face to make me hand over my cash.
Yes, I am now in a really bad mood.....
Posted by aseal at February 15, 2007 4:02 PM
Comments...
Hi again Adrian. I had a similar experience this week - in Singapore. The approach was slightly different. I was having dinner with a business colleague and a group of three musicians came to our table and started to play. I should add my business colleague was female, it was two days before Valentine's Day so you can guess what kind of music they started to play. Not very appropriate considering we were discussing a business deal!
Anyway, after a couple of minutes of playing and us trying to ignore then, they stopped and presented a piece of paper saying they were collecting money for a kids home in the Philippines. I am not sure whether that was true or whether it was just a scam but I have them a few Singaporean dollars anyway to get rid of them.
I guess it happens in one form or another all over the world.
(By the way, I've given you a mention and a link of my own blog today - which is now number three in a list of most popular blogs in Thailand!)
Comment posted by: Andrew at February 16, 2007 1:01 AM
Quite right. The worst bit is when these idiots try emotional blackmail.
I told one girl the othe day I was too busy to stop, and she said: "What?? You're too busy to help starving babies?'
As if they are doing it for any other reason than money themselves.
Comment posted by: Ian at February 16, 2007 8:49 AM
i agree those guys who are out there having clipboards, they do it for commission and so when you sign up not only they do it for some commission but they also want your bank details of which i say to them i have to ask my husband first because of a joint account. thing is you don't know who these people are really and you are give some of your details away. anyway one of the policewomen said they are not meant to come to you, and you should be going to them, so the charity guys in bibs are a bit naughty. i dont mind giving money in a bucket with air ambulance or something but not by giving bank details away.
Comment posted by: marilyn clevett at February 17, 2007 3:12 PM