Rude volunteers at donation center

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow I'm 7:46 and reading the other posts, I am surprised people think YOU are the problem OP. I disagree completely. I have had to do customer facing service over the years and you do whatever it takes, with a smile. I am an executive with degrees and I have fetched coffee, carried boxes, helped lost customers find their way to an event in the hotel.... I have even cut up meat for my colleagues when they were slammed and only had five minutes to eat their meal behind the divider between us and the customers. This is the way it should be. These people are paying my salary.

Unless it's what another poster said and the people are doing court ordered service which could explain the surliness.

These people may well have been volunteers. Surely an executive with degrees is aware of that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I recently donated a bunch of stuff to a charity thrift store that is near and dear to my heart. I'm a frequent donator. The stuff I donate is not junk. It's all newer, clean, good quality items. Mostly household goods and some clothes. They are picky on what they will and won't accept. The last few times I've gone to donate, the volunteers have been ones that I have never seen before and the last 2 times they were really rude to me. The first time I was on crutches and they took their sweet time getting stuff out of my car while I patiently waited and smiled and helped as much as I could. They were also giving each item a look over as they were taking it out, one even picked up the box to a stainless steel pasta maker and read the description for a good minute or two. Then a friend of theirs pulled up and they started chatting while I'm still standing there on crutches.

Now this last time was the last straw. I am off crutches now (had major surgery) and I neatly stacked the 3 boxes by the door. You go to the back and ring the bell and someone comes out and gets the items. I rang the bell, waited almost 5 minutes and then sat in my driver's seat with the car door open while I waited. She comes to the door and tells me (not asks) to come back over, pick up the boxes, and take them inside their back room to stack them on the table. I was taken aback by this. I told her that I donate here frequently and have never been asked to do this. I told her I had recent foot surgery and it's hard for me... and I find it ridiculous that she can't help. A couple of these boxes were really lightweight. She could have easily lifted them herself. She said rudely and carelessly, "Well that's what we're dealing with here too and that's why I'm not lifting the boxes." (She clearly had NOT had any kind of surgery recently).

She didn't thank me for my donation. I felt like my donation didn't matter. If someone is this rude to me when I'm taking my time to drive stuff over there and donate good quality items, then I have to wonder if they can even be trusted with these items. You have to trust when you drop these things off that your items are going to the charity to raise money, but who knows. I won't be back. I'll sell what I can and donate the funds directly. It made me so uncomfortable.

This is a lot of paragraphs and emotional energy to waste on a rude charity. Send them an email and don't go back. Join your local Buy Nothing group.

Will also add that a lot of people think they are giving away something useful when they are really giving away trash.

[Anonymous]

Out of curiosity OP, do you also have a lot of expensive baby items? And you were hoping to find a mom to come over and sit on your porch while you brought out each piece so she could fawn over it and offer a price?

[Anonymous]

I’m the charity board member PP who staffs some front facing positions with court ordered volunteers.

You have no idea how tough it is to find volunteers, period.

We are inundated with offers to help but very, very few actually step up and provide meaningful service.

No, this isn’t something you can do as a family.

No, I can’t use you just once a week for two hours or only after school or only on weekends. Not worth my time as there is training (orientation includes a tour, safety, procedural, rules and mission guidelines, etc). The staffers you see “collecting” your donations also have responsibilities inside, too. We are always short staffed so I may be outside unloading and greeting donors, then I’ll dash back to return calls from a social worker with a request.

And, sorry but yes we work for a charity but we aren’t saints. This is hard work and the general public can be downright rude with unreasonable and unrealistic expectations.

Maybe I should do an AMA but I got a call at sunrise on a Sat morning from a concerned business neighbor who quite literally couldn’t park in our shared lot because some member of the public decided to host a drive for us and literally dumped boxes of goods at our gate overnight and drove off.

I learned who it was because the donor left a message on our answering machine asking for a tax receipt. Had to arrange for extra trash collection (most all were on huge moving boxes -
more than our contract and dumpster would allow) and call in a crack team of you guessed it, my court ordered volunteers.

[Anonymous]

Why do you have so much crap to donate? Maybe shop a little less in the first place. I donate 1x a year max, probably every other year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Out of curiosity OP, do you also have a lot of expensive baby items? And you were hoping to find a mom to come over and sit on your porch while you brought out each piece so she could fawn over it and offer a price?

[Anonymous]

Everybody has a bad day. Relax.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You sound quite full of yourself. You’re not some savior of the masses. Donate if you think is the right thing to do, but please stop expecting to be worshiped or even thanked.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok OP I don't think your post is that bad and I am sorry people are being so snarky to you. In ANY kind of setting, I get annoyed by rude people who are rude for no reason at all! Feel free to write a letter explaining you won't be donating anymore because of your experience.

And yes, perhaps that person had some kind of silent temporary disability which did not allow her to help you... but to all the haters, she could have just said "I'm so sorry, I can't do any heavy lifting right now. I see you can't either. Let me see if someone else can help us."

Is that THAT hard people!? Why are you all bashing OP. Jeez.

Your sockpuppeting is very obvious.

I thought everyone was being pretty rough on her, too. Big pile-on. I imagine OP knows she came off the wrong way in her post.
For over a year now, things have been very hard for people, OP. Don’t take anything personally right now. A lot of folks’ behavior has become less than pleasant for a myriad of reasons. Who knows if the people with whom you interact daily have lost one or more loved ones or friends to covid? Clearly you’ve been through a lot recently. Maybe stop doing errands like this until you feel 100%?

PP. I know exactly the kind of behavior OP is referring to and it's not new or pandemic related.

Honestly, I know what you’re saying here but the truth is- it’s extra hard right now and has been for a while. I am much more willing to give a pass to people who seem rude, unhelpful or unkind. Being in that situation is never ideal. Letting it roll off takes work but it leads to a better quality of life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m the charity board member PP who staffs some front facing positions with court ordered volunteers.

You have no idea how tough it is to find volunteers, period.

We are inundated with offers to help but very, very few actually step up and provide meaningful service.

No, this isn’t something you can do as a family.

No, I can’t use you just once a week for two hours or only after school or only on weekends. Not worth my time as there is training (orientation includes a tour, safety, procedural, rules and mission guidelines, etc). The staffers you see “collecting” your donations also have responsibilities inside, too. We are always short staffed so I may be outside unloading and greeting donors, then I’ll dash back to return calls from a social worker with a request.

And, sorry but yes we work for a charity but we aren’t saints. This is hard work and the general public can be downright rude with unreasonable and unrealistic expectations.

Maybe I should do an AMA but I got a call at sunrise on a Sat morning from a concerned business neighbor who quite literally couldn’t park in our shared lot because some member of the public decided to host a drive for us and literally dumped boxes of goods at our gate overnight and drove off.

I learned who it was because the donor left a message on our answering machine asking for a tax receipt. Had to arrange for extra trash collection (most all were on huge moving boxes -
more than our contract and dumpster would allow) and call in a crack team of you guessed it, my court ordered volunteers.

Huh? The rest I get, but this?

[Anonymous]

HAHAHAHAHAHA. Soooooo your donations aren't about helping other people...it is about YOUR warm fuzzies.

This is why I hated working with donors/some volunteers at the last social service agency I was with. It wasn't about the agency/the clients or their needs...it was all about THEM and patting themselves on the back for doing a good deed. *gag*

[Anonymous]

When I donate I don't act like I'm doing anyone a favor. I try to follow any directions provided, and help unload. If I cannot unload, than find a charity to arrange a porch pick up.

Also use your Buy Nothing Group. If you aren't part of one, I would suggest creating a Facebook profile just for things like this. You don't need family and friends, or share pictures. But Facebook has lots of ways to get involved in your very local community (book club, buy nothing, tool exchanges).

[Anonymous]

OP wanted *gratitude* and to be treated like a high status donor.

GET.OVER.YOURSELF.NOW

is my response to that crap

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m the charity board member PP who staffs some front facing positions with court ordered volunteers.

You have no idea how tough it is to find volunteers, period.

We are inundated with offers to help but very, very few actually step up and provide meaningful service.

No, this isn’t something you can do as a family.

No, I can’t use you just once a week for two hours or only after school or only on weekends. Not worth my time as there is training (orientation includes a tour, safety, procedural, rules and mission guidelines, etc). The staffers you see “collecting” your donations also have responsibilities inside, too. We are always short staffed so I may be outside unloading and greeting donors, then I’ll dash back to return calls from a social worker with a request.

And, sorry but yes we work for a charity but we aren’t saints. This is hard work and the general public can be downright rude with unreasonable and unrealistic expectations.

Maybe I should do an AMA but I got a call at sunrise on a Sat morning from a concerned business neighbor who quite literally couldn’t park in our shared lot because some member of the public decided to host a drive for us and literally dumped boxes of goods at our gate overnight and drove off.

I learned who it was because the donor left a message on our answering machine asking for a tax receipt. Had to arrange for extra trash collection (most all were on huge moving boxes -
more than our contract and dumpster would allow) and call in a crack team of you guessed it, my court ordered volunteers.

Huh? The rest I get, but this?

I should have clarified; my charity also sees some clients by appointment-only and due to privacy reasons, we can’t have an entire family involved. And,
many volunteers say they are available
(hence their statements that only after school/only one hour here) but this has never worked out - they never can keep to a schedule or offer such limited availability that it’s unworkable. Instead, there’s a core group who work a week on or month on schedule.