Charity Day Extortion

"There's a new sensation across the nation." Macy's is "celebrating" its launch as America’s national department store with a media blitz of ads in local newspapers.

Part of this "celebration" is a scheme, Shop for a Cause, marketed as an opportunity - a "special celebration in their store in honor of local charities" -
to raise funds for non-profits. You'll find a sampling of charities taking part in Vermont, here, and in other areas of the USA, here, and here.

As Macy's PR blurb states: "This one-day shopping event is another way for Macy's to give back to the community through the support of local non-profit organizations! On Shop For A Cause Day, you have the opportunity to participate in a unique shopping experience including discounts, entertainment, special events and the opportunity to win thousands of dollars worth of prizes."

No doubt several Burlington non-profits (food banks, homeless shelters, churches, private schools, for example) will jump at the chance to participate. Who wouldn't take advantage of it? As Macy's would tell you, "it's so easy!" Burlington non-profits sell shopping pass tickets to be used for discounts when shopping during the Macy’s Shop for a Cause event. The shopping pass is good for savings throughout the day on Saturday, September 16, 2006. As a particiapting non-profit orgnaization, the non-profit retains all proceeds from its ticket sales.

My own church has decided to forge an alliance with Macy's to help defray the costs of running the parish. Yesterday, an email was sent to members of my parish, inviting them to participate.

I have several objections to St Paul's taking part. By encouraging its members to buy tickets, it is sending a clear message: It's not what you do that makes you a good person, it's what you consume. Interestingly, this is precisely the opposite message that Jesus espoused. St. Paul's Cathederal gets the social and economic justice part of their outreach just right. But what happened to simplicity? Why promote this commercialism?

[But wait, St. Paul's might bow out if this alliance. Some parishioners, yours truly included, have made objections about participating. Update possible after the weekend.]

Burlington secular, non-religious non-profits may choose to participate; that is their perogative. But they should think again. Capitalism with a human face, you say? Nah. Macy's is a corporate entity; for them, it's all about profit.Macy's would rather boost their sales here and hoodwink Burlingtonians and non-profits into their scam. Pure hucksterism. To say that they care about the community and non-profits is a joke. They don't put people first, they put consumers first.

And get this: if a participating non-profit sells a certain number of tickets before the event, it will receive a share of the money raised by in-store ticket sales. In some Macy's stores, employees are being forced to purchase the Shop for a Cause tickets before they punch in for their shifts. Read about that here.

Last year's Shop for a Cause event was scheduled on a weekday in mid-October, when shopping levels are low. This year's happens on a big shopping day, a Saturday. It's also insensitive to traditional Jewish people in our community, whose religious practises require keeping Shabbat; and that includes no shopping.

As you may have seen, Filene's in Burlington's Town Center is changing its name to Macy's.

(As part of the fallout from Federated's 2005 acquisition of May Department Stores Co., Filene's isn't the only name change in Macy's rebranding in early September. Other stores are losing their names.)

And you can bet, by attracting it's former Filene's customers with Shop for a Cause Day, Macy's is also hoping to keep them shopping beyond Saturday, September 16th.