For Whom the Bells Don't Toll

There's been a minor kerfuffle on talk radio today regarding the decision by Target, Best Buy and other retail stores to ban Salvation Army bellringers from the front of their stores (here's the story). To be fair to the retailers, they have not just banned the Army, but all solicitors. Some radio hosts are calling for a boycott of these stores, but I just can't get that excited about that.

Boycotts are usually of minimal usefulness, and if the companies involved were doing it for anti-Christian reasons, I might consider joining in. However, I doubt that was the reason for the decision.

I am a frequent shopper at Target, and it used to be that every time we went there we were confronted by some solicitor hanging out near the front door. In fact, Target had a box painted on the sidewalk where the solicitor was required to stand. I haven't seen anyone doing that for awhile and I don't miss them.

Target does have a good record with charitable contributions to schools and other organizations, so they're not just a bunch of misers. They seem to do a good job of spreading the wealth in their community.

For those that are upset about the missing bellringers, just do what James Lileks did:

That said: if I find that Target kicked out the Salvation Army for religious reasons, I'll be peeved. Doesn't mean I won't buy my soap there. But it would chip away at that ephemeral thing called good will, the stuff companies often spend too fast without heed. I love Target, but I'd leave it in a second if someone did it better. So far no one within five miles of my house does it better. I'll be willing to go six if they do it really, really better, and they're near a mall and grocery store and all the other nodes I hit three times a week in my 90-minute chore window.

End result? I wrote out a check to the Salvation Army tonight. Figured out what I put in the kettles, and doubled it. They're happy; Target's happy; I don't have to drive 20 miles to find a frickin' Wal-Mart.