Charitably Litigious

As part of child awareness week, we are all given shifts doing collections outside of the store for a well-known children’s charity. As someone who knows how invasive some charity workers can be, I stick to just asking people if they want to donate. I am about an hour into my shift when I have an older couple approach the store.

Me: “Hey there! Would you like to make a donation to the [Charity] today?”

The couple blanks me and walks past me a couple of metres. The woman comes straight back to me and taps me on the shoulder.

Woman: “Excuse me! You do realise that what you just said to me is illegal!?”

Me: *surprised* “Pardon me?”

Woman: “What you just said. It is illegal to ask someone to donate to a charity and I could sue you!”

I am a little taken aback that this woman is threatening legal action, so I just respond honestly.

Me: “I’m sorry, but I am working for a charity. I wasn’t invasive or aggressive in asking.”

Woman: “Oh, I know, but I could sue you for it!”

The woman then wandered off into the store, trailing by her husband, happily gloating that she could sue me. Slightly panicked, I checked with my manager, who cleared up that as long as I did not shake the collection tin or be aggressive, I was completely fine. About ten minutes later, the woman came back out alone and threw a handful of change at me and stormed off. I can only guess her husband told her off and she went off in a huff!