Charity

So, we’re supposed to boycott Morrison’s, are we? The people are angry and it’s all over social media.

But what have they done? Did they murder a small child? Did they pour thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals into a river? No, they made an old man stand outside.

Seems a bit harsh. Why did they do that?

Well, the British Legion were collecting for their Poppy Appeal at a store in Taunton. The decision was made to collect outside in the hope that they would be able to raise more money. This changed when the afternoon’s volunteer, an 89-year-old war veteran, arrived.

He wanted to stand inside the store as it was cold. He was told no, as there was no room. The advice to “wear a warmer coat” was given. Perhaps a bit insensitive, but certainly not “discriminatory” or “hugely inappropriate” as I’ve seen it described.

The man was a volunteer and was aware of what the job entailed.

If an 89-year-old volunteers to help a charitable organisation, perhaps that organisation should ensure they aren’t then sent to stand outside. No one would suggest that the charity did anything wrong now, would they? Of course not.

The use of an aged veteran to get people to part with cash is no different than if the RSPCA were using a badly-wounded elephant, or if the Red Cross were using a dying man. It’s the visual equivalent of chugging.

Morrison’s donated an undisclosed sum to the British Legion and apologised for how the incident looked, even though they had actually done no wrong. They have also now backed down and allowed all charity workers to collect in their stores. Great. Now we will have people begging every time we try to pack our shopping in peace. Are you happy now?

Put away your flaming torches and go home. If you want to boycott Morrison’s for a real reason, it should be because of the horrendous “Cornish-style slices” they peddle in their stores.