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Bestmark...is this beyond tacky or am I too jaded?

June 03, 2013 07:11PM
I shop for Bestmark. I was not offended by the .05 donation per shop. It can add up! And it's a way that shopper's can feel like they are a part of something.

Working in S. Arkansas and N. Louisiana!
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More Discussions About BestMark (All Companies)
June 04, 2013 03:22PM
Remember how The March of Dimes started? "Put $00.10 in an envelope and send it to"...... This request made during difficult financial times and, how much was received? Enough to start the program.

Marian
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June 04, 2013 03:29PM
Just heard our local Red Cross has said no assistance to local flooding of an apartment complex. They said all money went to Oklahoma and the entire complex was flooded. Not even as much as a motel voucher for one not was offered. Nothing. No food, no voucher, nothing. Sad.
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June 04, 2013 03:33PM
Personally I prefer to make more anonymous donations, but why the double standard? Unless a contribution is not claimed as a tax deduction, why does a corporation deserve more than an individual? Sometimes those large donations from corporations are actually made up of a lot of small contributions from their individual employees.

During the time of the tsunami in Sri Lanka and Hurricane Katrina I worked for a corporation that also had a charitable foundation. For each disaster the company matched dollar for dollar up to $150. I never saw a whiff of publicity over the contributions which I can also assume were substantial.

MDavisnowell Wrote:
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I don't think it's wrong for a business to make a contribution and expect to get some recognition for making that contribution, whereas it would be in better taste for an individual not to make mention of personal giving.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
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June 04, 2013 04:21PM
BestMark is saying they have over 200,000 shoppers yet only a minimal number are actively participating. Granted, it maybe that there are hardly enough shops available for the majority of them due to geographical location/shops.

For me, I tried getting into mystery shopping for years to make a little extra change because I lived in small remote areas and there were no options for odd jobs are part time side work to supplement my income since my primary job schedule was 9am-9pm and I worked most weekends.

Unfortunately the shops I ran across during those times were not worth doing because they were usually 2 or more hours away in the bigger metro cities. There were never any available near me, and even during times when I was going to be visiting one of those cities, there were no shops available.

So maybe they are pushing to get shoppers to check more frequently for shops. I know I quit responding to the emails and searching the sites because it was a waste of time I felt....until I moved finally to a city where at least every so often there were shops available.
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June 07, 2013 04:58PM
From what I was reading, their operating costs, or the amount they take for operating costs is WAY more than 8%, and their CEO is one one if the top 3 highest paid heads of a charity, and got a huge raise this year. Very disappointing. We made a donation through a friend who lives in OKC, so we would know where the $ was going.

~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~*~~~~~* Shoppin' Mama of 4 lovely & unique girls and Nana to Bella, Delilah and Lincoln, shopping in Oregon and parts of Washington
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June 08, 2013 12:50AM
I think that it should have been optional (was it?). The Red Cross is the easiest option, but not the best steward of donations by any stretch with their high administrative costs v. say, the Salvation Army. I wonder who takes the tax write off........us or them? I have a humerous story about the American Red Cross San Diego Chapter. Several year's ago, there was a very large fire in San Diego County and lots of folks lost their homes. One woman lost her home and was denied services by the Red Cross. She was later shocked to find a picture of herself and her demolished home on a Red Cross advertisement as a representation of someone who had been helped. An Attorney by trade, she looked into that chapter's finances. She learned that the chapter used a very low ratio of donated funds toward victims and a very high ratio toward the general fund. Many citizens called for the resignation of the Red Cross Executive Director, but she remained. The Red Cross does a fine job of promoting itself and gaining donations. They do provide needed services, but mostly through the work of volunteers and donated items. The photo ops. are endless.
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June 08, 2013 01:00AM
I wonder if that story is true or an urban legend. The same story was circulating after Hurricane Sandy.

There is also an e-mail about charities and it makes the rounds on a regular basis. The e-mail lists what percentage of funds go to administrative costs and the annual salaries and perks of the directors. The problem is virtually everything claimed in the e-mail is wrong. That includes what is said about both the charities being slammed and the ones being promoted as the "good guys."

A simple Google search will bring up several independent websites that rate charities. They include the percentage of funds going to administrative costs and to salaries and actual fundraising efforts. I would highly recommend people try that before donating or refusing to donate to a charity.

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.
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June 08, 2013 01:46AM
Riki Wrote:

> Am I the only one who 1. thinks 0.05 is cheap and
> 2. thinks this is a tacky way to capitalize on a
> tragic event? Maybe I am too jaded. Why don't
> they just donate a few hundred (or thousand)
> dollars to a charity if they want to help?


Sorry, but I disagree.

They designated an approximate amount to contribute and did it in a visible way that got others talking about it which should have encouraged additional donations. Its great to see a business operating in a way that helps others. I wish more companies made more of a positive impact on society.

Bestmark - way to go! Keep up the great work.

Happily shopping Rhode Island and nearby Massachusetts and Connecticut
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June 09, 2013 01:13AM
I think Bestmark is thinking of a creative way to have more shops completed by letting their mystery shoppers know that Bestmark will donate .05 for each completed shop. People tend to want to do more shops especially if their part helps a charity. When I saw it, I decided to self assign a shop (not many available for Columbus, Ohio unless you have a specific vehicle for oil change/service shops in which I do not). It's a smart move businesswise as well as contributing to the victims in Oklahoma.
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June 10, 2013 01:38AM
LisaSTL Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I wonder if that story is true or an urban legend.
> The same story was circulating after Hurricane
> Sandy.
>
> There is also an e-mail about charities and it
> makes the rounds on a regular basis. The e-mail
> lists what percentage of funds go to
> administrative costs and the annual salaries and
> perks of the directors. The problem is virtually
> everything claimed in the e-mail is wrong. That
> includes what is said about both the charities
> being slammed and the ones being promoted as the
> "good guys."
>
> A simple Google search will bring up several
> independent websites that rate charities. They
> include the percentage of funds going to
> administrative costs and to salaries and actual
> fundraising efforts. I would highly recommend
> people try that before donating or refusing to
> donate to a charity.

The story is true. My brother knew the attorney. Do check those websites, though. Administrative costs generally should not exceed 20%.
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June 10, 2013 03:46AM
I picked up one of their $17 car shops. The dealer is less than 5 miles round trip and I'm to only spend 45 minutes on the lot. I had the time available and I'm able to offer additional help to a good cause. I likely would have passed over the shop if the nickel wasn't being donated.

.
Have PV-500 & willing to travel.
"Answers are easy. It's asking the right questions which is hard." (The Fourth Doctor, The Face of Evil, 1977)

"Somedays you're the pigeon, somedays you're the statue.” J. Andrew Taylor

"I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him." Galileo Galilei
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