Haverford resident Jennifer Lynn Robinson has discovered, along with the rest of us, that it’s impossible these days to get away from donation requests at checkouts,  writes Erin McCarthy for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Whether it’s store clerks or check-out screens, they all want her to round up her bill or donate to charity.

Robinson regularly rounds up but only gives a donation once when prompted.

“It’s similar to the situation we’ve all encountered when you get takeout pizza, and they say, ‘Do you want to tip?’” Robinson said. 

Requesting a tip and requesting donations are “equally intrusive,” she said.

Charities teamed up with companies to create this effective way to fundraise, but now consumers are experiencing donation fatigue.

About 59 percent of consumers gave to a charity at a checkout counter in 2023, down from 80 percent in 2021, according to a Wall Street Journal survey.

Some are skeptical about where the money goes. Others said they can’t afford it every time they go into a store, while others are just annoyed by the frequency of requests.

Spokespeople for ShopRite, Wawa, Giant, and Rite Aid emphasize that 100 percent of checkout donations go to the stated cause.

Find out more about the impact of checkout donation fatigue in The Philadelphia Inquirer.