I remember the times when the only fast foods that took Visas and debit cards were in the airports. I was always curious why fast foods on the streets did not take them when just about every store around did.
Well times have changed and most fast foods now take credit and debit cards. I personally think it’s great to use my debit card; I don’t have to worry about having money in my pockets, having enough on me or the change that jingles when you walk. Ah, but that’s where this article is heading to, that change. I don’t know about most people, but I usually never actually walked out or walked away with that change from a fast food. You see, there are these nice little donation boxes where you can put this change, or dollars, that would benefit children. I usually put my change there, even thru the drive thru.
Interesting enough though, the other day I went to Wendy’s to get something to eat and as I gave my card to the cashier to charge me I looked down and saw the famous little donation box. That’s when I asked myself, “if people use their cards more often, how will these donation boxes get donations from a card transaction?” In a way I felt bad. Sure, many people believe that these donation foundations are cover-ups for people who take your money and do what they want for it, that only so much of the money really goes to the children they claim to help. I however chose to believe that some actually do work and even if they don’t give all the money, at least some of it does go to them. In a way that’s good enough for me, no one does anything for free now a days anyways, I wouldn’t.
Now I ask myself, how will these donation foundations keep up with technology? How will they get donations when they depended on the change left over from a Big Mac combo or a large chili but now are being paid with plastic most of the time? Before most fast food did not take credit or debit cards so these boxes thrived on the change from a $5, $10 or $20 bill. It was a 50/50 chance of getting people to drop the change in the box. Now with people using cards often, that 50/50 drops big time. Every time a person uses a card it drops to almost 0 instantly, unless they just happen to have a few pennies in their pocket.
So what will these foundations do to continue to get donations even from people who don’t have change in their pockets anymore? Will they use new tech that will allow people to swipe a card and donate a dollar or 2 straight from their bank accounts? Maybe a gadget like from the one in Back to the Future II where you can thumb print a few bucks from your account. I just wonder, kinda like a company that had 500 employees to make a product and ship it but now they have computers and machines so they only need about 20 people to produce the same product, now these donation boxes will have to make changes in order to get something out of those who use cards to pay things.
What do you think? Have any ideas on what they can do? Do you think they should do something about it or do you think they don’t deserve any of the money? Speak up.