The charitable bra

I’m currently on a trip to South Carolina in the US. Before I start writing any article about the cities I’m visiting, I keep getting distracted by interesting cultural practices here. One hundred articles keep forming in my jetlagged head!

Also, staying most of the time with relatives who live in this part of the world, gives one an even closer perspective of this land which is considered by many as a dream destination.

One interesting practice that is seldom seen in Europe, is the big number of charitable organisations - mostly religious affiliated - that send mail to homes asking for donations for different causes.

I asked an elderly American woman if she participates in any of these donations, the answer came as a very big yes. She went ahead to explain that though she does not follow the same religion of that organisation, still she believes in charity work.

I asked her if she had ever visited this organisation and seen where her money goes, the answer came in negative.

It seemed rather interesting how many people like her gave to at least one of the tens of invitations that arrive on daily basis in the mail box, with no questions asked.

What is more intriguing is that such invitations come in such a beautiful package with a large font indicating that there is a free gift inside.

Of course, no one thinks of throwing away a gift, so you open the letter, get the small gift and in between, you may change your mind and donate.

And if this does not sound commercial enough, the following story happened when I visited one of biggest malls in the area.

Bra-fitting fete
There were ads at the lingerie department about a bra-fitting event that was about to take place, and given the fact that a big percentage of women still do not know how to choose the right size of bra, this sounded like a good event.

Also, the store promised to donate $2 (about Shs7,200) for each fitting done at the store to breast cancer research, and some other promises here and there. But wait a minute, don’t they say there is no free lunch in Paris?

So what was the catch here? The answer came from the saleswoman who told us what was not written on the brochure, that we have to donate an amount to another charity to be able to participate.

I’m quite sure that in the back offices of any small or big shop, there are teams of people planning meticulously on how to make more money from clients, and they are doing a good job.

But still, I have to give it to the Americans and they have the best after-sale service.

I have not seen any store in all my travels that accepted lingerie back. Here, they do. And you have a whole month to return what you do not like.

So next time you are in an American store, once you reach the cashier, expect to get all kinds of promotional offers, fidelity cards and special discounts once you obtain the store’s credit card. This is when you should keep calm and only pick what suits your pocket.