General Chat

I am still considering buying those books from Oxfam because I do need an anaesthetic to spend money but would still rather give it to a charity than to Amazon.

Now Oxfam has been shown to have a scandal brewing.

I did think I should hurry up and buy them before they are snapped up but that is really not very likely.

Dreadful, isn't it :-|

My sister worked for Oxfam, in the finance department, 40+ years ago.
Those 'in charge' then, were definitely over-funding themselves.

All these scandals and huge firms not paying tax is limiting what I can buy, and where I can buy it :-|

With me, it started in the 1970's with Nestles giving free formula milk to women on maternity wards.
This interfered with the lactation process, and when the mothers left hospital, they had to carry on using formula, which was very expensive to buy - and clean water was hard to come by, so babies died. :-(

Can you afford to take the moral high ground? You’d really like to own the books but not buy them at a higher price.

Regardless of what we may think about the actions of *some* aid workers, overall the charities do good.

Personally I won’t donate to Oxfam, stemming back to financial improprieties rumours in the 1960s. Other charities are unlikely to come out as squeaky clean if there were in-depth investigations.

It's a dilemma isn't it?

I have not bought Nestles for years because they insisted on having their donation to the Ethiopian famine relief repaid. I also have not bought Shell for may years, have not bought a Walker's product since they returned to using chicken in their products.

There are others but I can't bring them to mind.

I will probably buy the books because you really can't expect perfection nd it is still better than using Amazon.

There is that programme being shown on Monday about Premier Inns and that will probably give us fewer choices of places to stay.

Consider all the things we take for granted for which we show little appreciation.

Can you elaborate a little on that please Dermot.

Sharron - I just think it's wrong & childishly frightful to withhold financial support to a long-serving & a well respected charitable organisation just because a few rotten apples were discovered in a barrel overflowing with financial generosity & general good will of the subscribers.

I certainly will purchase from them rather than Amazon but I am a bit dubious about how much of my money will be used for philanthropic purpose.

...and how much will be used to fund those in charge...

But still, as you say, better than Amazon.

https://www.oxfam.org.uk/donate/how-we-spend-your-money
A download of the published 2016/17 annual report & accounts is available on an imbedded link.

Mind you, there are lies, damn lies and statistics!

You don't mind those working there and in charge getting a decent wage but many times it is outrageous how much they're paid, and it's always under the banner well we have to pay to get the right people....yeah no pay a good wage and if they're the right people maybe they'd want to help the charity anyway.

Buy the books Sharron you're not likely to get a better price from others and Amazon certainly have their issues all around the world.

I stopped buying from Oxfam a few years ago when I realised they were buying in their Christmas cards & selling them with the Oxfam logo and as home made cards.

Maggie, I agree with you about Nestles.

I am rarely surprised at how low a firm can stoop to effect a sale though.

The firm I worked for no longer bought Nescafé when that happened.

Do charities still have to operate under Charity Commission rules? Since retiring I have not checked.

It would be interesting to find out how many at the top have gold cards provided, first class travel and other perks not available to their other workers.