NorthofDetroitGuy's Blog

Recently our Boy Scout group had a pop can drive.  We typically do this 2-3 times a year.  In fact, we have been in 2 scout groups, 1 when my son was in Cub Scouts, and now my son is in Boy Scouts. 

If you don't know the Boy Scouts are different from the Girl Scouts and other groups in some ways.  The Boy Scouts don't spend a lot of time selling Girl Scout cookies and such.  They spend a large portion of their time on cleanup projects, volunteer work, doing good deeds, etc.  For example we participate in Can Do and Goodfellows to help the needy.  In addition they learn many values by camping and being in the outdoors.  Camping cost money. 

The Boys pay a lot of fees to be in Boy Scouts.  To offset that cost they hold the pop can drives where flyers are distributed in the local neighborhood.  Last Sunday was Super bowl Sunday and my son braved the cold temperatures and snow to distribute these flyers.  To many this also provides a service as the boys will take back the pop cans, and the people that donate will write it off on taxes.  It's a win, win situation.

 The cans will have to go back anyway. 

 You may notice that many stores are now posting a limit on pop can deposits even if the cans were purchased from that location.  Let me give you an example:

I could buy $100 in pop for a graduation party at Kroger at 35 cents a can (~285 cans or  8 - 36 packs), plus pay the State of Michigan deposit (which I am supposed to get back) at the register.  However, Kroger will not let me return more than 250 cans.  So I either have to make another trip to another store, or lose my deposit on the other cans.

They recently strongly implied that the boys should not come back to Kroger even though they stayed to the left and used only 1 machine and helped others with their cans.  On top of that, when the boys went to the register, Kroger would not cash in $15 in receipts stating that it was over their $25 limit. Eventually Kroger did give out the money as the parents counted for the per person $25 limit.  We are also not talking a heard of boys.  Typically 1-5.  So it's not like there is a mob in the return area.

 If Kroger doesn't want the boys using their machines, simply have a manager count the cans and call it a day.  However, I think Kroger is being very petty about this.  If they charge the deposit, they should have to take the cans back. 

So why the limits?  Well it CAN prevent homeless people from bringing their cans into the store which they get out of the garbage, but essentially they just make smaller trips now.  In addition it allows Kroger to keep more cash on hand since less people pay with Cash now, they may need it for change and such.  However, what happens to that deposit money since people will bring less cans back to Kroger???  You may have guessed it, they get to keep it.  So by setting a limit, they will get you to take your cans elsewhere.  I feel the Attorney general should force stores like Kroger to accommodate any size deposit.  If they have a large deposit, and don't want their machines clogging up, then they can make other arrangements for groups such as counting the cans by hand and not going thru the machine, arranging off hours for large returns, or even place the machines in an area outside of store traffic, such as off the front entrance, like ATM machine locations are.   Not to mention, if you buy Kroger brand cans, you can only return them at Kroger.  In any other industry, if you charged a deposit and didn't return it, you would be sued, or worse, like having the attorney general beat down your door.  Think if you were charged a deposit for renting a car, bicycle, ATV, carpet cleaner, and when you went to bring it back, they said "Sorry!" and didn't give you your money back.

What do you think?  Is Kroger petty by not allowing large returns?  Or is the Scout group wrong for trying to raise money and return a high volume of cans?