Charitable donation requests at stores' cash registers could cause customers to have negative feelings toward businesses and potentially hurt retailers' bottom line, according to a recent study in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services.

The requests can make shoppers feel anxious and under a time crunch because they're often made at the end of the checkout process while other shoppers are waiting in line behind them, the University of Adelaide Business School study said. 

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The perceived time rush also causes some shoppers to feel as if the donation requests are "intrusive," and could result in "reduced satisfaction, lower purchase intentions, and negative brand evaluations," according to the study.

Checkout donations are a double-edged sword 

Checkout charity, or donations made by customers during the checkout process, have been a large success for charitable organizations, the study found. 

More than $275 million was raised for charitable organizations across 92 checkout charity campaigns in 2024, the study said. Domino's Pizza (NASDAQ:DPZ) has raised more than $126 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the past two decades and anticipates donating a further $174 million over the next 10 years, according to the study. 

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Donating to charities should make shoppers feel better about themselves, a phenomenon known as "warm glow," but instead feel as if they're "doing good but feeling bad" due to anxiety caused by the short amount of time shoppers have to decide whether or not they want to donate, the study said. 

Additionally, shoppers may feel skeptical about giving to certain charitable causes due to a lack of information about how their donations will be used, according to the study. 

How retailers can reduce shoppers' anxiety 

Retailers should find ways to ask for charitable donations without making the customer feel as if they're being rushed or pressured into donating, the study said. 

This includes educating shoppers about ongoing charity campaigns earlier in the shopping process, instead of surprising them at the end of checkout, or integrating the request into a tablet or screen rather than having cashiers make verbal requests, according to the study. 

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Businesses should also seek to foster warm glow in customers by using "emotionally-resonant storytelling" and reduce charity skepticism by being transparent about how donations are used, the study said. Only 44% of brands shared fundraising results with their customers, the study added.

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