Turns Out That Rounding Up At The Grocery Store Checkout Is Making A Big Difference
Those small donations at the cash register raised $749 million in 2022.
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If you've wondered whether rounding up your bill at the checkout adds up to much, well, turns out it makes a big difference.
Those small donations at the cash register raised $749 million in 2022—double the amount raised a decade earlier. According to a report from NPR, it's the spare-change strategy that has really caused donations to skyrocket.
Round-up campaigns are nearly ubiquitous at supermarkets since they started 15 years ago, and they've since spread to fast-food chains and convenience stores. For instance, the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals raised $138 million from campaigns at Costco, Walmart, Ace Hardware, Panda Express, 7-Eleven, and DQ in 2022. The haul was so big it made up a third of their total fundraising.
Some shoppers told NPR they were getting a little tired of all the requests, but ultimately, it's a fairly painless way to give to causes you care about.
Ike Silver, an assistant professor at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, said that people naturally like round numbers. To many, rounding up feels like no big deal, while others feel a little guilty about questioning a few pennies, nickels, or dimes.
"It becomes an opportunity to signal to yourself and others that you care," Silver told NPR. "It's such a low-cost ask that to say no starts to induce slight feelings of guilt."
Of course, some shoppers prefer to know where their money is going and can balk at donating to a cause they've never even heard of. In that case, you shouldn't feel guilty about researching and choosing charities to donate to from the comfort of your home. And other shoppers are likely to step in.
"The number of regular customers who donate every time and round up every time—it's really inspiring," said Jennifer Bradbury, executive director of the Taco Bell Foundation. They raised $42 million last year with an average donation of 44 cents.
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