Charity collector in city store row (From York Press)

I suppose it is. Arguable as to where the footpath ends and the Store's ownership begins.

The spokesman says the Company welcomes and supports collections outside its store but what goes on outside its land has nothing to do with them, does it?

I witnessed a similar incident to this last year and was not impressed by what I say. I have not shopped at the store since.

Well done for standing up to the mighty M&S

What a miserable M & S g**.

It wasn't really M&S here, just one manager.
Happens all the time, you do something for ages, no-one bats an eyelid, then one person has a bad day or doesn't like the look of you and you have to bear the brunt of it.

Hope the officious misery gets a good rollicking.

Buzz Light-year wrote:
It wasn't really M&S here, just one manager.
Happens all the time, you do something for ages, no-one bats an eyelid, then one person has a bad day or doesn't like the look of you and you have to bear the brunt of it.

Hope the officious misery gets a good rollicking.

Agreed. Reading the official comments, it sounds like one idiot manager rather than company policy.

It's not just anyone calling the police, its M&S calling the police.

Unfortunately, this is modern Britain where 81 year old charity raisers have the law called on them. Corporate puppets think they own the world. Remind me never to never shop in M&S again.

Unfortunately it seems the elderly gentleman actually is also a skilled story teller. Having been shopping on Saturday morning in York and witnessing this incident it is nothing like described in this article. Yes a manager from M&S asked him to move, but just away from their immediate entrance, which to be fair is within their rights, literally a couple of yards from where he was as he was right in front of the shop. He could have easily been in the way of customers coming in and out of the shop, so it seemed a very fair request. The elderly chap reacted in a very angry way, and shouted at the manager, and started slagging off M&S. He then carried on doing this when the manager moved away, at which point another pedestrian asked the collector to calm down as he was not doing the charity any favours! I then witnessed him continuing to make slanderous comments about M&S. The manager returned and just asked the gentleman to calm down, but by this point he had literally gone "mental". I cannot believe he has then gone to the press about it, as if I was the manager of M&S I would have been tempted to call the police as this guy was acting pretty erratically. Also I often see a Big Issue seller just outside M&S who stands just off their property and he never seems to be asked to move as he is not on their property. Lets not read too much into this as I know M&S do a huge amount for charity, as they supported Breakthrough Breast Cancer, and I was very grateful to them, when one of my family suffered from this horrendous disease.

I don't know the rights and wrongs of the incident, but I do know the Press can never resist a photograph of a very young or very old person looking glum after someone has dared not to patronise them in the manner to which they've become accustomed.

It is not the first time M&S as had charity fundraisers moved from the front of there stores

M&S also are one of the main objectors to the market been in Parliament street full time

Buzz Light-year wrote:
It wasn't really M&S here, just one manager. Happens all the time, you do something for ages, no-one bats an eyelid, then one person has a bad day or doesn't like the look of you and you have to bear the brunt of it. Hope the officious misery gets a good rollicking.

Any employee of M & S is a representative of that company whether it is company policy or not.

I was buying a daffodil from this fundraiser on saturday morning, when one of the girls from the m&s cafe came and asked him if he would like a hot drink and a teacake, ! Didnt mention that did he!

Many might not be aware, but to fund raise in the city you need to apply to the council, they will issue you with certain dates that you can do collections. In addition to this various stores including M&S allow collections on their premises.. M&S do a lot to support charities, and I don't think its unreasonable to be asked to move away from the door, especially of hey have already invited another charity into the store too collect.

The funny thing about this story is that when I went up to the counter to pay for some goods at M & S there were 2 charity boxes -one for prostrate cancer and the other involved a daffodil !! Therefore it seems like a mountain out of a molehill-possibly an over officious employee and from one of the above comments a very grumpy old man .

York Student wrote:
Unfortunately it seems the elderly gentleman actually is also a skilled story teller. Having been shopping on Saturday morning in York and witnessing this incident it is nothing like described in this article. Yes a manager from M&S asked him to move, but just away from their immediate entrance, which to be fair is within their rights, literally a couple of yards from where he was as he was right in front of the shop. He could have easily been in the way of customers coming in and out of the shop, so it seemed a very fair request. The elderly chap reacted in a very angry way, and shouted at the manager, and started slagging off M&S. He then carried on doing this when the manager moved away, at which point another pedestrian asked the collector to calm down as he was not doing the charity any favours! I then witnessed him continuing to make slanderous comments about M&S. The manager returned and just asked the gentleman to calm down, but by this point he had literally gone "mental". I cannot believe he has then gone to the press about it, as if I was the manager of M&S I would have been tempted to call the police as this guy was acting pretty erratically. Also I often see a Big Issue seller just outside M&S who stands just off their property and he never seems to be asked to move as he is not on their property. Lets not read too much into this as I know M&S do a huge amount for charity, as they supported Breakthrough Breast Cancer, and I was very grateful to them, when one of my family suffered from this horrendous disease.

A very interesting post, from someone who appears to be an independent witness. Just goes to show that there are two side to every story.

chunks wrote:

York Student wrote: Unfortunately it seems the elderly gentleman actually is also a skilled story teller. Having been shopping on Saturday morning in York and witnessing this incident it is nothing like described in this article. Yes a manager from M&S asked him to move, but just away from their immediate entrance, which to be fair is within their rights, literally a couple of yards from where he was as he was right in front of the shop. He could have easily been in the way of customers coming in and out of the shop, so it seemed a very fair request. The elderly chap reacted in a very angry way, and shouted at the manager, and started slagging off M&S. He then carried on doing this when the manager moved away, at which point another pedestrian asked the collector to calm down as he was not doing the charity any favours! I then witnessed him continuing to make slanderous comments about M&S. The manager returned and just asked the gentleman to calm down, but by this point he had literally gone "mental". I cannot believe he has then gone to the press about it, as if I was the manager of M&S I would have been tempted to call the police as this guy was acting pretty erratically. Also I often see a Big Issue seller just outside M&S who stands just off their property and he never seems to be asked to move as he is not on their property. Lets not read too much into this as I know M&S do a huge amount for charity, as they supported Breakthrough Breast Cancer, and I was very grateful to them, when one of my family suffered from this horrendous disease.

A very interesting post, from someone who appears to be an independent witness. Just goes to show that there are two side to every story.

The thing is though, most people here (like chunks and myself) don't use their real name. If York Student's story is correct, then he/she should go to the press so that they can print an independant witness' account.

For all we know, York Student could be an employee of M&S trying to smear Mr French.

It is a laudable thing to collect for charity, but to stand in front of a door obstructing access is a pain in the a****. I walk over to donate to charities I support, but if one of those was obstructing my access...not a happy bunny!

AnotherPointofView wrote:

chunks wrote:

York Student wrote: Unfortunately it seems the elderly gentleman actually is also a skilled story teller. Having been shopping on Saturday morning in York and witnessing this incident it is nothing like described in this article. Yes a manager from M&S asked him to move, but just away from their immediate entrance, which to be fair is within their rights, literally a couple of yards from where he was as he was right in front of the shop. He could have easily been in the way of customers coming in and out of the shop, so it seemed a very fair request. The elderly chap reacted in a very angry way, and shouted at the manager, and started slagging off M&S. He then carried on doing this when the manager moved away, at which point another pedestrian asked the collector to calm down as he was not doing the charity any favours! I then witnessed him continuing to make slanderous comments about M&S. The manager returned and just asked the gentleman to calm down, but by this point he had literally gone "mental". I cannot believe he has then gone to the press about it, as if I was the manager of M&S I would have been tempted to call the police as this guy was acting pretty erratically. Also I often see a Big Issue seller just outside M&S who stands just off their property and he never seems to be asked to move as he is not on their property. Lets not read too much into this as I know M&S do a huge amount for charity, as they supported Breakthrough Breast Cancer, and I was very grateful to them, when one of my family suffered from this horrendous disease.

A very interesting post, from someone who appears to be an independent witness. Just goes to show that there are two side to every story.

The thing is though, most people here (like chunks and myself) don't use their real name. If York Student's story is correct, then he/she should go to the press so that they can print an independant witness' account.

For all we know, York Student could be an employee of M&S trying to smear Mr French.

Or because it is a non-story...bloke blocking door of shop asked to move aside by manager...10 mins later man moves aside! OMG what is the world coming to...

I also donate to causes of my choice, i do object to having a collection tin rattled in my face or being asked to donate. Is this not classed as begging?

bolero wrote:
What a miserable M & S g**.

He didn't have red glasses on did he?

If the seller as sold in the same spot all them years why m&s change their minds now.these charity workers give their time free and this man lost his wife to the condition he's raising funds for.just hope management never need help with cancer treatment but can't get it because lack of funds.m&s should make a donation.

Anistasia,as I said in my previous post there is a Marie Curie charity box at the payment counter in the mens department as well as a prostrate cancer box so M & S can't be classed as not donating to the said charity.