Shoppers at grocery stores in Washington state appear to be getting more than they bargained for when they prepare to pay.
At the self-checkout kiosks of Haggen, an Albertsons-owned chain, paying customers have been prompted to donate money for Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion or “DEI awareness.”
The initiative, which began June 15, is slated to continue until Aug. 8, according to a Haggen Foundation sign at the kiosk. The advertisement further states one may donate to support groups “that make positive social changes to ensure all community members live a healthy and fully inclusive life.”
The Haggen Community Giving website refers to its current two-month campaign as “Inspiring Change Together.”
‘Woke’ Causes
The organizations involved comprise such goodwill charities as the American Cancer Society, according to the Haggen website, but also groups that focus on “woke” causes. Among the latter is Seattle-based Northwest Justice Project (NJP), whose mission statement—as stated on its website—strives to challenge “structural and racial inequities” to foster “long-term well-being of low-income individuals, families and communities” throughout Washington.
In contributing to the NJP on its website, participants agree to “support Civil Legal Aid to provide peace of mind to families and protect the health of our community.” The statement goes on to explain monetary gifts will supply “free legal services to address needs for housing stability, family safety, income security, health care, education” and so forth.
Haggen has a history of backing DEI drives. Last year, the company threw its support behind Empower Next Generations and the Northwest Immigrants Rights Project.
On social media, disgruntled and unimpressed patrons of Haggen and Albertsons have posted screen-shots of the DEI question. Evidently, the checkout screens display the question “Would you like to donate to help advocate for DEI awareness?” with options of $1 or more, though there is also an opt-out choice of “No thanks” for shoppers who aren’t interested.
NTD News reached out to Albertsons corporate office and Haggen for comment but hadn’t heard back as of Wednesday afternoon.
Albertsons, which also owns additional grocery chains, including Market Street and Safeway, isn’t the first major business to test the loyalty of conservative customers in 2023.
Bud Light’s ill-fated partnership with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney was all but doomed from the start, resulting in considerable revenue losses for brewer Anheuser-Busch. In addition, retailer Target’s displays for Pride Month LGBT children’s attire resulted in a backlash from observers who viewed the showcase as inappropriate.
