Frank O'Brien's bright-red smock says, "I'm a Salvation Army bell ringer," but his arms are crossed, and no bell is in sight.
Manning a donation kettle last week, O'Brien promises he's not a lazy volunteer who'd rather stand in silence. Rather, the Smithfield Kiwanis Club member has no bell because Carolina Premium Outlets has banned them.
With no bell to draw in shoppers and their loose change, Salvation Army leaders say collections at the outlet center kettle are down 25 to 30 percent from last year. O'Brien said that after an hour or so in the cold, he'd had just a couple donors.
"Without the bell, the pot doesn't fill up," he said, adding that he figures shoppers hear the bell as they approach the kettle and have time to pull out change.
Lt. Kevin Justice of the Salvation Army said his group has placed a kettle in front of Carolina Pottery for years, and until now, volunteers had always been able to ring bells. Justice said no one told him why the outlet center had banned the practice this year.
Outlet officials said the bells would drown out the Christmas music being piped onto the sidewalks at the shopping center. "As we play holiday music at our centers, we ask that the bells not be rung so that shoppers can enjoy the music or any other special holiday activity going on at the center," said Linda Crowder, manager of Carolina Premium Outlets. "We have never had an issue with this and have coordinated with the Salvation Army for years at this location and other centers across the country."
Crowder said the policy isn't new. "This has always been our request of the Salvation Army and we have always worked well with them in helping them achieve their goals," she said.
O'Brien said he thinks most people are at the outlets to shop, not to listen to Christmas music. And Justice said no other local retailer has complained about the bell ringing, although stores won't allow it indoors. Throughout December, the Salvation Army has bell ringers in front of Belk, Walmart, Kmart and Roses in Smithfield, at Big Lots in Selma and at other Johnston County stores. Donations in those places have kept pace with prior years, Justice said.
"People see the bell as the Salvation Army," he said. "It really takes away from the spirit of giving."
Still, Justice said his group has no plans to abandon the Carolina Pottery kettle location. But the bell ban isn't popular with volunteers, some of whom have asked to work other locations. Last Wednesday, Justice said he had no one lined up to man the outlet kettle the rest of the week.
O'Brien said the experience is no fun without the bell. In years past, many shoppers have stopped to chat with him, but he's been largely ignored this year, he said.
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