Albertson's corporate rule about solicitation is keeping Salvation Army bell ringers away from the grocery store.
The move, which went into effect Friday, means the fund-raising efforts at two Casper stores will suffer, said a Salvation Army official who hopes customers make their feelings known."Unfortunately, it hits us at the time when most of the donations come in, the weeks right before Christmas," said Salvation Army Capt. Dave Roehl.
He said the charity is moving into its most productive time of year in raising money for food baskets, toys and other amenities.
Managers at two Casper Albertson stores declined comment, but the chain's corporate headquarters in Boise said that under federal law, consistent application of the store's no-solicitation policy is necessary.
"Albertson's is very supportive of the Salvation Army," the news release said, adding that the company made a cash donation to the charity earlier this year.
Roehl said he understood that the decision was not up to local managers and that the charity has to respect the corporate ruling. He said that Albertson's is not the only business barring the Salvation Army bell ringers in the Natrona County region.