Rolling With The Tide

I don't love all household chores, but I do love laundry. There's something about starting with a heap of dirty things, tossing them in a machine and having them come out clean and smelling fresh. I choose my laundry detergent based on smell - I love a soap scent! Because it always smells good, even days or weeks after a wash, I love Tide.

So when my favorite detergent started making it easy to help people in need, I made sure my purchase was for a cause.

The story goes like this: for every bottle of this "Loads of Hope" Tide you buy, $1 goes help people in disaster areas get their laundry clean. I have no idea of how many bottles of this detergent I've bought over the last year, but only this weekend did I read the fine print.

You have to register a code from the container in order for that dollar to reach this charity.

I have to haul that container to my computer, put in a code so that dollar can get to the people who need it?

It seems like the folks at Tide, who are owned by Procter & Gamble - a super-sized company - could keep tabs of how many bottles of the special Tide are made, then track how many are sold. Otherwise, it seems misleading to advertise that charitable donation which really doesn't kick in until the code is registered.

I wonder how many others have bought that detergent thinking just having a cashier scan it at the checkout register would be enough to do some good? Instead, it's up to the consumer to take that extra step or Tide keeps that dollar. Because they do have a notice on the front of the bottle telling you to register the code, what they're doing is not dishonest. It sure is sneaky.

So, friends, if you've bought this special Tide, please register the code so that dollar reaches the people who could use clean clothes and the comfort of something that smells nice when life stinks.