codyg1985’s Think Tank

But you won’t find them outside Target this year.

Local Salvation Army officials are scrambling to make up the expected loss of donations after Target decided not to allow any solicitations outside its stores, including its Tuscaloosa location.

“It will mean a significant loss of revenue for us,’” said Maj. Brian Gilliam of the Salvation Army in Tuscaloosa. “But we don’t blame Target.”

Target’s decision does not appear to be part of a trend. Other local malls and retailers that were contacted Monday said the Salvation Army would be welcome again this year.

Gilliam said the local Salvation Army collected about $13,000 at Tuscaloosa’s Target store last holiday season. That was a large portion of the more than $100,000 in total/sdonations collected, he said.

The Salvation Army is a nonprofit group that provides food, clothing, prescription medicine and other necessities to needy families.

Nationally, the Salvation Army expects to lose as much as $9 million in contributions because of the Target ban. Roughly 10 percent of the $93 million collected last year by Salvation Army bell ringers came from Target customers.

Target insists it is no corporate Grinch but instead is simply enforcing a long-standing policy against allowing solicitations at its stores. The company said for years it has made an exception to its policy in the case of the Salvation Army.

“We’ve always had a no-solicitation policy,” said Target spokeswoman Brie Heath. “But we continue to receive more and more requests from other charities to solicit at our stores. We could no longer say no to others and say yes to the Salvation Army.”

Heath said Target donates millions of dollars to charities each year, and its employees volunteer in communities where the company has store locations.

“There are other, many other ways we support these nonprofit groups,” Heath said.

The local Salvation Army will still be allowed to place its bell ringers at McFarland and University malls, grocery stores and other large retailers like Wal-Mart.

“The Salvation Army is very welcome at all of our stores across the nation,” said Wal-Mart spokesman Dan Fogleman. “They help us to make a positive impact in the communities we serve.”

Gilliam said the local Salvation Army would seek other locations to place its bell ringers for the annual kettle donation drive, which begins the day after Thanksgiving and runs through Christmas.