SPIVEY Turned down.
SANTA BABY: Salvation Army sidewalk singer Carolyn Wells, outside Tiffany’s yesterday, concedes that being a pretty woman doesn’t hurt in attracting donors to fill her kettle. (
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You need more than a pretty voice to solicit Salvation Army donations — you’ve got to be a hot chick, too.
An aspiring male actor who applied to be one of the charity’s singing, bell-ringing personalities was turned away for the job — because managers said young, female crooners raked in more cash.
Jonathan Spivey, 29, says he was dismissed by the Salvation Army when he called in to work Sunday — the first day of his seasonal job — because of his gender.
“She said, ‘I’m sorry, but this isn’t going to work out,’ ’’ the Prospect Heights resident told The Post.
“She said, ‘Women bring in more money than men. Young, cute girls are bringing in more money. I had to let another man go today, so we’re going to put out an ad targeting women for the position,’ ” Spivey claimed.
Spivey, who studied singing at the Old Globe Theater School in San Diego, said he was “shocked” and that “she blatantly told me I wasn’t going to be able to work the job because I’m a man.”
“I applied for the job because you’re standing on the street singing for several hours a day. I thought it would be a way for me to keep up my skill set and raise money for the people who need it the most.”
Several female singers suggested yesterday that the right look draws more into the red donation cans.
“It doesn’t hurt to be cute,” quipped Carolyn Wells, 20, who sings for the charity outside Tiffany & Co. on Fifth Avenue.
“Being pretty definitely helps,” said Wells, noting her donation kettle was “full already” after just three hours. “A man dropped a $100 bill in the first 30 minutes.”
Even bell ringers — not hired for their singing — said women have an edge.
“Every day we have a count of who brings in the most money, and so far, it’s been females,” said Anthony Pollock, 50, one of 25 bellringers working between 14th Street and Rockefeller Center for $7.50 per hour.
Usually, Pollock said, the winner is Maria Guzman, who rings her bell in Union Square.
“[Supervisors] just say, ‘You did good today,’ ” said Guzman, 50, who is in her sixth season and says she rakes in about $110 in donations daily. “They keep calling me back, so I must be doing something right.”
The Salvation Army did not respond to multiple requests for comment yesterday on Spivey’s claim of elf-gender bias.
Additional reporting by Julia Marsh