What do you say to door-to-door salesmen/fundraisers?

Marble Dragon

Marble Dragon

My hovercraft is full of eels!
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Aug 9, 2014
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We had three people come to the door today trying to raise money to reduce the practice of fracking (using high pressure water/chemicals to harvest gas) and my fiance was like, "Holly, go get rid of them. I have to leave for work." And mind you, he's usually fairly polite, but he also gets straight to the point in implying "get lost."

Me, I have worked crappy sales jobs so I usually invite them in, knowing they are probably treated unkindly by a lot of people. I listened to their spiel, then politely replied that I couldn't donate any money. (I have to save my money to buy toys, mahn! Besides, I didn't recognize the name of their organization...for all I know, they could be raising money to feed an army of Wumpas to enslave the world's dolphins.)

Then they asked me like 10 times...geez, I don't want to be mean, but how do you politely say no means no.
 
I just smile sweetly and give them a spiel about Lions (I'm a member of our local Lions club). Usually they get the message and slink off completely defeated. Though honestly until I started doing this it was a nightmare! Have to say the poor red cross guy on Monday could only shake his head at me he was so completely squashed and because I was so polite and cheerful about it he couldn't really say anything. :D
 
People are always coming to my apartment complex to sell stuff. They sell anything and everything fruit, candy, roofing, and other stuff. I'm not sure why they try to sell us roofing. The building is owned by a management company. Anyway usually my dad says he doesn't have a job and they leave or we ignore them by not answering the door.
 
I usually stop them as soon as they get past the "have you heard" or would you be willing to donate" part of their spiel and say something along the lines of "Let me stop you right there. I really don't want to waste your time talking when I know I'm not going to give anything, but I hope you have better luck at the next house."

...Though often this is helped by the fact that we own a pit mix who is very enthusiastically trying to greet her brand new best friend at the door. People around here are still pretty breed ignorant and take her enthusiasm as vicious behavior so no one really sticks around. She's my "solicitor repellent". :D
 
In my country, the only door-to-door salesmen we get are random broom/feather-duster sellers, but we also get Jehovah's Witnesses occasionally. Though 99% of the time it's just beggars. The crime in South Africa means everyone has tall motorized gates, high walls or spiked trellises, barbed wire and/or electric fencing... nobody lets anyone into the property unless they're friends/relatives or they've come by appointment. Here at my boyfriend's house, whenever someone pushes the intercom buzzer, we first go look out the bathroom window to see who it is. The maid usually goes out to collect any deliveries, otherwise we ignore the person as best we can until they go away. His family has nine dogs, seven of them indoors and two in the back yard, so I think the barking also deters anyone who'd otherwise think to linger.
 
The only time I ever buy from them is if it's a girl scout! Those cookies are so good!
 
My husband was nice to some religious people who came to the door a few years ago. Now they keep coming back and they always let the cat out. Since I don't want to talk to them OR chase the cat through the hedge, I just don't answer the door on the weekends. If Mr. Skeen is home he will talk to them but I'm usually in my pajamas and elbow deep in snacks when they come. Don't judge me, that's what I do on weekends. :p

They're a very nice elderly couple, always dressed to the nines (the man never speaks but he always wears a perfectly pressed suit) and I feel bad ignoring them, but we're atheists and I don't have it in me to break their hearts after all this time.
 
Hmm, maybe I should train my dog to act scarier. Can you teach a dog to growl on command? Or drool on command?
 
Grrr, evil Samoas, they are the devil! Can't just eat one of them..must eat whole box...then find another box...then another...*twitch, twitch*
 
I know your pain. W only have them once a year and only buy 2 little boxes.
 
I just tell them no thank you and let them be on their way. sometimes if its really hot, (I live in the California desert and it can get in the 100s here) and I see that they've got little kids/old/disabled people I give them some bottled water. If the religious folk are persistent and can't take the hint and there've been a few who don't understand a polite farewell, that's when I start turning on the nasty. I've little patience for pushy, preachy types.

Girlscouts on the other hand, well they are always welcome. I was a GS myself so hopefully I've got money i can buy samoa cookies and lemonade cookies and shortbread. fortunately my daughter is friends with a girl scout so we don't hafta search too hard for our yearly girl scout cookies
 
SkippetyDoo said:
That reminds me of a time when @roserebellion was too nice to some mormons that came to her door literally a day or two before I visited her when I was up in her area. I knocked on the door and she was afraid to open it because she thought I was the mormons returning
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LOL
 
Marble Dragon said:
You give them water? That's nice of you:)
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I give the old, the disabled and the little kids water. it's my belief that those people shouldn't have to go around in 100+ degree weather just to spout their religion. granted old people and disabled adults can make their own decisions, but little kids can't. :madpony:
 
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