eggs zack ly
My way seems to work. I let them just sit there and ramble on with no feedback at all - but I do make noise they can hear in the background.
It effectvely removes me from their call list.
I have even heard screaming that they were going to put their supervisor on, hahaha. It always ends the same - they hang up and never, ever call back.

Tom4UHere,

Wow does that work? Lol maybe i should try that. Another annoyance is every 10 years those bloody census reps knocking on my door wanting my information for the government count every home for what the people need.

I feel quite lucky here. Not many people soliciting on the streets here, and when they are out they usually have a booth. Mostly the conversations are hello, and how you doing.. The girl guides don't come door to door these days. When I see them, they are at Walmart catching the crowd. I think they have gone to those kind of things more for their own safety, as you never know what you may find when going to a strange doorway.
The only door to door people have been the JW folks, and I haven't seen much of them since I gave them a compelling reason to believe our social insurance number is really the mark of the anti Christ. I miss my fun..
Have a great day everyone.

TVCameraman,

Hey welcome back.....ohhhhh we get JW Mormons, & kids selling candy, Avon girls, girls scouts....well i dont mind them i love there chocolate mint cookies. Downtown is were we see the street team canasssers. They usually friendly but skepticalizm keep Philadelphians from giving them time a day. I think i rather stick with Saint Judes. I know where my cash goes. If my money can save a family from the burden of medical treatments bills and a child can live or better yet live to see a child beat the cancer i will always contribute.

I always enjoy your topics and try to join in when the winds of fate lets our paths cross.

TVCAMERAMAN,

Well thank you i try to very though it out topics. Sometimes i like to bring with my political topics to get people to think. When i do the dating room i give senarios and want the peoples feedback. I like to bring different tupes of folks to talk about real things. Sometimes my followers go viper against each other so then i get flagged. But ultimately i love you guys voices.

The Trolley? What do you live in Mr.Rogers neighborhood? A lot of the people begging on the street corner make good money so I don't give to them. Most charity organizations put very little to actual use by the time they are done paying people and the overhead. Goodwill has opened a bunch of brand new stores and the price of the used junk is almost as much as buying something new and I have no idea who even benifits from what little they do give away, Walmart probably donates more than most of these charities. Selling something for a charity does not make things better in my eyes, the people making the real money off girl scout cookies is the manufacturer. Next time just give the girl a couple bucks and go to the store and buy some knock offs with the rest of your money. I won't give to food shelves cuz most people just complain about what they get instead if being greatful forgetting something for free. And don't even get me started on the scanners on mingle, you all know the ones looking for you to text them or catfishing til they find someone.

Well, for me Eyeam, I am deeply rooted in the values of 'do unto others' and 'but for the grace of God, there go I'.

So I am sometimes tired, or hot, or in a rush but I TRY not to be upset by those approaching with needs. I rarely carry cash on me , but when I do, if I am driving, I give something where and when I can. I do not do well with anyone walking up on me outside of my car for ANY reason because of past experiences with assaults.

As far as the door to door canvassing. I also TRY not to be upset by this because I understand how difficult the work is. In a technological age when people are becoming more sedentary, sometimes the easiest way to reach them is in person and at home. I understand that.


I always have the option to just not answer the door, and they will move on to the next. As I have stated before though, I have actually developed quite a nice friendship more than once opening my door to 'religious' people spreading a good word. I believe the most important thing is people respecting each other. I respect that people have their job to do and I hope that people respect that I politely decline their offer. I just don't like people who don't take no for an answer and plenty have been trained that way as well.

Dust4Fun,


welcome back, well first yes I took the local trolley here in Philly to get home. I have 2 cars but hate to park downtown. Second not here in Philly. the canvassers that work downtown is really struggling. Philly is a different kind of city. its a mini New York. people always on the go daily. People in my city are nice when they want but can be very rude too. outdoor work in philly isn't paying jack.

My experience is this...

If you are in a city where there are a lot of hustlers, panhandlers, and drug addicts, it makes the job more difficult for canvassers who work street corners rather than going door-to-door.

First of all, many people just don't have the time when they are on the go. If you catch them when they have more time available - such as at home - they tend to be more amenable. They'll still have a high rejection rate, but more people will at least take the time to listen.

Second, in a city like the one above, people don't know who to trust, so they follow their first instincts. Nobody wants to be made a fool of. It's safer to say 'no', and walk away. For some, they want a bit more finality so they add rudeness to seal the deal.

For instance, I spent 2 years being homeless. During that time, I still maintained a neat and presentable appearance. Whenever I walked downtown, I would always have a minimum of 3 people ask me for money - panhandlers, but some were mobile rather than stationary. It got so bad that I stopped being gracious. No smile. No eye contact. I would simply say, "I'm homeless" while walking away. One guy replied, "Jus' 'cos you're homeless don't mean you're broke." You should have seen the fire in my eyes after that. It took a lot of willpower not to turn and flip out on the guy. I didn't receive any cash assistance. I didn't panhandle. I quit drinking and gambling. In short, I didn't want to become what I saw so many other homeless become. So maybe I wasn't broke **at that time**, but I knew how hard it was for me to scrape together money to meet my own needs. It would be stupid in my situation to hand that money to someone else whom I knew for a fact did nothing but sit on the green drinking and smoking and begging all day (when you're homeless you get to know who does what) while I would have to make do without. I would be enabling and encouraging continued bad habits for another while doing harm to myself. It's not an even trade-off.

Now, my experience has also been that people like that are actually well in the minority among homeless people. Probably around 15%, I would guess. The rest will volunteer, do odd jobs, find ways to buy things cheap so they can resell it at about a 20% profit, etc. It doesn't matter if these guys were convicts or alcoholics or drug abusers. Most of them try to be legit because it helps them mentally, not just financially. It helps them keep a positive attitude in a bad situation.

Back on point though, being solicited on the street, for whatever reason, can be a nuisance. That becomes amplified when you constantly have people begging, hustling, and doing shakedowns. Even more so when it happens day after day after day.

If I had any advice for canvassers and solicitors, it would be make themselves stand apart from all the typical street-doings. Have an organization t-shirt, or a sign, or a booth, or whatever. It makes them look more legit. It will encourage more people to take them seriously. Don't walk up to people to harangue them. That's a turn off because street cons do that. Stay in one place for awhile, then move to another if need be. Attract attention from passers by. Be polite. Know when to let it drop -- time is money for you, don't waste it on an obvious lost cause. Don't be pushy because that's desperate and sleazy. Following these ideas will distinguish you from the street hustlers. It will make people more willing to hear you out. Forcing it is a turn off, and money out of your own pocket.

# mobile panhandlers ..I could get me a small car coupla bull horns on top and instruct people to throw money on the back seat..with all the city streets I could cover I should make a bundle..maybe a tuk tuk ..a Segway..a whole fleet of mobile beggars..

Hell I might even be able to rent my beggars out.."Is your street missing something, perhaps a mobile beggar is what you need for that real inner city feel,each one comes with it's own degree of aggressive begging We even have beggars with different accents if that's your taste ..take you back to your childhood days in the old country..

I might just be on to something here and to think I have this site to thank for it..See you all on Shark Tank...

You're not far off. I've known a panhandler who parked her car 1 block away so people wouldn't think she had a car. I knew another who had an apartment, but still held a sign saying he was homeless. Mind you, these are people I actually knew, not just people I saw.

But I was referring to panhandlers who walk from person to person asking for money rather than staying in one place.

ActionbLynx,

Welcome to my cyber mansion. yeah I do live in a big city and we have all the above. Panhandlers, homeless, drug and alcoholics on our streets everyday. I look how the canvassers get rejected, I think to myself." that has to be a better way to make a living?"

Ms Harmony,


Once again you always seem to amaze my mind. Yeah I feel the same way, I try not to give them a hard time, I mean somebody has to do that kind of job. From what I gather today talking with a canvasser, well, she's in college. she took the job to pay for spring break of next year. She begins to tell me she get's an hourly salary plus the quota is two sign ups a day. each sign up is 50 cent commission. wow money is hard to earn in outdoor work.

I don't buy the scams. Never give them money or the time of day.
I do give and donate, but not to them.

Alleoops,

Like i mentioned i only give to st judes. They are a legit company with a website for info. Have contact numbers and looking at the noble charity i give it makes me abd god proud. Now you know i dont just give to St. Judes i also Champaign for LGBT community. Black lives Matter, The New Black Panther Party, I also support U.S.Veterans Benefits, Children with autism research & National Rifle Association.

That's the way it should be. Give to those that need it and
that those you choose.

AlleOops,

I agree .......

I agree it's important to find out the percentage that actual charities donate vs their operating costs. One good charity that i found is Food for the Poor out of Deerfield, FLA they keep very little of the proceeds for themselves.