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Door to Door salesman

concealedG36concealedG36 Member Posts: 3,566 ✭✭
edited May 2002 in General Discussion
Do any of you have a serious problem with door to door salesman/Jehovah Witnesses in your area? I see these people almost every single day in my neighborhood. They walk across people's lawns and step right on top of their landscaping (so that they don't have to go all the way around using the sidewalks). Just yesterday I saw two different salespeople and last week there were the JW's. One of the salespeople actually gave one of my neighbors the bird when they closed the door on him! Keep in mind, these salespeople are from the inner city and don't live in our area. They always are looking in people's backyards and in their cars (I don't know why, but I can guess).

Well, I have started using a new strategy to get rid of them. I tuck my largest pistol into the front of my pants (so it is very visible) and then just as they are about to set foot on my property I open my front door and yell at them that I do not accept solicitors. If they continue I tell them that they are trespassing.

Then, when they leave in a hurry I slam my door.

This is great! For once I feel like I can get rid of these people without having to listen to them talk for 10 minutes. The last guy that came by was looking into our house (standing on the porch) while I was at work. My wife saw him coming but was trying to put the baby to bed for a nap. This guy was yelling into the house through the screen door!

The funniest part about this is the reason I started doing this is about two weeks ago one of these chumps was trying to sell me new windows....even though I told him that I JUST got new windows two years ago.

I wish I lived outside of the city, I hate it here....

Gun Control Disarms Victims, NOT Criminals
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Comments

  • concealedG36concealedG36 Member Posts: 3,566 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Two salesmen were going door to door, and knocked on the door of a woman who was not happy to see them. She told them in no uncertain terms that she did not want to hear their offer and slammed the door in their faces. To her surprise, however, the door did not close and, in fact, bounced back open. She tried again, really put her back into it, and slammed the door again with the same result-the door bounced back open.
    Convinced these rude young people were sticking their foot in the door,she reared back to give it a slam that would teach them a lesson, when one of them said:

    "Ma'am, before you do that again you need to move your cat."
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  • dobieman0690dobieman0690 Member Posts: 148 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    no problem now that we moved our doberman to the front porch
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  • k.stanonikk.stanonik Member Posts: 2,109 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I dont have a problem with salesmen and the last JW's that came to my door were women, answered the door in nothing but my underware and offered to let them in and they left.
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  • simonbssimonbs Member Posts: 994 ✭
    edited November -1
    I'm not afraid of the dark...the dark is afraid of me!
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  • niklasalniklasal Member Posts: 776 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    K. Stan, That is pure genius!

    I hope you wore the oldest pair of drawers you own, left two days beardgrowth and had a Milwakee's Best in your hand.

    My gun is prettier than yours, and it's a Glock!
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  • mudgemudge Member Posts: 4,225 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    The only door-to-door salespersons we get around here are the kids who are forced, by their schools and peer pressure, to sell candy, candles, cards, fruit, cookies, etc. to "support" field trips, bands, football/baseball/cheerleader uniforms and such. Really torques my jaws. Why should these kids have that kind of pressure put on them.
    If they don't sell anything or as much as some other kid did, they feel like they've failed somehow. If this kid needs a uniform, of whatever description, let his/her parents buy it. Hell, I'll be willing to buy this kid a "uni" rather than buy the crap they're selling.
    The gun in the waistband is a great idea. Being the neighborhood "curmudgeon" I'm surprised I didn't think of it.

    Mudge the ranting


    I can't come to work today. The voices said, STAY HOME AND CLEAN THE GUNS!
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  • austin247austin247 Member Posts: 375 ✭
    edited November -1
    Salesmen used to be a problem, till the last time. Of course, they always come ringing the doorbell when I've worked all night the night before, and I'm trying to catch some sleep before I have to go to work again.

    So the last time a salesperson came to my door trying to sell cleaining products, I asked him who he was working for. He told me that a bunch of people had come to the neighborhood together and that their boss had dropped them off. Lo and behold, there was the boss driving by in a mini-van. I asked the guy to call his boss over and let me talk to him.

    When the boss walked up, I asked him where his city sales permit was. He hemmed and hawed around before admitting he didn't have one. I looked past him at my patrol car parked in my driveway, then told him not to bring his people by to knock on my door ever again or he'd have to deal with the municipal court. The last I saw, everyone was loading up in the van and getting out of Dodge. I haven't had a problem since.
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  • badboybobbadboybob Member Posts: 1,658 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The only bother I've had is with the Mormon kids coming around. I used to invite them in then we'd sit at the kitchen table. The I would offer them a beer. They said no. Then I offered them sone coffee. They said no. When I asked why they said their religion prohibited it. I then told them "let me tell you about the one true religion", at which time they left and never came back.

    PC=BS
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  • muleymuley Member Posts: 1,583 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    The handgun in the waistband is a great idea. Only, I live in Kalifornia. This is the state where, if that very salesman tripped over his feet and fell down walking up your driveway, he could sue you and win. Having a handgun in your possession where he could see it would probably be labeled "brandishing a weapon". I don't think I would chance it. I would rather come to the door with a condom hanging out of my fly. Maybe that would discourage the salesman. Or, maybe not. Kalifornia.......
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  • Norman DogNorman Dog Member Posts: 470 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Concealed, are these "salesmen" young and charismatic; talk fast trying to sell magazines, vacations, or candy; and sound or look like they came from some other part of the country? There is a scam that has been going on for at least twenty years where someone will round up a bunch of runaways, haul them around to different neighborhoods, and force them to sell bogus stuff with promises of food and shelter. The kids will also sometimes say something about trying to earn "points" towards an "educational trip" or something like that. They are usually good at the hard-sell and can be very rude and inconsiderate. As you have seen, they have no regard for anyone's property or privacy and are probably casing the neighborhood for an easy mark. They aren't salesmen, they are desperate kids at best and more likely to be criminals looking to come back when you're not home. You might want to report them to the police the next time around.

    WOOF.
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  • kimberkidkimberkid Member Posts: 8,858 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    mudge,
    I guess I'm a softie I always buy from those kids ... They are so shy and timid it just gets me!

    Besides, a little encouragement for a kid can go a long ways.

    As for the rest of them, I like the pistol and underware ... maybe even combine the two ...

    =================================
    Sometimes the most obvious, is the most elusive!kimberkid@gunbroker.zzn.com
    If you really desire something, you'll find a way ?
    ? otherwise, you'll find an excuse.
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  • ADfreeADfree Member Posts: 188 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Reminds me of the guy who got the attitude with me not knowing that the reason both my arms were behind the wall next to the door... $20 says if he knew what I was holding he wouldn't have been so rude.
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  • ADfreeADfree Member Posts: 188 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I wanted to add that my wheel-chair bound neighbor deals with them in the most humorous fashion. He tries to solicit them for "certain services." Works every time, esp. with the religous types.
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  • k.stanonikk.stanonik Member Posts: 2,109 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Another one that will work good on the ladies, answer the door in your underware and state, Are you the one the service sent ? hurry up we havent got a lot of time my wife will be home in a hour.
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  • Zuider ZeeZuider Zee Member Posts: 41 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Have a small engraved plaque above my doorbell that reads:

    "This is Private Property, No Soliciting, No Trespassing."
    "Violaters Subject To Immediate Arrest".

    Most salespeople read the plaque and leave.

    A friend told me that if a Morman comes to see you, tell them you're Jehova's Witness, and if a JW comes to see you tell them you're Morman!
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  • William81William81 Member Posts: 25,351 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    If it is one of the neighibor kids selling something for school, band,
    scouts etc, they get invited into the house. If they are JW's, the door never gets opened. If it is some pushy salesman, I alway ask to see his city permit. If he has one, I thank him and close the door, if he does not, I close the door and call the police and let them take care of it....
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  • NighthawkNighthawk Member Posts: 12,022 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I agree 100% about our children being pressured by schools to sale various things. And I mean all the time, Just a week ago the neighbors children were selling Flower bulbs. My neighbor and myself were talking about how bigger pain it was, he told me that they would reward the child in each grade a prize for selling the most,and the class that sold the most got to have a pizza party. Dont get me wrong I dont think my self or my wife have ever turned a child away who was selling something. But to reward one and not all is like taking a child to MccyDs and telling him or her they cant have a smiley meal. Besides I live in V.A. and lottery money is supposed to take care of our childrens ball games,uniforms etc.

    Rugster
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  • woodsrunnerwoodsrunner Member Posts: 5,378 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Little sticker in the front door window that says "Trespassers will be shot, survivors will be shot again". Unfortunately now they won't come read the water meter!

    Woods

    How big a boy are ya?
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  • One shotOne shot Member Posts: 1,027 ✭
    edited November -1
    Head down to your local curio shop and buy about seven or eight of those plastic dog turds. Place these in strategic locations on your porch. This will help them avoid your place. I was putting these in the lawn but when it came time to retrieve them I would sometimes confuse the real ones for the plastic ones. thank god I do not bite my nails.

    "This we will defend"
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  • timberbeasttimberbeast Member Posts: 1,738 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    What's wrong with just asking right away what they want and then telling then to leave if they're not interested? I never had a problem with it. Personally, the only time that I'll let a stranger know that I have a gun is if he's threatening my life, and thank God that has never happened. I'm not about to show someone knocking on the door that I have guns, or try to scare them with one. Most of the time, if I don't know them (by looking out the window), I don't answer the door. As far as my underwear scaring them, hell, they probably would, but I'm shy!
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  • gunpaqgunpaq Member Posts: 4,607 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    We always get hounded by kids selling hoagies, magazines and Girl Scout cookies and we most always offer to make a cash donation to their cause or organization rather than buying a product. Not one has ever taken the donation offer and all left without a sale or cash (sorry Mr. we have to sell these cookies, magazines, etc)......... During the Census period our area experience a rash of breakins and theft of property. The census takers would come out and case the homes while the owners were at work then come back or have their buddies come back and rob the place.

    Pack slow, fall stable, pull high, hit dead center.
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  • bartobarto Member Posts: 4,734 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    our 200ft. driveway is patrolled by the "dalmation&dane" gang-
    never get harrassed by j.w.'s or peddlers but the kids around here act like its a petting zoo.
    we buy a LOT of cookies.

    the hard stuff we do right away - the impossible takes a little longer
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  • n/an/a Member Posts: 168,427 ✭
    edited November -1
    I've got a "No Soliciting" sign right at the front door and a marked patrol car in the driveway. Really cuts down on the number of Numb Nuts that come to the door.

    Being a shy quiet kind of guy, when one does knock/ring i'll open the door and ask them, can't you read or are you just stupid? The door slammed in their face is a fine ending.

    Lt

    "We become what we habitually do. If we act rightly, we become upright men. If we habitually act wrongly, or weakly, we become weak and corrupt" - *ARISTOTLE*

    **Like Grandad used to say--"It'll feel better when it quits hurtin"
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  • salzosalzo Member Posts: 6,396 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    gunpaq- Dont you think defining "HOAGIE" is in order? When I moved to Philly from New York, I went into a sandwhich shop and asked for a HERO. The guy behind the counter said "What? You mean a hoagie." I said OK. He then asked me if I was from NY, and I said Yeh,howd ya know". He laughed.

    Happiness is a warm gun
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  • concealedG36concealedG36 Member Posts: 3,566 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Well, I should've made it clear that these are NOT the local kids selling stuff for school. I've given the cub scouts about $200 worth of empty recyclable pop cans ($0.10 deposit in MI) and I've bought MORE than my share of Girl Scout cookies (I can't even eat them). I support the local junior high cheerleaders and the High School field trips, etc.

    These people are like 20+ years old and are usually ALL black. Not that I care, but there are about 3 black families in my neighborhood so I know that they're likely from downtown Detroit. Plus, they're selling stuff (like new windows) that I OBVIOUSLY don't need. They are terribly disrespectful of private property and it just burns me up.

    Also, I have TRIED to simply say I'm not interested and shut the door but they'll put they're foot in the door or knock again (I'm serious, these people are ferociously aggressive).

    I don't mind letting them know I have a gun. When my wife is home alone with the baby every single day, I want them to remember that THIS house is not an easy target.

    G36

    p.s. Incidentally, I checked the last guy who showed up for his permit and he DID have one. Our local PD is pretty good, so I'm sure they've gotten busted before and knew better.

    Gun Control Disarms Victims, NOT Criminals
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  • ADfreeADfree Member Posts: 188 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Had one today. Luckily for her she was polite. One wrong move and she woulda been toast. I get really nervous when I don't see a vehicle and the door-bell rings. All the neighbors knock...


    I re-read that and thought I should clarify that a "wrong move" would entail a threat to my safety.

    Edited by - adfree on 05/03/2002 19:39:35
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  • ADfreeADfree Member Posts: 188 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The majority of them are males from 18-25. They mostly look like thugs.
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  • One shotOne shot Member Posts: 1,027 ✭
    edited November -1
    The plastic turd's work. Just avoid the ones with steam rolling off them when you o out to retrieve your plastic land mines.

    "This we will defend"
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