Door-to-door magazine saleskids

[WM]

The thread on cold calls for charity/politics made me think of the kids who come to my door several times per year selling magazines. I've usually played along and listened to their pitch (which always seems to start with something about practicing their communications skills) but only succumbed once to buying a magazine (which I never got).

I feel these kids are clearly being taken advantage of by whoever is "employing" them so feel guilty for turning them away, and I haven't been able to shut the door on them in the same way I would hang up on a telemarketer. But instead I spend my time talking to them and wasting both our time. I've resolved to cut them off sooner, but wish I had some way to actually help them.

 

[SarahW]

I usually don't open the door. I agree that the kids are being taken advantage of, but I'm not interested in magazines or gift-wrapping paper.

 

[bssc]

Yes, there have been several articles on this in the local paper and this article on sales crews paints the same picture.

 

[Goonie]

I have a nice red sign with large white letters mounted on the front door....."NO SOLICITORS"! It normally works quite well, but once in a while someone will knock anyway. When I get to the door, if I don't recognize them, and they even look a little bit like a solicitor, I simply point to the sign and walk away.

I had one last fall that knocked again, after I pointed out the sign. I walked back to the door (without opening it), and he started his schpeel. I grabbed my cellphone and called the local PD, and they came to our 'hood and gave the guy a free ride downtown.

With that said, I did let the young neighbor kids across the street know that they are welcome to peddle their wares at my house anytime they want....especially CANDY and COOKIES!!!

 

[audreyh1]

If the neighborhood kids were raising money for school activities, I always gave a donation in lieu of buying anything. Same for girl scouts.

Audrey

 

[Goonie]

If the neighborhood kids were raising money for school activities, I always gave a donation in lieu of buying anything. Same for girl scouts.

Audrey

Well, dang it! Go ahead and buy the cookies, thereby making your donation...and then just mail the cookies to me!!! That way you won't have them sitting around the house tempting you!

 

[freebird5825]

Ah...the joy of living out in the middle of East Nowhere on a 45 mph speed limit road (not a development).
No solicitors , no kids peddling overpriced junk , no religious types with pamphlets in their hands , and no trick or treaters
dh2b buys Girl Scout coookies at w*rk, so we are not TOTAL grinches. Speaking of which, I hear 3 Lemon Creme cookies (only 3) calling my name.

 

[Bestwifeever]

We never get the out-of-town magazine selling groups (they have to get permits to solicit and we do have a no solicitors sticker anyway)

But I always buy from the neighborhood kids, whether raffle tickets, GS cookies, gift wrap, whatever. I can always give the stuff away (to Goonie ). I just bought a hugely overpriced bunch of cookie dough to help the next door kid earn money for an orchestra trip because I do think it's a good thing for kids to feel successful in selling and I'm a sucker for a little pleading face.

Of course there was the adult neighbor who called us (for his kid) to sell us stuff (for his kid)--even for his kid's Eagle Scout project when the kid was 18! The kid never came over to our house, never talked to us in person or on the phone, just the dad. That one we took a pass on.

 

[WM]

Yeah, my primary objection is the older teenage kids "selling magazines" (like bssc said). Maybe they don't do that everywhere? They're not fundraising, it's just sales. The kids always look desperate, and have obviously been trained to be deceptive and try to engage people in conversation before acknowledging that they're actually there to sell something. For some reason we've had 3 or 4 come around in the last few months, which makes me consider a "no solicitors" sign.

Although now that you mention it, I also really dislike being hit up by little kids to buy junk I don't need. I'd rather be fully funding our schools. We had some friends this year who sent out a (mostly) joking e-mail on their kids' behalf letting us know we could buy online. But at least the little kids take a polite "no, thank you" for an answer.

 

[Moemg]

When I was a girl scout leader ( No laughing please they were desperate so I was a co-leader ) I offered to just give a donation rather than sell cookies but it was a no go . You had to sell the cookies . I ended up buying them and giving them away . There are no kids in our neighborhood but I've bought plenty from co-workers kids and I think it's awful they way these schools push them to sell .

 

[freebird5825]

Grade school...parochial (Catholic) elementary school...Oh how we 5 kids and the other neighborhood kids were constantly pressured [-]made[/-] to sell stuff.
Candy bars, Christmas cards, Easter lilies...our neighbors got to the point that they would not answer the door to any child. Not a good memory.

What are parents thinking to subject their kids to this nonsense?
Disclaimer: I have no kids of my own.