how do you respond

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I can't remember that last time I had a salesperson at my door. Certainly before the pandemic. Of course, the fact that the head of our Sheriff's Department's Neighborhood Watch program has repeatedly said that legitimate businesses don't do door to door sales in this Internet age.

We get lawncare, Boy Scouts, etc. Then there's the scam people, the ones who do not have legit stuff to sell but try just to get money out of you magazine sales are a common one so are cleaning supplies. I remember in middle school actually selling magazine subscriptions for legit reasons through the school but don't think these days they do that since scammers took that over. Most often when it's the scammers someone will call the non-emergent line for the police and let them know.

Legit businesses absolutely go door to door but maybe you don't live in an area where normal stuff happens. I live in suburbia and in an area with new construction. You'll get a lot often right when you move in. Lawncare is probably the most and it's one of their more high profile ways of getting customers because your neighbor and so and so are on their list of services and so and so likes it, etc. Your sheriff shouldn't be spreading false information, they should instead be helping people learn the differences between legit and scam.

 

[Uncle Coaster]

Hmm, we haven’t had a salesperson come to our door since I was a kid and I’m 49 now.

You learn something new everyday. I didn’t realize it was still common

 

[AnnaS]

We do get the "we installed windows around the block", "we sold your neighbor's home around the block", people working for politician before voting with flyers and want to talk, used to get Time Warner (then) now Spectrum, selling chocolate/candy & Jehovah Witness - these last few not very often.

 

[Smugpugmug]

My friends and family do not live in the same state as me, so they never show up unannounced. I always know ahead of time when they're coming. With that said, I would not like to have unexpected guests unless it was an emergency.

As for strangers, I open the door for delivery drivers but no one else. I straight up ignore salespeople (who show up maybe once a week? If that), people campaigning for elections, etc.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

people working for politician before voting with flyers and want to talk

I'm much happier when they leave a door pamphlet of "we missed you but here's xyz topic" they are going on about. I already get a ton of flyers in the mail. One woman though last year we had was not working for a party but was a "concerned neighbor" who lived in our neighborhood and wanted to talk about "did you know the school board is teaching" and we just politely let her know we're not interested...it didn't start off well when she asked where the head of household was as if my husband who answered the door was like the son of the homeowner...excuse you we're the homeowners thank you

 

[tvguy]

We get lawncare, Boy Scouts, etc. Then there's the scam people, the ones who do not have legit stuff to sell but try just to get money out of you magazine sales are a common one so are cleaning supplies. I remember in middle school actually selling magazine subscriptions for legit reasons through the school but don't think these days they do that since scammers took that over. Most often when it's the scammers someone will call the non-emergent line for the police and let them know.

Legit businesses absolutely go door to door but maybe you don't live in an area where normal stuff happens. I live in suburbia and in an area with new construction. You'll get a lot often right when you move in. Lawncare is probably the most and it's one of their more high profile ways of getting customers because your neighbor and so and so are on their list of services and so and so likes it, etc. Your sheriff shouldn't be spreading false information, they should instead be helping people learn the differences between legit and scam.

My wife buys wrapping paper from a former co-workers elementary school. But that is all done online. The parents e-mail out the information, and if you want to take part you go to the company who is selling the wrapping paper's website, enter the school name, and the child's name, and payment, they ship the wrapping paper directly to you, and at the end of the fundraiser they send a check to the school.
Well, in my experience, the Sheriff is correct. Cold call sales going door to door just aren't a thing around here anymore. People look to Yelp, and NextDoor and Neighborhood Facebook pages and talk to friends when they need a business.

 

[tvguy]

We get window salesman, yard service, ChemLawn, whatever

I do get flyers in the mail. Usually they are specific to the neighborhood........"your neighbor at 1234 Main Street just had us install dual pane windows, please call us for an estimate"...... they must use the property tax records because the flyer is addressed to my trust.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

My wife buys wrapping paper from a former co-workers elementary school. But that is all done online. The parents e-mail out the information, and if you want to take part you go to the company who is selling the wrapping paper's website, enter the school name, and the child's name, and payment, they ship the wrapping paper directly to you, and at the end of the fundraiser they send a check to the school.
Well, in my experience, the Sheriff is correct. Cold call sales going door to door just aren't a thing around here anymore. People look to Yelp, and NextDoor and Neighborhood Facebook pages and talk to friends when they need a business.

People def. do go online but IDK what to tell you but it's not abnormal to still get peeps at the door for that stuff. It's not inherently not legit and your sheriff should know better than that. Teaching people what to look out for in what is legit and what isn't is what law enforcement should be doing. Ours does for sure but from what I remember your police department leaves a lot to be desired so maybe just maybe there's some other things going on. I understand you're going to want to talk about it being just your experience and I have not doubted you don't get stuff but others clearly do. Let's skip that phase and just say in your area you don't see it that's okay, millions of other people across the nation do

 

[jdb in AZ]

Several years ago a young girl with a paper route was abducted and killed while she was out collecting her monthly $$$ from her customers. That really put a damper on kids selling door-to-door around here. Schools don't allow it for their fund-raisers. Girl Scouts sell their cookies on line and at local grocery stores with an adult present.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Several years ago a young girl with a paper route was abducted and killed while she was out collecting her monthly $$$ from her customers. That really put a damper on kids selling door-to-door around here. Schools don't allow it for their fund-raisers. Girl Scouts sell their cookies on line and at local grocery stores with an adult present.

Girl scouts doesn't like door to door now but boy scouts still can. We still get boy scouts every now and then but they tend to go up to Walmart nearby and set up there. Girl scouts go up there as well. We don't get near as much as we used to with our no soliciting sign out and we put that out because we kept getting lawn care, pest care, invisible fence people (we don't own a dog), etc we even got a few larger landscape for whole landscape care including the one our HOA uses and I see their vehicles around the neighborhood so others are using that as well. Boy scouts we give them a break their parents should be teaching them to look out for signs visible about no soliciting but other people if we've opened the door we point to the sign and politely tell them no soliciting and we're not interested.

TruGreen is a big lawncare one you'll see out and about hitting up homes.

 

[kanne323]

My friends and family do not live in the same state as me, so they never show up unannounced. I always know ahead of time when they're coming. With that said, I would not like to have unexpected guests unless it was an emergency.

As for strangers, I open the door for delivery drivers but no one else. I straight up ignore salespeople (who show up maybe once a week? If that), people campaigning for elections, etc.

My family and friends are also not local. My closest family member is about two hours away, and I'm fairly new to the area, so I don't have local friends yet. But I do live in the path of many family travelers heading north, and I'm in a tourist town across the street from the beach, so they all know that they can drop by for a bathroom stop, snack, overnight, etc. Won't happen much this time of year, but come summer, I suspect I'll get some drop-ins or calls from the highway. We don't seem to get any sales people at the door here, which has been odd but really nice! This town completely shuts down in the winter, so maybe come spring or summer, it'll be different.