No solicitors sign - does anyone have one?

[ELLE-TN]

Funny thing I found tis thread as I have been considering making business cards saying pretty much the same thing for sales people & religious organizations. Twice in one week recently the same sales person was knocking at my door at 7:50 AM (both on rare days that we could sleep in which doesn't happen often). The first time I was polite and told him we were not interested.... the 2nd time I opened the door (in my nightgown) and yelled at him to disappear and not come back. For Pete's sake who goes door to door selling stuff that early in the morning.

 

[Mickeypooh99]

We had a really nice no soliciting sign, and someone stole it! It was on a post at the top of the driveway. You can't see our house from the road, so we wanted to stop them before they pull in. We are usually outside in the summer so a sign on the door doesn't help. They dug it up out of the ground and everything. We haven't replaced it yet, and this summer has been the worst!

I know someone who has a beware of dog sign, and they don't even have a dog. It keeps solicitors away.

 

[eeyorethegreat]

We actually had a neighbor come to the door with his 2 small children the other day. His THREE year old was selling some frozen pizza kits out of a catalog as a fundraiser for his PRESCHOOL.

I'm sorry but if I pay a weekly fee for my child to go to a private "for profit" preschool like they do then there is no way I am going door to door selling stuff for them. How insane is that?

I declined and told them that my 2 daughters would be selling the same type of stuff next month when their public schools started and I would have to buy from my own kids.

When a solicitor comes to the door I try to quickly cut off their spiel and tell them we aren't interested. The ones we get the most want to sell us windows and I just tell them we are military and moving in a few months so that we aren't going to be making any big purchases for a house we are about to sell. That usually works.

I work for a Non-Profit Pre School/Pre K (I am a qualified teacher) I can't even tell you how sick I am of all the fundraisers we have to do. Yes, I am expected to participate in every one. I must donate items for raffles, auction, buy from the fund raisers we sell and give up my weekend and evenings for these fundraisers (I do not get extra pay for this and my salary is comparable to my college minimum wage job 15 year ago) . I do not however go door to door I refuse to actively push these fundraisers on others especially given the area we live in where many people are simply out of work. I need a new job- it was convenience when I took it a few years ago but it is really getting out of hand in so many ways.

We don't get many solicitors to our door though yesterday a guy with a truck and a freezer in the back tried to sell my husband meat.

 

[BeckyScott]

Having a dog does help get you out of that stuff. Doesn't even have to be a big scary dog. Just a medium dog that won't shut up. The noise level is enough that they can't pitch their wares.

One trick we learned by accident but worked well. DH once answered the door to some religion peddlers. In nothing but his underwear. And he has lotsa tattoos. Flung open the door and said "What do you want?" and they skedaddled right back down the stairs and off to the next house. I wish he was home all the time, because it was just about the funniest thing I've ever seen. And, you know, I'm not going to open the door in my underwear, I'm sure it would scare people off but I'm not quite that brave.

We haven't had anyone come to our door for a while. A couple of locals asking about lawn work earlier this summer, but that's about it. And our house is for sale. So maybe that really does make a difference. I wouldn't exactly suggest putting a For Sale sign in your yard, that could lead to more irritation. Hmmm.

 

[Disneefun]

I've got to find a way to keep people from putting tacks and pushpins in my mailbox post. In our neighborhood we all have the same wooden mailbox posts and the "thing" with the solicitors is to tack crap to the mailbox. They can't just put it under the flag or something. No, it has to be tacked to the post. So I end up with a post that's full of holes. Makes me so mad. And it's gotten worse lately with everyone being unemployed, they're all offering to mow my lawn, paint my house, clean, etc. I sympathize that you're out of work, but come on. Maybe I should offer one a job as a mailbox guard. Pay someone to keep others from tacking stuff to my box.

 

[Ava]

We live in an apartment building so we don't get too many solicitors, but some do still get in. Mostly older ladies handing out religious pamphlets, who I suspect are friends of our downstairs neighbor, or energy companies. The energy company people are totally shady, I talked to them the first time they came around and they a) wanted my ConEd account number and b) said they didn't have any information they could leave with me and if I wanted to sign up I had to do it right then. Um, no thank you.

The only "soliciting" I don't mind is kids who live in the building doing fundraisers for school/sports/whatever.

 

[poohfriend77]

I was making dinner the other day, so DH answered the door for the college girl selling "educational materials for children." Instead of telling her no thanks, he told her his wife made all those decisions, so she'd have to talk to me. I was pretty irritated with him, but he said, Oh she won't be back! Sure enough, she rang the doorbell at 7:50 a.m. the next morning! I was up, but still in jammies. I had to answer the door and tell her my husband was WRONG, we weren't interested and I didn't want to waste her time. Here's where karma kicks in, though. It was DH's day off, and he was trying to sleep in when she rang the doorbell... TWICE!

The worst was the mom and young daughter selling candybars. I bought one for DDs to share, gave them $1, and then asked the girl what school she went to. We have "school's of choice" in our neighborhood, so even kids from our block are spread out at schools all over town. Her mom gets a funny look on her face as the girl tells me she lives in another town! It's a small blue-collar town 15 miles away, and all the kids in her neighborhood are selling the same stuff, so her mom brought her here to the "nicer neighborhoods" so she could sell more. I REALLY wanted to take my dollar back, but it wasn't the kid's fault. Now I know to ask what school they go to BEFORE I even look at what they're selling. I'm happy to support local kids, but I can't support the whole state!

 

[BeenHereB4]

OMG - what a timely thread!! I just told DH last night that I was putting up a sign. We are getting hammered lately. College kids selling this and that for credit?? Puhleaze! What college are these kids going to because there is no way I'm sending my kids there!

Anyway, the weird thing was last night I saw the guy from my kitchen window. It was 8:30pm. I said, please don't ring, I have three kids here sleeping (one was my baby nephew who is hard to get to sleep). Anyway, he said "are you (insert my name here)?" I don't know how he knew my name, but I told him I couldn't talk now. I'm sure he'll be back today. Yuck!!

Sign going up right after this post!

 

[clutter]

That's what I do, plus I have an 80 lb akita that will be at the door growling like mad trying to get out to them. He usually discourages anyone from trying to ring the bell a second time.

I have two cockapoos, about 50lbs total, throwing themselves against a gate behind the door. They're excited to see someone, but that someone only can see two dogs barking and trying to leap a gate. Of course, solicitors are only treated to that if they decide not to read my no solicitors sign.

 

[BeenHereB4]

I was making dinner the other day, so DH answered the door for the college girl selling "educational materials for children." Instead of telling her no thanks, he told her his wife made all those decisions, so she'd have to talk to me. I was pretty irritated with him, but he said, Oh she won't be back! Sure enough, she rang the doorbell at 7:50 a.m. the next morning! I was up, but still in jammies. I had to answer the door and tell her my husband was WRONG, we weren't interested and I didn't want to waste her time. Here's where karma kicks in, though. It was DH's day off, and he was trying to sleep in when she rang the doorbell... TWICE!

Wonder if we are neighbors. I had this at my house the other day. And I put it off on DH. Got him back for sticking the Optimum cable people on me.

 

[momxx5]

In the past month there has been over 5 burglaries in the area. Then we are constantly getting people knocking on the door to power wash, trim trees, put in alarms systems, etc. Our neighbors across the street immediately call the police when someone out of the area is knocking on doors. We live in a small town and the police are usually here by the time the solicitors have made it to only a few homes. The poice are really concerned about people "casing" the neigborhood. The last bunch at the door had a homemade business card, cutoff t-shirt and long dragging shorts, smoking a cigarette and annoyed that I wouldn't take to them. I mean if you are looking to make a contact at least dress the part and try to look professional. That said, the previous week DH had a security system people at the door. He didn't listen to them....not interested, BYE! Then looked them up with the Better Business Bureau....the findings were very interesting and not positive. We are looking into setting up a neigborhood watch so we can stop solicitors from coming too far into the neighborhood.

 

[Alexander]

Oh the advantages to living in the middle of no where, with nothing but 130 acres of corn fields around you gets better day by day!

 

[thebeesknees]

I'm another one with a "No Soliciting" sign and apparently a lot of people can't read. Now, if it's a kid selling cookies for school, I'm more understanding if there is no parent with them (another thing that bothers me! - Who sends their kid around by themselves to strange houses?) because I figure they don't know what "soliciting" means. But the ones that really bug me are the ones who say, "I saw your sign but I'm not soliciting. I just wanted to give you this (religious literature, ad for lawn mowing, whatever)." How dumb do I look? And if they wake up the baby when they ring the doorbell, heaven help them!

 

[eeyorethegreat]

I was making dinner the other day, so DH answered the door for the college girl selling "educational materials for children." Instead of telling her no thanks, he told her his wife made all those decisions, so she'd have to talk to me. I was pretty irritated with him, but he said, Oh she won't be back! Sure enough, she rang the doorbell at 7:50 a.m. the next morning! I was up, but still in jammies. I had to answer the door and tell her my husband was WRONG, we weren't interested and I didn't want to waste her time. Here's where karma kicks in, though. It was DH's day off, and he was trying to sleep in when she rang the doorbell... TWICE!

:

Sounds like Southwestern. I bought from them in the past after grilling the kids on their history, how their summer is going, what they are going to school for what they expect to do after college, how their book selling program works and what they expect to get out of it etc. Their inventory really hasn't change over the last 10 years or so just "updated editions" so now I wish them luck and send them on their way.

 

[hsmamato2]

hmmmm.soliciting is selling something...not just talking,handing out flyers,etc- so maybe that's why some folks ingore the 'no soliciting' signs when they're technically not 'selling' items....probably a 'DON'T RING THE BELL' sign would work..... although my doorbell is broken anyway,so I don't need one

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

I hate that too! Seems like they always come when my boys are napping. I swear I'm going to print up a sign that says "children napping, you wake them, you stay to help put them back to sleep!"

I have a wooden plaque I bought when my kids were babies that says "Baby sleeping, be quiet or babysit." It was hanging on my front door and even the UPS guy would knock really gently, it worked like a charm.

 

[Cristy]

I made my "NO SOLICITORS" <bold all caps> sign on my computer, printed it out, laminated it and posted it above the door bell near where the handle is on my door. It works like a charm. People don't even leave flyers anymore.

 

[pilesoflaundry]

I love running them off so no. But I'm mean

Some people don't even know what no solicitors means. We used to live on base and it's illegal in base housing to solicit door to door. This lady rings my bell at dinner time asking if she can sell me meat out of a truck. I told her she needed to leave because she can't solicit on base. She says to me "I'm not soliciting, I'm selling meat" Oy. So I not so nicely explained what soliciting is and made her leave housing. I asked her who the heck let her in and she said the gate guards. I'm wiling to bet she didn't tell them she was selling door to door.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

I love running them off so no. But I'm mean

Some people don't even know what no solicitors means. We used to live on base and it's illegal in base housing to solicit door to door. This lady rings my bell at dinner time asking if she can sell me meat out of a truck. I told her she needed to leave because she can't solicit on base. She says to me "I'm not soliciting, I'm selling meat" Oy. So I not so nicely explained what soliciting is and made her leave housing. I asked her who the heck let her in and she said the gate guards. I'm wiling to bet she didn't tell them she was selling door to door.

She probably stopped on the way off post to sell some to the guards.

 

[pilesoflaundry]

Two weeks ago I had two men come to my door asking what security company we use. I told them I didn't give out that information, but would take a brochure. They say they have nothing I can keep, but show me a printed out diagram of a generic security system.

I immediatley shut the door on them. Two nights ago I'm eating dinner and the door rings. My husband goes to the door and once again, two men ask who is monitoring our security system. My husband begins to explain we have a security system, but are not currently being monitored. I can't believe it and call out to my husband to tell them we aren't interested. He just stands there, listening to the two guys.

I had to get up and shut the door myself! My husband thinks I was being rude and I think I was just being cautious. (I don't know if they were the same two men)

Who would go around sellilng systems or monitoring and not even have a business card?

They are trying to find out if your system is really active or if the sign or stickers are just up for show. I would be really careful talking to them.