Kids selling stuff

[N. Olikee]

Mark,

No.......I haven't had any kids young or old come to my door here yet. But, I've only lived here for a year. Again, I don't mind buying if it subsidizes something out of the norm.....like a trip to Carnegie Hall. I've known a couple of public school choirs that had that opportunity.

When I was in high school, our band was "invited" to perform at the President's Inauguration. Of course, that cost "extra", and so they had an extra fundraiser. But to just go door-to-door selling wrapping paper for your school, is something different. I never allowed my children to do it.

I don't think you have nearly the problem here as we did elsewhere.

[love roses]

We've had the football boys come through this week selling their discount cards. I bought one a few years ago, but never really used it. My husband always tells them "I'm sorry, I already bought one from someone else." I like that answer and have taken to using it myself, but I will tend to buy things from neighbor kids I know personally.

[capcat]

Originally Posted by N. Olikee

Mark,

No.......I haven't had any kids young or old come to my door here yet. But, I've only lived here for a year. Again, I don't mind buying if it subsidizes something out of the norm.....like a trip to Carnegie Hall. I've known a couple of public school choirs that had that opportunity.

When I was in high school, our band was "invited" to perform at the President's Inauguration. Of course, that cost "extra", and so they had an extra fundraiser. But to just go door-to-door selling wrapping paper for your school, is something different. I never allowed my children to do it.

I don't think you have nearly the problem here as we did elsewhere.

Speaking of which, the McCallum High School band has performed at Carnegie Hall 4 times, with their fifth time coming up in 2012. The orchestra has performed there twice. Pretty good, I think.

[calel]

Had to turn away a Statesman seller who was aggressively trying to get me to pick up a subscription just the other day. Don't know why they're targeting my neighborhood so hard...I don't read the freebie weekend paper they keep insisting on delivering.

Definitely don't buy from the magazine subscription sellers. Most times they're run by agencies with very dubious business practices and the kids working for them are being exploited. The whole "I'm working towards a scholarship" is just a sales pitch to reel you in.

If they still sold them door-to-door, I'd buy girl scout cookies, but that's about it. I don't buy anything from a door-to-door salesman.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by austin_mommy

Girl Scout cookies I am OK with but there are tons of other things that you might not want to do such as coupons or solicitations for donations to agencies/sports teams etc.

When kids ring your doorbell to sell stuff you are not interested in, do you turn them away? Or do you buy/donate just because they are neighbors or you can't bear to see their disappointed faces?

We buy from the first kid that comes for each campaign. The early bird gets the worm.

[Trainwreck20]

I don't read the freebie weekend paper they keep insisting on delivering.

I am always tempted to report them for littering...they are throwing trash in my driveway....

[dtrimble]

I've always bought something from the neighborhood kids that I know when they come to my door. They're usually selling something that I really don't want or need, but I don't mind as long as it's a pretty reasonable amount (under about $20). I know that most of the time, it would probably be more cost effective to just write a donation check to the school/sports league/music program for which they are raising money. But that's not how it's done. And I do like that the kids that want to participate in these programs are out doing a little legwork to make it happen, because I think it teaches them that there is a cost associated with pretty much everything worth doing in this world.

I've never bought anything else from anybody I don't know (child or adult) who knocks on my door. A simple "No thank you" and a gentle closing of the door gets them on to the next house.

[another_hot-day]

Originally Posted by calel

Had to turn away a Statesman seller who was aggressively trying to get me to pick up a subscription just the other day. Don't know why they're targeting my neighborhood so hard...I don't read the freebie weekend paper they keep insisting on delivering.
.

I tell them, why would I pay for a newspaper that has the same news, word for word, as the local TV news?

They always tell me to 'have a good day' and walk away.

Oh and I don't buy from kids. They never have anything I want or want to pay 2x the price for.

[cmaxmor]

You know what is worse? Having a kid who brings this crap home for you to shill. I send back the packet with a $20 check for the school. It probably gets them more than if we sold $100 worth of crap and I don't feel like an a-hole for asking people to buy junk they don't need.