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Selling crap at work is unprofessional. Besides, it's the kids' responsibility.
You can't avoid these parents, though, and bc I tend to support kid things, I tell them I will absolutely buy IF the kid pitches to me.
I have never said no to a kid pitch.
It can also be a problem if the parent of the GS manages other staff. You'd get in trouble where I work if you brought in stuff to sell and pitched it to lower-level staff. It could be seen as putting pressure on people to win your favor.
I had no staff when my daughter was young enough to be in Scouts, and the people in my office WANTED cookies, so what I did was bring in the form and just let a few people who I knew wanted the cookies know that the form was available and they could come see me. I did not go around hawking the cookies. It had to be their initiative to come to me, and that's the only way to do it at work.
Sold a lot of cookies to coworkers, but I realized the downside when I had to spend a week schlepping bags of cookies on the trains and then walking to the office. Glad those days are done.
I hate clear glass side panels. We have a half set on one side of the door, but they are covered by a curtain. I have a spray that would frost them up (forgot that I had that till now!), but I really want to replace them with hurricane resistant glass because they are single pane and an easy access point to the front door.
As for all you 'Peeping Tom Crusaders', IMO if you have clear glass panels on the side of your front door, be ready for people to look through them. Humans are naturally curious. How about this scenario: Cute, 8yo Girl Scout selling cookies rings the doorbell to the house. When no one answers, she looks inside the glass window which is mere inches from the solid wood door. She sees granny who has fallen and can't get up since her LifeAlert came off her bony wrist and clattered away. Calling 911 ( because she learned that in GS), emergency personnel arrive to get granny on her feet. Is the GS a hero or a pervert?
Now walking around the house to peer in windows is creepy, but at the main entry point, what else are you supposed to do? Do you avert your eyes every time you neighbors open their garage door as to not see the contents therein?
I'm not buying that reasoning. By your logic, if people are guests in a family's home, it's OK to rifle through their medicine cabinets and panty drawers because they're "curious." No it's not. It's rude and invasive, and we, as humans who have the capacity to control our actions, have a responsibility to do just that. In this scenario, the drawers and doors are closed for a reason, one of which is people don't want others looking through their private things.
Daughter is some precious sensitive snowflake that this really bothered her?
I love girl scouts (despite their chemical-ridden cookies), but door to door needs to end. Immediately. I think most of us are tired of being cold-called...but accosted in your own home...it gets tiring and intrusive.
Most of the kids in our area set up outside the grocery stores and do gangbusters business.
I've been a "cookie mom"; have lots of experience with GS cookies. First of all, while the scouts say it's the girls' thing, etc, awards are given for selling the most cookies, etc, and there is an expectation that you will sell, sell, sell. It should be obvious that a young girl selling hundreds of boxes is not doing it on her own.
At my office, selling kids' school stuff was kept at a minimum. Order blanks were left on the table in the break room. There was no official policy. Few of the doctors peddled stuff. For a while, 3 of the 5 docs had kids in the same Boy Scout troop, so that would have been problematic.
One of my neighbors had a policy that she would buy a box of Thin Mints from anyone who came to the door.
Selling at grocery stores and other public places is part of the whole cookie program. Permission has to be obtained and it's usually a total troop endeavor, with people taking different shifts. It's done towards the end of the cookie season.
Rude to knock on somebody's door? You're way, way off there.
She doesn't have to answer but she has no grounds to complain if a little Girl Scout comes to her door wanting to sell cookies.
The degree of hostility to peaceful visitors that I see sometimes on these pages goes far beyond excessive.
I tend to agree with you. I mean, why bother having front doors in the first place, if you don't want someone to knock on them? Just have a private entrance around the side, behind a gate, and put up a big sign by the driveway: "GO AWAY"
If someone doesn't want to deal with unannounced visitors, that's their choice. They don't have to open the door, certainly. (And with today's security, they may see you at the door and decide you aren't worth opening the door for.) I just don't understand being rude, when it's so easy to just say "No, thank you, I'm not interested." Much easier on your blood pressure. :-)
I just think it's sad that people are so frightened of people coming to the door that it's become "rude" to knock on a door. I had a package that was delivered to my house by mistake -- a neighbor on the next street has the same number, and a similar street name. Well, they moved, and another couple moved into the similar-address house. I received a package from UPS addressed to them, and rather than call UPS and have the delay of having them pick it up, and delivery it, I just decided to walk over and deliver it myself. I walked up the driveway, and was starting up the sidewalk, and the door flies open and a man snarls "Whatever you're selling, WE DON'T WANT ANY". I stared at him, and said, "Good lord, CHILL OUT! I live on the street behind you. Your package from (whatever store) was delivered to me by mistake, and I thought you might like it now, instead of waiting for UPS to come and get it and re-deliver it. But never mind, I'll just call UPS. Sorry to bother you!" and turned around and started to walk away -- with his package. He stood there with his mouth open, and then ran out after me, apologizing profusely. But at that point, he was forever pegged "the jerk."
RE: The clear glass panels. I don't think the little girl was snooping by looking in the glass panel. Perhaps the door bell was soft and they thought it wasn't working. I have sometimes glanced in just to see if the light are out or if it looks like someone is home before I knock. Certainly not to case the joint.
In this case, the little girl had the bad luck to glimpse a woman who obviously wasn't in the mood to answer the door. Oh, well. Moving on.
Rude to knock on somebody's door? You're way, way off there.
She doesn't have to answer but she has no grounds to complain if a little Girl Scout comes to her door wanting to sell cookies.
The degree of hostility to peaceful visitors that I see sometimes on these pages goes far beyond excessive.
Not really. I live in a big city where it is considered rude to knock on someone's door unless you have legitimate business with them, i.e. the UPS man, your lawn guy, an expected visitor, etc. The reason is because there are many people who bother residents by knocking on the door either A. trying to sell us something we have zero interest in or B. trying to sell us their religion we have no interest in. And a lot of them are extremely pushy and don't want to take no for an answer.
Even worse, some strangers knocking on your door are actually scoping out your house to see if it's ripe to burglarize later. So we have good reasons for not wanting anyone uninvited to knock on our doors, even Girl Scouts. As for whoever's suggestion that we put a fence up in the front yard and Go Away signs, I like that idea, and I'm sure many other posters do as well, but a lot of HOAs don't permit front yard fencing.
Last edited by Scooby Snacks; 01-27-2016 at 11:33 AM..
I did door to door sales briefly in college. I was required to knock on 200 doors a day and/or make two sales. I only did job two weeks. Not for me. I even had to get a certain amount of people to answer door. Just knocking was not good enough. I also had a quota on demos. At the time it was Electrolux Vacums.
Some folks would scream and yell at me, other would be uncomfortably weird. Answer door in underware. OMG, just answer door or dont.
I recall one sweet old lady answered door had to be like 95. I was 19 year old. It was obvious she could never push around a vacum and her carpet was really really dusty. I offered to do a free demo and vacumed all her floors, she was soo happy. BTW I already did a demo that day I made it up.
I wonder what her kids or grandkids thought when they came by her spotless house when she told them some six foot two inch guy knocked on door and offered to vacum whole house for free. Fun times.
BTW they sell No Solicitors signs for doors. If you don't have one, your lights are on, you are sitting in living room visible from front door with TV on or something and someone knocks on door to sell a girl scout cookie it is not that big a deal.
Same as trick or treating if you house is approachable people approach it.
That is correct. I would not put what my daughter inadvertently did, up there on the same level with that lady's reaction. Had she had her nose pressed up against the glass, with her hands cupped around her eyes to see in, then that would have been a different story - and that is my opinion. At the same time, had the homeowner opened the door, and told my daughter it was not nice to peek/peer in, then by all means we would have apologized. And had the lady simply said "No thanks", we would have been on our way. Could the lady have messaged her displeasure differently? Absolutely, and i don't doubt anyone here would disagree.
For those that agree with the lady's reaction - maybe tit-for-tat, or two wrongs make a right works for many of you. Maybe many of you would accept rudeness when directed to you or your child. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me that this story it a nerve to where some of you are somewhat embarrassed as it reminds you of something you did in the past, and you are trying to defend it? Maybe that's a stretch...
I guess I found that kind of response from that lady unacceptable, regardless where she was. And you know what, maybe a letter to her is warranted....
Why should she have to go out her way like that for rude solicitors? She doesn't owe you or your daughter anything, and solicitors certainly aren't worth even opening the door for. Time to drop the self-entitlement.
Why should she have to go out her way like that for rude solicitors? She doesn't owe you or your daughter anything, and solicitors certainly aren't worth even opening the door for. Time to drop the self-entitlement.
I'm thinking even if the lady had opened the door and told the daughter it was not nice to peek in the OP would have still posted and cried to his wife. You just can't please some people
Not everyone is going to be nice to you. Better learn sooner than later or you're in for a tough life ahead.
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