Do you have a “No soliciting” or similar kind of sign on the door of your home?
Do you find that it works? If you don’t, would you consider putting one on there, and why?
I’m thinking of getting one.
When I was a Girl Scout (about 25 yrs ago when we would go door to door) we used to just ignore No Soliciting signs. No one ever got upset and most of the people bought cookies.
That is my only experience with No Soliciting signs. I don’t have one, but we don’t get many door to door people in our neighborhood.
My parents have one.
(I would, but my buzzer doesn’t work so I don’t get bothered anyway.)
It works like a dream, mostly because it ends arguments - when someone knocks on the door to try to sell something, they can point to the sign. “It’s nothing personal,” says the sign (between the lines, of course), “this house is just not going to be worth your while.”
From experience as a canvasser for a political party and for a charity, I can tell you that you will have to get a separate “No canvassing” sign for those, if you want one, and even that may be ignored by political parties (who, in Canada anyway, have a legislated right to bug you in your home during an election).
They do? Man, the things I won’t know until I’m 18.
I have one and it works very well. I often see people going door to door on my street and they don’t come to my door. I once had a charity person knock anyway and then waste my time, but that’s it. Oh, and those dreaded magazine salesmen from hell who claim they’re one subscription away from winning a college scholarship, but only after they’ve talked to you for half an hour about how they aren’t selling anything.
But overall, the sign is a good thing.
On a different board once, a young salesman was lamenting that it was hard to make good sales because so many places had “No Soliciting” signs posted.
The veteran salemen on the board jumped in with “Are you stupid? The ‘No Soliciting’ houses are the ones you need to go to – they put up the sign because they can’t say no, and bad salesmen like you are skipping them over, so they have plenty of money.”
There are some door-to-door salespeople who see a “No Soliciting” sign as an indication that the household inhabitants have no sales resistance.
I, for one, have no resistance to Girl Scout cookies whatsoever. I loves me some Thin Mints. 
I don’t have a sign. But then I don’t answer my door, either, unless I’m expecting a caller. So it works out.
I have a Door mat that says ‘Go Away’. sadly, it print didn’t survive the winter. I’ll have to track down another.
Of course, in the UK soliciting means something entirely different. We don’t have a lot of problem with prostitutes calling at the door.
No, we don’t have a sign per se - we have a 100 lb. German Shepherd and a bay window that looks directly out to the front door.
What? It works!
I was about to say the same thing. I just imagined the OP lived in a dodgy area…
OB
Sorry, I should have clarified. :o
By “soliciting” I don’t mean anything remotely connected to the sex trade.
By “soliciting” I mean door-to-door salespeople, political canvassers or those who feel they must knock on your door for a little religious pep talk to try to get you to join their church.
Okay, having clarified that…post away! 
I have such a sign on my front door. The thing that gets me is the number of times that the doorbell has rung, and a salesperson start in on their pitch. I proceed to point at the sign and say “The sign says ‘No Soliciting’”. Their answer:
“Oh, I’m not soliciting, I’m just trying to sell (fill in the blank)”.
I just close the door and chuckle that they thought I meant door-to-door prostitution, cause really, no one is that stupid, right?
Wow, that salesman would be in for a rude awakening at my house. Makes me wish I had gone with my alternative wording: Salespeople will be berated mercilessly and driven away in tears."
Some witnesses don’t think that “soliciting” applies to them. I have to point out that they are STILL waking me up, and what part of “Day Sleeper” do they not understand?
Exactly. Mr. Silver1 worked odd hours at one time years ago and so was a day sleeper. He became incensed at one point after having been woken up three times in a six-hour period by door-to-door callers. He scribbled a sign and taped it on the door of our apartment:
“We have the flu. Unless you want it don’t knock.”
He left it up for a few days and what do you know, not a single door-to-door caller.
Maybe we could revisit that…but I guess it would only work for so long. Eventually they’d probably catch on when they came back around to see if we were “recovered” yet.
My sign reads:
**“Never mind the dog.
Beware of Owner!” **
overlaid on the business end of a 45 Magnum and a mean looking home owner.
I use this:
Our friends are always welcome. But, if you are prosetylizing, we don’t need it; if you are selling something, we don’t want it; if you want to talk politics, we already have our own opinions. Thanks for respecting our privacy.
It works well, since all objections (“I’m not selling anything, I’m giving away free magazine subscriptions!” :rolleyes: ) are covered. If you like it, help yourself.
So that’s what solicitors do!