Had a few young people coming in our store with a duffel bag of items to sell to customers and staff. When the third one hit us the two of us up front told him as he entered ,
“You’re not allowed to sell those things in here” politely.
When he just smiled and started his spiel anyway, we snapped, “What did we just say to you?” he grabbed his bag and stormed off as if we were the assholes.
Some JW’s came round the other afternoon. I had been enjoying some … ahem… “adult entertainment” on the computer, and mishit the pause button. The apparently rather loud sound track made an interesting backdrop to the conversation.
Reminds me of a time when I worked in a restaurant and this possibly-homeless Chinese lady came by trying to sell… I think it was socks? That almost seems too absurd to be true now that I type it but I’m pretty sure it was socks. Anyway, she tried to sell them to some people eating out on the patio area when I confronted her and told her she couldn’t solicit here.
So what does she do? She makes a beeline for the front door in an attempt to solicit to the people eating inside the restaurant. :smack:
I had to take down my “No Soliciting” sign-the prostitutes wouldn’t come around any more.
No carry permit required in CA for it. It’s not brandishing by the legal definition unless you’re holding it, either. But the scratching where it is could be considered a threatening gesture, and in some crimes the mindset of the victim is all that really matters. If they felt like they were threatened and in danger… Something to that effect. Plus, if you don’t have video, it’s a he said, she said… And they can claim you drew the gun and pointed it. How can you prove otherwise? Too much room for ugliness. Best to slam doors in people’s faces and call the cops yourself if they get ugly with you.
My wife is a big door locker, and used to lock the screen door. Then we came home one night when the power had gone out (disabling the garage door), and we had to borrow tools from the neighbor to take the glass out of the door so we could get in.
A little over ten years ago, I was a door-to-door salesman. This thread reminded me of what my boss at the time told us. He insisted that we flat out ignore No Soliciting signs. “They aren’t legally binding, just ignore them and go sell those pizza coupons.” I was new at the time, so I was paired up with a more seasoned veteran. He had no problem pretending those signs didn’t exist and happily rang doorbell after doorbell with predictably poor results. I probably don’t have to tell you, but that’s not a fun way to make a living.
When the time came for me to go out on my own, I left the company. There was no way I was going to attempt to sell something to someone who clearly wasn’t interested in buying. I only wish I’d have asked somebody how it made any sense that we waste time at a house that wasn’t going to buy when there were so many other chance.
I love this. It’s so wonderfully dismissive.
Fortunately, it seems our No Soliciting sign works. We used to get a lot of salesmen, but only a couple in the past year have dared ignore it. And I think they were all political boosters.
I might have to buy the T-Rex eating the Jesus fish from them.
I hate door to door people, too. I work late so they always ring the door when I’m sleeping during the day.
The signs don’t apply to them because, in the words of the Jehovah’s Witnesses who knocked on my door a couple years back, “we’re not selling anything, just offering the lord.”
Anti-pit: I did have to give a few points to the lady running for some office or other during the last election. I once got a letter in the mail saying something to the effect of “I was going around meeting your neighborhood, but you had a No Soliciting sign on the door, so I didn’t disturb you.” I was going to vote for her anyway, but hey, nice touch.
Don’t tempt me. I’m thinking that the letter carrier wouldn’t like this, either.
You know those old gags of a trap door in front of the Big Boss’s office desk? And the Big Boss likes to push the button? That’s what I dream of. Gotta have SOME way of feeding my tigers, you know.
I’m thinking of getting this owl pic made into a sign.
I like the Elizabethan language, but I think that sign is a little unclear. It sounds like a question. I imagine the solicitor saying to himself, “Methinks they doth.”
JW’s, Mormon Missionaries and their ilk would not be required to get the permit.
Giant check holder: The sign says no solicitors, Ed.
Ed McMahon: But…
GCH: No buts.
Ed: I guess we’ll have to draw another grand prize winner.
the advantages of
2 Living in a foreign country. Even is one were inclined to answer the chime, one one can understand what you say.
We made our own sign, it says:
“No Solicitors. Violators will be considered dog food”
We’ve only had a few dare to ignore it. We’ve had a few pizza delivery guys who were afraid to knock, I had to explain that they were INVITED to our home, so it didn’t apply to them. So yeah I think there is something to the notion that some people really don’t know the meaning of the word soliciting, hence they ignore it. I have even mentioned to my husband that we should consider adding the definition of soliciting underneath the sign.
My husband once was forced to crawl through the dog door to get in as I’d locked every other door (even the kitchen door to the garage which isn’t accessible unless you know our garage door key code…).
We have issues with solicitors in our neighborhood - mainly the school age variety of boy scouts, girl scouts, and kids selling candy bars and frozen food stuff.
Though the most annoying are probably the home improvement types and the religious. I sort of do what PunditLisa does though - if I don’t know the person through the window of the door I just back away and go back to what I was doing.
I have a rather evil looking battleaxe (purchased at RenFest) leaning beside my front door. I often have it in hand when I answer the door to strangers. (If there are children I don’t display it - if the person is male I always display it)
Amazingly enough, I haven’t had any visits from JW’s in years!
More’s the pity.