The Truth Behind the Door-to-Door Magazine Subscription Industry

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Evan!

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This is a pretty long, but very interesting (and terrifying at times) look at the seedy world behind those poor kids who show up at your door talking about how they're working on a "scholarship" for "school"...

Goddamn, I had no idea! :eek: People can really be disgusting.
 
that's what I need to do, that's an awesome job...and they have drugs too...I wonder if they have candy...then I'm def in!
 
It's really vile. One minor advantage of living where I do, no one other than JW's come up here. And there's a sign on the door that says in large unfriendly letters, "NO witnessing."
 
lol "No witnessing" for the murders? or the Jahovas. I dont get sales people or those kinda things but I get the occational Jahovas, I look out the peep hole, strip naked, then answer the door telling them I am a Wiccan. They love it, well... I love the suprised look on there face!
 
It's really vile. One minor advantage of living where I do, no one other than JW's come up here. And there's a sign on the door that says in large unfriendly letters, "NO witnessing."

When we were rooming together in college, one of my friends answered the door and JW were there....

Now just a bit of back story here on his past experiences with JW's.... his niece and nephew were going to day care every day while mum and dad were at work. Suddenly, one day, they started talking about Jehovah..... Mum and dad asked where they learned about Jehovah, and they told them that the lady at day care talked them about it every day.

.... SO anyway, he answered the door with a beer in his hand, and JW are there and they start their speil... He says "Oh! you are Witnessing? GREAT! Get ready to witness a BEATING!!!" and steps out the door. They left in a BIG HURRY.. and we never had them show up again.

I would love to use that line sometime, but I just say "No thanks" and slam the door in their face.
 
I never bought the story they tell. I've talked to these people a few times when home sick or working from home. It seemed like every single kid was 'like two or three' magazine sales away from making their goal of a trip to Hawaii or free college or whatever.

No big surprise that whole thing is a scam that takes advantage of; 1) minors who don't know better, and 2) shut ins who need attention. Gosh, you mean the girl with the ear jewlery the size of Eisenhower dollars, the hardest tats I've seen in years, and a permanent smokers hack isn't a junior at Hofstra? No way!

I could go off and rail on corporate America or lack of regulation, or whatever, but honestly, it comes down to the fact that some human animals will always try to take advantage of other human animals, if given the chance. Bummer.
 
Anyone who comes to my door and tries to sell ANYTHING gets an angry and rapid ushering off my property.

I don't work hard to maintain my sanctuary just so that some A-hole can come invade it!

I think that door-to-door solicitation should be illegal, as well as telemarketing. And no, I'm not a nut, I just hate to be bothered in my own house. I see enough advertising as it is!
 
On military bases it's not uncommon for "hot magazine chicks" to make their rounds of the barracks, using whatever means necessary to sell magazines. I've heard of more than one story of some dude banging the magazine chick. (Of course they all subscribe).
 
On military bases it's not uncommon for "hot magazine chicks" to make their rounds of the barracks, using whatever means necessary to sell magazines. I've heard of more than one story of some dude banging the magazine chick. (Of course they all subscribe).

Never saw them in my barracks. :(

Then again, maybe that's a good thing.
 
Wow! We just had "Hot Pizza Girls" show up with about 20 XL pizzas that someone "stiffed" her for!
 
You know, SWMBO has a lot of street smarts but for some reason one of those salesmen got the better of her once. I was furious. It may have been that his approach was that he dropped our neighbor's name in the line. "Well Leslie, Amy bought a subscription and told me you might be interested" and some other BS like that. Anyhow, she invited this guy in.

I was irate because I always have my doors locked as we live close to the road. So I had the bank cancel the check because the guy refused to refund the money, although we had 30 days to cancel. It was a real pickle. Our neighbor hadn't bought anything nor had she recommended he go to us. He just played the fence using what information he gleaned from the neighbor to get a better position on the negotiation.
 
I hate door to door salesman. Or for that matter people randomly stopping at my door with no business. The last house I rented some guy randomly showed up and wanted to tour it because the house was for sale. No way am I letting him in.

Also someone knocked and my door and asked if I had any scrap metal. LEAVE.

Seriously my house is my house not some place for you to do business.
 
I get the JW's and the Mormons sometimes -- usually on Saturday. I tell them "Thanks, but you're interrupting family time. Please feel free to not come back." Magazine salespeople get told to leave, after I tell them they are the ones getting scammed, making other people rich while they get jack. However, I will buy anything the neighbor kids are selling, provided it's to support school, scouts, or sports. Given that it's a fairly small neighborhood, I know who's kids are who.

One time about two years ago, a younger guy knocked on the door and asked me if I'd be willing to try out a new product. He had a sample-size bottle of laundry detergent, so I said 'sure, why not.' He went BACK to his car and started getting out a vacuum. I told him 'If you bring that ****ing vacuum into my house, I'll break it.' Being that I'm 6'5" and 260 lbs, he decided to beat feet.

He did leave the detergent where he dropped it, though.
 
Just had one show up at my place about a week ago. If only I had read this article earlier, I would have had better stories to tell him. I think he got the hint pretty quick though, I told him I only wanted porno :D
 
I have a home made sign on my door that reads "No Solicitation" in letter large enough that, if your eyes are decent, could be read from the street.

Below the large letters I have Ordinance cited;

"§ 39-19. Peddlers or solicitors; invitation required to enter posted premises.

No peddler or solicitor shall enter any premises or attempt to sell, peddle or solicit where the owner or occupant of such premises has indicated his/her desire not to be contacted for sales or solicitations by the placing of a "No Solicitors," "No Trespassers," or "No Trespassing" sign on those premises, and any such entrance or attempt to sell, peddle or solicit shall constitute a trespass upon private property.

(Code 1980, § 39-21; Ord. No. 18839, § 1, 9-8-87; Ord. No. 19971, § 1, 6-15-93)"

Now, if it's a little girl brownie scout I will usually entertain the act but, if it's a teen or adult they are greeted swiftly with a threat of charges for tresspass. I find that the "religious" seem to think that it does not apply to them but, for the most part, it has cut down on the numbers significantly.

I still have the occasional "ring and drop" advertisers tho'.
 
I have a home made sign on my door that reads "No Solicitation" in letter large enough that, if your eyes are decent, could be read from the street.

Below the large letters I have Ordinance cited;

"§ 39-19. Peddlers or solicitors; invitation required to enter posted premises.

No peddler or solicitor shall enter any premises or attempt to sell, peddle or solicit where the owner or occupant of such premises has indicated his/her desire not to be contacted for sales or solicitations by the placing of a "No Solicitors," "No Trespassers," or "No Trespassing" sign on those premises, and any such entrance or attempt to sell, peddle or solicit shall constitute a trespass upon private property.

(Code 1980, § 39-21; Ord. No. 18839, § 1, 9-8-87; Ord. No. 19971, § 1, 6-15-93)"

Now, if it's a little girl brownie scout I will usually entertain the act but, if it's a teen or adult they are greeted swiftly with a threat of charges for tresspass. I find that the "religious" seem to think that it does not apply to them but, for the most part, it has cut down on the numbers significantly.

I still have the occasional "ring and drop" advertisers tho'.

mf'ers hawking religion door-to-door are selling BS just the same as the rest of the snake-oil crooks out there. I like to f*ck with 'em though...
 
Magazine peddlers are often casing neighborhoods and you'll find break ins happening very soon after they come through. My neighborhood calls the cops and they get run off pretty quick. They are ballsy though, to walk down a 385 foot driveway at dusk to a house that you cannot see from the street in Texas to knock on a door to sell something.
 
I had two kids show up today doing this...thank god I have a sweet vantage point where I can check the door to see if I want to open it or not
 
Dude I dig the hotties on summer break earning tuition money for the fall semester in Austin! :fro: I didn't know it was that shady, but I never believed little Beverly was a sophmore at UT either!

As for the JW's my grandfather came home one day and my grandmother was sitting on the front porch with the JW's. They introduced themselves, my grandfather goes inside, picks up his baseball bat, walks out on the front porch and gives them 5 seconds to leave. They left and he meant it!

Schlante,
Phillip

Ohhh I almost forgot. Be nice to the Mormons, invite them over for dinner, you'll get some yard work maybe even your house painted out of it!
 
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