Bizarre experience at my front door

[Patri]

I was in the process of putting on my shoes when the doorbell rang.
There was a man holding a bottle of Febreze. So I stepped outside, shut the door, and put on my other shoe. He said he was from such-and-such a company from a nearby town, and they wanted people to see their product, and he handed me the Febreze. He introduced himself and asked my name. I told him my first. A van was coming down the street so he excused himself and ran down to it. Another man jumped out, the two of them opened the rear and grabbed 3 boxes, and literally ran up my driveway, the fellow calling me by name like a best friend.
At the porch I saw the work 'Kirby' on a box. I said , "Whoa. You are not stepping in my house or touching my carpet."
He asked what I knew about the vacumm clearners. I said they were expensive. He said it was the last one they had to show or sell today and they didn't care if I bought. I said no.
They left and I asked if they wanted the Febreze back. He said yes, that's the only way they can get inside homes is to give something free away.
I thought they were very nervy, not even saying what they were selling, and not asking if he could come in before flagging down the van, but it was quite comical.

 

[JoeMid]

The Kirby is an amazing machine, amazing price, too.
Yeah, sure, it was his last one! This selling approach reminds me of the guys that used to pull up beside you in traffic in their unmarked van trying to sell you their last set of speakers that someone had refused delivery on.

 

[AwayWeGo]

The Offer Of Some Freebies & Then The Old Hard Sell...

...sounds kind of familiar, no?

My younger son (now 35), back before he moved to California & changed his name, once had a job selling fancy vacuum cleaners door to door, on the installment plan.

His 1 & only commission sale was to a woman who he said from the look of her surroundings could scarcely afford it. He made the sale & signed her up anyway & then felt remorseful about it for years -- maybe to this very day, I don't know.

After a short while he quit that job & got hired as a waiter in an Italian restaurant. One evening his old vacuum cleaner sales crew boss came in for dinner. My son went over to his vacuum cleaner ex-boss's table & started berating the guy for ripping off poor unsuspecting housewives with overpriced products at usurious credit rates, etc., etc., etc. He really let the guy have it verbally & lost the waiter job as a result -- got fired on the spot.

I had to admire his sentiment, if not his judgment.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.

 

[JudyS]

The Offer Of Some Freebies & Then The Old Hard Sell...
...sounds kind of familiar, no?

Yes -- as I was reading this, I was thinking that these guys sounded like timeshare salesmen!

Patri, too bad those guys came to your house and not mine. I don't even use a vacuum cleaner any more. All of our floors are hard-surfaced.

As for obnoxious door-to-door salesman, a while back a guy came up to the door and tried to sell me a frozen meat plan. I said, "Sorry, I'm a vegetarian," and he acted like I was lying. He said, "Oh sure, I've heard that one before!" The thing is, I am a vegetarian. I haven't eaten meat (or fish) for 26 years. I wasn't sure whether to be offended or amused.

 

[Gadabout]

Gee, you're awfully nice. Me, I would have kept the sample as payment for their trespassing and bothering me....

My usual greeting to strange people at the door is "Hello, are you lost?"

 

[Karen G]

We've had a noticeable decrease in door-to-door sales people since putting up a "No Soliciting" sign right above our doorbell.

 

[Jestjoan]

Don't open doors to strangers. I wish my DH would learn this......

 

[Gadabout]

We've had a noticeable decrease in door-to-door sales people since putting up a "No Soliciting" sign right above our doorbell.

You know, those signs don't always work. Some feel it doesn't apply to them because they aren't selling a product (you know the types).

And there are some people in sales who see those signs as an open invitation to "overcome objections" , especially if they've gone to high-priced seminars. They even brag about how they will lie to a receptionist and say they "have business or an appointment" with whomever they're trying to sell to (I've had telemarketers do this as well with other family members--the Do Not Call list has certainly helped cut down those calls), and how long they were able to talk before being escorted out by security. To me, that sort of mindset is dishonest, not to mention counterproductive--you've just told me that your product/service is probably as worthless as the salesperson.

"No Trespassing" signs work somewhat better. A locked gate and talking over the fence (in rural areas, people usually are genuinely lost and just trying to get directions--door-to-door is not cost effective at all) is safer for you, too.

 

[Cat]

We've had a noticeable decrease in door-to-door sales people since putting up a "No Soliciting" sign right above our doorbell.

We've had a noticeable decrease, as well, since moving into a gated community with a 24-hour manned guardhouse.

Took a little getting used to, having to call to let them know when visitors are coming, when getting deliveries, or having a service call, but without ever having to answer the doorbell except when we're expecting someone, I have to say, it's pretty darned nice!

 

[Present]

Sounds to me like they weren't kirby saleman at all, rather con men who would have 1. sold you a pile of rocks in a kirby box or 2. riffled through your jewerly box while one kept you busy. Smart thinking keeping the door closed behind you and getting rid of them asap.

 

[Patri]

Sounds to me like they weren't kirby saleman at all, rather con men who would have 1. sold you a pile of rocks in a kirby box or 2. riffled through your jewerly box while one kept you busy. Smart thinking keeping the door closed behind you and getting rid of them asap.

Wow, never thought of that. And actually, there were three of them (with the driver). Later I saw the van at a house and the van was empty, so there were 3 of them inside! I don't know the people who live there but felt very sorry for them.