AIBU to feel harassed by charity chuggers targeting women in public?

The average charity CEO is paid £60k per year.

The CEOs working for the largest charities are responsible for multi-million pound budgets and thousands of staff and the earn a fraction of what they could of they worked in the private or even public sector.

if you don’t want to donate just say no thank you. No need to be an area hole to someone doing a minimum wage job.

“Hello miss, you look friendly”

Every single evening at the station directed at me, a late-40s woman who definitely does not look friendly. I just ignore them but it’s irritating.

I am sure they target women, am with you OP. I am a women in her 40s, sometimes scruffy, sometimes well-kempt and no matter where I am in the UK, 9 times out of 10 I am approached by the chuggers on the street even though I am deliberately avoiding eye contact and swerving as much as possible.

My female friends say exactly the same.

I just ignore and carry on.

@Skybluepinky

The OP has said they do this, but sometimes chuggers shout rude/sarcastic comments at them as they walk past.

Long story short i ignore them and march past,but lately several have felt they can shout snarky comments as i walk away

I start talking to them in Latin if I have time to mess with them. There's a fair bet they won't speak that.

I had one rudely shout after me 'don't you care about disabled children then?' I replied Nope!

I had that last week.

" Yes, but I'm not interested today, thank you".

Just say no and walk on by.

If they are behaving improperly then report them to the charity.

But don’t abuse people for doing their job.

@myheadsjustmush

I don't like chugging either, and think it's too intrusive - but I disagree that the top dogs are overpaid. Running a charity is a lot of responsibility and requires a lot of skills and experience. I think they're compensated fairly for their time, responsibilities and skills.

CEOs of charities earn less than they would in the corporate sector. I understand that a salary of, say, £120k is considered a very large amount by the majority of people, but the best people for the job - i.e. qualified, competent people with experience - wouldn't apply for the job for much less.

You can develop appropriate assertiveness at any time. Certainly ageing doesn't have to go hand in hand with rudeness.

They're just doing their job. I give them a firm "you're wasting your time because I have never and will never sign up to donate to anything in the street, but good luck anyway" and they don't hassle me any further.

"Do you like dogs"

"No".

I was out in the town centre a few weeks ago with a friend who does a lot of volunteer work in our local church.

We were stopped by a chugger and I said no straight away; she started to rummage in her handbag and I thought she was going to give a cash donation. But no. She whipped out a book of raffle tickets she had been selling to raise funds for the church roof, looked the guy in the eye and said “I will if you will” which entirely cracked me up. It was the very best response I have ever witnessed. Needless to say they did not swap donations!

Why do you have to be old to do that, if you feel inclined?

I say “I’m sorry, I don’t speak English” in perfect RP and it takes them a while to figure out what just happened.

I am sick of being asked to donate / sign up to a charity every time I go out shopping.

Whilst I acknowledge they are only doing a job, I usually reel off the list of charities who have asked me exactly the same question in the last few months. I then tell them to ask their fat cat, overpaid, top dogs to give up a percentage of their salary instead. And then I tell them I do volunteer work at a local charity.....

At this point, they usually can't wait to get rid of me 🤣

But, the lowest of the low have been charities who sit and accost people at the entrance to our local hospital. 😡

I refuse to support charities that use chuggers. It's intrusive and the positions are usually exploitative.

Benefit of ageing, you give up caring what strangers think about you.

I think it's incredibly rude that people accost you when you're just trying to go about your business. It's even worse when they knock on your front door (when you're trying to WFH too!)

I won't be unkind to people, because they're trying to earn a living, and it's an awful job to have. But I always say "I don't want to waste your time, so I'll tell you now that I never sign up to anything without proper research. I'd be happy to take a leaflet and your contact details so I can sign up through you if I decide to."

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. I need to know more about the cause, and think about what it means to me, and where it might fit in with my finances.

We have the energy supplier ones hanging out by the entrance of our local supermarket. It annoys me, as I just want to get in and out of the store without being stopped. I'd never in a million years sign up to an energy deal in this way; in the same way as I'd never sign up to give regularly to a charity. These people will tell you anything and promise the earth, to secure a sale/continuing donation.

I normal say 'No thank you', and continue on my way. Or I try hard to enter/exit whilst they're harassing someone else!

I had one stop me outside of Waterloo station and wouldn’t take no for an answer, was following me down the street still chatting his spiel until I told him to leave me alone, that I was dying from cancer - which is true. Only then did he look shocked and stop.

I just shake my head and keep walking. I feel bad for them but I don’t agree with chugging in principle and don’t feel I owe them an explanation.

You embarrassed yourself being rude and swearing. It's just their job. Just say you already donate and move along. Easy.

If you just say in clipped RP ‘terribly sorry I don’t speak English!’ It confuses them for long enough for you to get away.
Also useful for creepy men on public transport, bars anywhere really. Totally baffles their teeny tiny minds. Tried and tested

Ha ha, brilliant. I can't wait to fully engage in my full irritable, eccentric self when I'm old and I'll get left alone when grumpy.