To hate having hordes of people asking me for money?

[CruCru]

Whenever I go into my local town centre, there seem to be loads of people who want me to give them money.

Some of it is up selling in shops (I know they have to try to do this but I still hate it), some are chuggers (done to death but there are at least ten at a time, spread out so you can't avoid them), women selling photo shoots for £40 and beggars approaching people for money (the last makes me sound really harsh but they are always quite well dressed and have a story about why they need this money - need a train ticket home etc- but are always there).

Every time I go into town, it's like running a gauntlet. For clothes I buy online so I don't have to browse in person but some things I need to buy in person.

I do buy the Big Issue, it's always the same guy and I think that is really worthwhile.

PoisonPension: of course you can! Or even better, film them.

I won't even buy the big issue... Those selling it aren't all actually homeless!!

Chuggers are my most hated thing. Even when you say 'no' 'leave me alone' or a direct 'fuck off' they don't leave it.

PoisonPension You can pretty much take photos in any public place for any purpose.

I hate chuggers because they make me feel like a turd for not talking to them. You're basically forced to be rude in order to get rid of them, and act like you don't give a shit that refugee children are dying, or there's an Ebola epidemic, or people don't have enough to eat. I have direct debits to Amnesty International, the NSPCC and Womankind, and I still feel bloody guilty every time I have to sidestep a chugger.

I have been know to take a 10 minute detour through side streets to avoid the section of the high street in our town where they hang out.

I think we need little "fuck off" cards to hand out as we go along!

No YANBU! I complained about one charity as the guy jumped in front of me, waved his hands in front of my face then said some nasty things when i asked him to leave me alone! They ID'd him and he was warned and monitored. It is awful though it is not that i am uncharitable but i would rather donate as and when i wish to!

I had one step out in front of me once when I was riding a bike, waving his hands in the air and shouting 'The brakes, madam! The brakes!'

My only regret is that I swerved.

YANBU. Especially with regard to chuggers. I have to run the gauntlet on the way to work every day. I suspected that I had been getting more attention from them since I started pushing a pram. Why is this? Is it because they think you must care more if you have kids or because they thinks mother's don't have any thing better to do with their time / money?

I propose a badge scheme. Someone should sell badges that people can wear to let chuggers know not to approach them, then it should be made law that they aren't to approach people wearing the badge. Just like those notices you can get banning them from knocking your door.

I really detest the intrusion.

As for beggars; I get approached all the time on my way home from work, alone, in the dark (I work late evenings) and it's bloody scary (not to mention embarrassing).

The Chuggers are the worst! Jumping out in front of me with a fake hello, how are you - pi$$ off. Then they guilt trip me into their deserving cause, depending how I'm feeling I'll either say...

• I only give/support two local hospice charities

• Why don't you not take the pay you're given so more money for your charity especially when you just annoy people

• thank you, but no

• no

I've never yet sworn or been rude....yet!

Chuggers

Yesterday one said "do you like cats?" To which the only reply was "nope, dog person" of course.

Must be such a shit job.

My friend's son is a chugger. The charity he works for transports him and a team of chuggers all around the UK,gives them food and lodging and pay. I don't know what I thought happened, but was surprised at this. It must cost loads ....and so I can only assume the charity must assess that it's financially worth it.

I think there should be a campaign to stop those chuggers from operating. I would never ever give them a single penny. I thought they were volunteers. Instead they get most of the money you sign over to the charity for around two years. It's fraud IMHO.

Viviennemary I always complain if they do the slightest thing (and targeting DD and walking multiple steps next to us is quite common) but generally the only response is "We've advised 'collection partners', and they've given the individual further training" etc. but the veneer of self regulation only works for them if they can claim few complaints or satisfied complainants.

Councils also of course still have the power to deny them in much of the country so they might also get bored of the complaints and decide it's not worth it.

I've worked as a chugger. Believe me it's bloody hard work. What vivienne said above about the charity not getting any money for 2 years. That wasn't the case for the company I worked for. All the money went to the charity. The money from gift aid for the first couple of years went to the company and some of that money paid me.

Charities need to raise money. If it wasn't cost effective then charities wouldn't do it. If everyone gave regular donations like eeek does then charities wouldn't have to spend so much money persuading people to give.

nicknack charity fundraisers have bills to pay and families to feed. You can't expect people to work full time for free.

YANBU. Its so annoying, as is the way chuggers and beggars zoom in and target women.

At the moment there's a guy who hangs around the trolleys at our local Tesco store, as you're wheeling your trolley back there he is, asking for your £1. He gives me the rage..trying to put trolley back and he's begging, muttering in your ears. He doesn't do it to me anymore as I blasted him, but it still annoys me that I can see him doing it to others, and & I feel Tesco security staff should tell him to get lost.

Going into town feels like an onslaught these days and I find myself now avoiding it as much as possible.

I really don't like being approached by anyone when I am out and about.

The worst that happened to me was a doorstep charity worker. My kids were little , I was cooking dinner. She wanted me to sign up for a direct debit towards a children's charity. When I explained that I already had a direct debit for the nspc, and that I did not want to set up any others she totally ignored me. I told her that I had to go as I was cooking and my dcs were alone she still carried on with her spiel.
As I began to close the door after again telling her that I wasn't interested she shouted to me to enjoy being inside my nice, warm house whilst thousands of children were freezing to death!

I always find the easiest thing to do when approached by chuggers is to smile and say "I have a standing order already thanks" yes it might be a bit of a white lie but they wont ever know whether you do or don't actually support the charity.

I also wont feel guilty about not giving, it pisses me off being stopped in the street and especially having knocks at the door, I intentionally don't give.
Im far more likely to give in charity buckets where the fundraiser is just stood there and not shoving it at me. I regularly give to causes close to my heart, justgiving and similar so telling a lie to the chuggers doesn't make me feel bad and gets them politely out of my way!

I had a weird experience with a chugger the other day....no clipboard, which normally gives me a clue and chance to avoid and he randomly started singing a song. To the tune about blondes having more fun, adapting it to redheads. (Recognised the song, but can't remember it) Yes, I do have red hair (more grey these days. Thank you Daniel Field) but I just assumed he was either eccentric or had mental health issues. Turned out he was a chugger. Felt quite cross he was using underhand tactics!

I'm as horrible as possible to chuggers, hoping to put them off the job. Utter pains in the arse.

When we went to Lidl today there was a man asking everyone for money when they went in and when they came out!

Just another way that councils are allowing the death of the high street imo.
£500 to park for four minutes and then run the gauntlet of chuggers. Exhausting.
Online or out of town is so much easier.

figginz there is an alternative response.

'Do you like cats?'
'Oh yes, they're my favourite. Especially kittens. Sometimes the older cats can be a bit chewy and tasteless.'

Oh the chuggers drive me mad. I live in a small town with one main High St, there's no avoiding them as there's literally no other route. They normally station 4 of them so you get caught by each one going up the street, then again going back down. 8 times in less than 100 yards!

One time when I had the pram, one of them approached me and chirpily commented: 'They tell us to target women with prams!'

Chuggers and various people demanding you attention for sales and various other purposes make high street shopping much more unpleasant and don't encourage me to go to town very often. Infact I'm not sure if I've been in the last 3 months.