To think those high pressure charity street fundraisers should be banned

[startrekk]

This isn't really something I have given much thought to until recently. I always just avoid all contact and walk past the charity fundraisers quickly, ensuring I don't get caught listening to their hard sell.

However recently in the small village where I live there have been a team of around 5 and they are stood apart from each other pretty much blocking the main high street meaning you have to actually ask them to get out of the way as they have taken to hovering in front of you as you get close. I've had them pretend I have dropped something in order to get my attention and comment on my outfit or shopping bags as I've gone past.

I feel sorry for the small independent coffee shop that is located in the spot they have chosen to stand, as everyone avoids this path like the plague now and goes along the path further down.

I know it raises money for charity but I don't feel that is a good enough reason for these high pressure sales tactics to be allowed. There's nothing wrong with standing with a bucket and hoping people give change, but this is just ridiculous! I'd love to know where they learn their 'techniques' for selling.

AIBU? Anyone else who can't stand charity street fundraisers (charity muggers)?

Don’t bother me as I don’t give to charity

I hate them and it's especially annoying when they approach anyone that looks middle aged like me shouting "HEY MISS!" it makes me want to punch them in the face.

The old Mumsnet adage of ' No' is a full sentence works wonders in these circumstances.
In the street ' No' and keep walking
At the door 'No' and close it
Cut it dead and don't allow the emotional guilt they will try to put on you

The worst place I ever had to deal with them was Cheltenham. One of them reduced me to tears once, following me across the street as I tried to navigate through the quite busy street. I had already declined several of them as I walked in one direction, then I walked back after grabbing my lunch to take back to work and these same guys tried me and wouldn't take no for an answer and spoke to me nastily. I was pregnant and poorly and I have severe anxiety, I ended up bursting into tears. I couldn't even tell you which charity it was if I tried, that's the sort of info I blank out.

My DP politely said "no, sorry" to one once and the guy called him a wanker. DP simply said "well saying that actually makes you the wanker doesnt it". Shocking.

I say straight away that I don’t sign up to direct debits on the street / at the door.

They usually leave me alone without launching into speeches about without their charity if I get that in first.

Completely agree. The ones that come to your door asking you to sign up for a direct debit. Annoying! We give plenty to charities of our choosing, don’t need the guilt trip from people who are getting paid from the charity to make you feel that way!

when i took my kids to town last week i left my 11 year old stood outside a shop with the pram whilst i ran in to get a drink and came out to find a charity worker pretty aggressively trying to get him to buy an anti bullying wristband thing for £5! i was gone literally a minute!

I hate them too. Used to have to run the gauntlet on Victoria high street. I say no thankyou the first time and then move to Fuck Off if they persist.

If I've got time I stop and ask them how much they're paid, how much of that they give to charity and how much the CEO gets paid.

My usual response at this time of year is ‘can’t stop, need the toilet’. True as when it’s cold out I do.

I like the ones who say it will only take a minute if I stop. I then stop, let them waffle on about how nice the weather is, am I out shopping having a nice day, etc. Then look at my watch and tell them their minute is up so bye bye.

Face to face fundraising is an excellent income stream and saves millions of lives every year.

do you have a link to back up that claim?

The vitriol towards people doing this job always shocks me. You do realise these are just ordinary people trying to earn a living in a low paid job, don't you?

I did this job door to door 20 years ago, when I was in my early 20s. I was professional and polite. I was successful in getting a lot of people to give regular donations. If people weren't interested, I left them alone.

I can't see how anyone could have a problem with that.

If people weren't interested, I left them alone

Street chuggers don't leave people alone if they're not interested. That's the problem. Why can't they understand that if a woman says no, she means no?

I once had a woman come to my door trying to get me to change energy companies and wanting me sign up there and then. I told my DP was at work and would to speak to him first. She asked rather sneeringly wouldn't my husband want me to save money? I replied that I didn't know went on in her marriage but in mine we discuss things like e changing direct debits etc

"They make me feel so guilty. There’s a woman who sells The Big Issue and I dread having to pass her because she asks me to buy, if I say I don’t have any change she will reply that she has change."

A while ago i had a Big Issue seller ask me to go into the supermarket to buy milk for her three month old baby. im assuming she meant formula. I told her no that i couldnt. What would she do when it ran out if i had bought it for her .

3 or 4 years ago i had another BI seller ask me for £30 to pay his rent.

I used to live in Lancaster and there were always loads of them there. At first I said no, my answer was ignored and I awkwardly listened to them as they tried to push me in to donating. I got to the point where I could just walk past ignoring them whilst they tried talking to me, shouting compliments at me. They were always that rude and pushy that I couldn't even be bothered responding.

Luckily we don't really have any where I live now.

Donating *

There are so many charities! Turn on the telly and advert after advert all saying just €2 a week will buy xxx and help/save etc.

Then a walk round the town having to slalom around the pavements to avoid chuggers and beggars...

It's just too much.

I keep my phone to my ear and pretend to be in a conversation to avoid the high energy in your face direct engagement with them.

Once had somebody from an energy company come to the door. I answered it holding a bag of flour and he instantly said 'Home baking! Can't beat it, it smells delicious.

Must have been precognition cos I hadn't even got the oven on at that point.

And we have a woman who regularly calls round with her grandson in tow asking for money to help with his (insert different needs here) things like uniform, school books, shoes, etc.

They both look clean and well dressed, I mean not in rags and tatters.

My partner gave her a tenner the first time and she called every Saturday for ages after that! He never gave her anything ever again.

I told her I wouldn't give her money but I could give her a loaf if bread, some tinned foods, cereal and stuff but she said no.

The best thing would be to report their aggressive tactics to the charity concerned. If you are not satisfied with the response then the Charity Commission.

never give to chuggers. the first year of your direct debit gifts goes to paying the chugger organization their donor recruitment fee (the chugger is not employed by the charity but by a for-profit hard-sell organisation). if you want to give to charity set the gift up independently on their website or by phoning their HQ.

if a chugger is blocking a path they are breaking the terms of their permission fid street fundraising and should be reported.

My dsis had a v. effective way of avoiding chuggers. She was a wheelchair user - and was never ever stopped. I didn’t believe her at first but watched her trying to catch their eye. All chuggers actually looked away/over her head.

Ironically, she had a greater disposable income than me - but as I had small children I was always stopped.

I go past a group of them every day by where I work. That's when I rummage in my handbag to get security pass out/ replace at night.