To not open the door to strangers?

[MrsTumbletap]

My DH thinks I'm weird, but I don't open the door to people I don't know.

I'm not bothered that my lights are on and there is clearly someone home, I don't feel obliged to open the door. If it was the police or similar I would of course, but not some random man or woman. Do you open the door?

AIBU?

I rarely get knocks at the door unless it's the post man, delivery person or next doors little girl asking if my son is playing in the garden today so I do tend to answer when it's knocked on. I've only been caught once by some sales person I couldn't be bothered with, told him I wasn't interested & shut the door.

You're not weird for not answering but nor is someone weird for answering 🤷

During the day I generally answer. But after about 5pm I don’t answer if I’m home alone. I just peer out of the window suspiciously. There’s no valid reason for anyone to be calling at that time of night.

Yes I do but if you don’t want to that’s up to you.

YANBU. I only answer to parcels or people I am expecting. Who else is it really going to be? Chuggers, salesmen or Jehovah’s and I’m not interested.

I live in a basement flat and people stare in my window and see me sitting on the couch and I still don't move.

I open my door to anyone who knocks, because I think the chances of it being anyone wishing to harm me are extremely tiny. I think people have very weird risk judgement- they happily do all kinds of things every day which carry a far, far higher risk than opening the door to a stranger.

I have an intercom and a spy hole...I find out what they want first.

I used to answer without fail but now I don’t always to do so. We seem to have a group of Jehovah Witnesses that come round a lot and I’ve spoken to them once. I don’t feel the need to answer the door for them again.

In fact, today someone banged really hard on my door. I’ve a really horrid interfering neighbour and I think it was him. I declined to answer it.

I used to feel you must answer but now realise it’s my choice.

Recently I had to knock on the door of three strangers to ask for help (lost animal). Each one of them opened the door, let me into their house and helped me look around their garden. I'm incredibly grateful that they weren't people that I read about on here who never open them. Plus we're in London where there's perhaps less of a community spirit!

Actually I do of course open the door to the postman and accept parcels for neighbours, but I do get loads of random people knocking on the door too.

Last night in between trick or treaters had two men walking around in high vis jackets on knocking on doors. Ignored them.

Had a strange lady at 8pm the other night ringing the bell, and just now another blonde lady, it's dark, it's raining and she is ringing my doorbell.

I know how you feel, and I'm another one who peers through the window first. Problem is the dark evenings though, 6pm in the summer is no problem at all.
I am however, very much looking forward to the local Tory candidate calling round. I have a few things to say to her...!!

If you are eight years old and home alone then YANBU. It’s a mumsnet thing and fucking weird.

I think it's weird to happily drop everything you are doing to talk to a stranger that knocks.

It's not a mumsnet thing, I didn't like opening doors before I knew what mumsnet was.

I used to feel you must answer but now realise it’s my choice

I was exactly the same...I'm a ridiculous people pleaser. My oh is the opposite and he changed my mindset. Now I feel strongly that's it's my property, my home...I don't owe a random stranger access to it or me.

A door knocking or a bell ringing or a phone tinkling are all just a requests to answer, not orders. Sometimes I grant the request. Sometimes it's just not their day

If it's dark outside I don't answer. I've had a couple of aggressive ex offenders knock in the past, tried to intimidate me when I didnt buy their stuff. Im a single parent with small DC, it made me worry all night that they'd come back. So now I just ignore the door.

One of our local Police groups online has recommended not opening the door to strangers due to burglaries and being checked out to see if you are vulnerable, alone, rich etc.

I use the spyhole and security setting if I feel I must open the door.

This subject has taken over from shoes on/off in the house on MN.

Just answer the door. I have a sign so I don't get salesmen etc. But then I am weird because I answer the landline if it rings after 9pm too.

I think there are a lot of childlike adults on MN Sparklingbrook.

Years ago when I forst came to the UK I was lost on some country roads. It was about 7 or 8 pm and I tried to knock on doors asking for directions. Noone answered even when they had their lights on everywhere in the house. It was a horrible experience, I was quite spooked out, felt like I was in a horror movie. Didn't help that I was right by some corn fields that kept rustling very suspiciously.
Of course this wouldn't happen with gps systems being so widely used but there could be a genuine reason.

I always check who is there. If I think it’s a delivery man or someone with a company van outside, then I’ll answer. If there’s no car outside or I’m not sure who they work for and their purpose, I don’t answer the door

I usually answer the door but we hardly ever have random sales calls as I’d probably feel less keen if we did.

I think it's weird to happily drop everything you are doing to talk to a stranger that knocks.

I make the decision depending on what I'm doing at the time - if I'm not prepared to drop what I'm doing, I wouldn't answer the door.

It's like when someone answers the phone with 'I can't talk now' - I always think 'well why did you answer the phone, then?'.

I do sometimes answer the door then say no thank you if it's someone I'm not interested in (salespeople, etc).

We have a spy hole and one of the key thingies....
I use both if I'm unsure about why someone might be knocking. And especially if I'm alone.

No I don’t answer. It’s my house and I don’t have to open the door to anyone if I don’t want to.

Obviously I open it for people I know and the neighbours to get their parcels. But someone selling something? Nope.