To hope social distancing puts an end to chuggers?

[dancinguser]

Since moving to a large town 5 years ago I've grown to hate chuggers. No matter where in the town centre you shop it's almost guaranteed you'll run into at least one of them trying to get you to stop by shouting something along the lines of "you look like a nice person!" or "do you care about sick children?"

My method for dealing with them used to be walking just far enough out of their way that they couldn't stop me by law (by keeping over 3 steps away from them, walking within 3m of shop entrances). However after having several charities break these rules and one man even stand in front of me to make me stop I decided to not go out of my way to avoid them, and instead walk in my usual direction and ignore their existence (much to their annoyance).

AIBU for hoping that this is the end for charity muggers? With social distancing sticking around for a while I don't see how it's possible for them to do their job for the foreseeable future. I also think that our behaviours will be a lot different in the going forward even if we are clear of the virus. It's hard to imagine anyone would be happy with a complete stranger making a point to come into their personal space on the street.

"I just don’t get how people can get so worked up about this stuff. Just give them a smile, say “not today”, and keep walking. Done."
Ha ha. You obviously don't live in my city. They just don't take no first an answer like that. I wish they did.

In the centre of the city I live in, they are positioned a few metres apart all the way down a couple of the streets. They see you saying "no thanks" to one and seem to make a game out of chasing you. They shout things at you and it is evident their training includes targetting women by flattering them about their looks. I've lost count of the times I've been patronised by them commenting on my beautiful hair.

They follow you and shout at you. Don't they realise that shouting "So you don't you care about kids?" and similar things is not going to make me fill in their blooming direct debit form.

I would never give my bank details on a form to such rude bastards a chugger. I also hope social distancing finally eliminates chuggers and they get off their arses and get a decent job. To me, they are on the same very low level as those who bombard me with calls asking me about the car accident I was involved in that wasn't my fault. Pondlife.

I literally just walk past them and ignore. Not even eye contact. It's quite hard to do at first as it goes against instinct, but I've got it down to a fine art now and it keeps them away just fine.

My local town allows no more than two charities in a given location once a week. They have a license of sorts. It’s not violated and you can easily walk on the other side of the square where they are. I think a lot of them are local charities that are given pitches and no one seems to mind. My local very small town does the same - one charity on a Saturday. Again mostly local ones. Easy to avoid if you wish.

Many charities won’t have enough money to continue but we have over 500,000 registered charities so mergers would seem sensible!

They do it because enough people sign up that they make money out of it, but I disagree with the model. The chuggers themselves are often not on NMW and there are all kinds of things wrong with targeting certain groups of people, which let's be honest is what happens. YANBU.

I once got chugged by Danny from Hearsay. I despise them all tbh and won't donate to charities I see use them. They are rampant in my town.

Definitely a reason to be cheerful. I despise them thoroughly. And I think they can see that written on my face as I rarely get accosted now. I have had some thoroughly unpleasant experiences though (exclusively with male chuggers).

I’ve experienced some following me up an entire street when I clearly had no interest, shouting after me as I walked like an aggressive stalker. I also hate the ones who stand in supermarket doorways. Sincerely hope it’s the end of them.

Hope so. I have tried all the things people suggest - eye contact and smile no, ignore and say no and I've still been chased down the street. I've been approached when eating lunch alone on a bench. One told me to 'piss off then' as I said I couldn't stop.
There's no excuse for it and I don't see the need for them now we have the internet

I'd like to think they'll be gone for good, but I tend to agree with this PP:

I think we will see more than ever.....charities will be going full on pulling out all the stops to recoup their losses over covid

They're also adapting to the times. JW have been pestering phoning my very elderly grandad. I very swiftly put a stop to that.

I - briefly - considered chugging at one point and know a fair few people who've done it. They work for a third party company, are housed together, work six days a week, move on to a new city each week, mostly change charities each week or month. Very work hard, party hard. All people on gap years, or avoiding the real world after graduating university.

All of which means I don't feel sorry for them, it may not be well paid but they're not exactly struggling single parents trying to make ends meet. It must be lucrative for the charities - they know damm well what bad PR it is - but I can't say I'd be sad to see them go!

We have prequel had door to door sellers in lockdown

*always not prequel!

No idea what they were selling as did not open the door. But they came onto my property and touched my door; I am shielding.

I sincerely hope so, I hate the bastards. They are rife in the city where I work and I can't even nip out for a sandwich without getting accosted several times. Some of them even took to standing outside our office doorway accosting everyone coming out on their lunch breaks. Scumbags.

Slightly off topic but I had no idea they were called chuggers. That's a new one on me!

But all they want is bank details so you can just rattle off any old numbers at random, how on earth can they make you prove it's genuine. Just say, oh no I don't carry bank details with me incase I get mugged.

I hope so OP, along with cold callers. Nobody should be coming up to you in the street to ask you for money, and they shouldn't be knocking on doors trying to scam you asking for work, either.

Charities should not use them. I used to sponsor a room at Centrepoint but once I was "hit on" by one of their chuggers I cancelled my DD and chose a different charity to donate to.

Many charities won’t have enough money to continue but we have over 500,000 registered charities so mergers would seem sensible

I've been saying this for years - so many charities doing the exact same thing.

We get a load of them too! I just ignore them and don't alter my direction to get out their way. I try not to be rude but if I have to I will be. The more people sign up with them the more successful they are and the more the method proliferates though - and it must work otherwise they wouldn't be there.

I hope they are banned forever. So many times they’ve embarrassed me, chasing me and shouting comments. Loathe them. I give to four charities of my own choosing. They even harassed my friend who uses a wheelchair and made it so she couldn’t get past, which made her feel powerless and trapped by her disability and then it turned out the charity was for disabled people. Her experience with that Chugger was surely not the intention of whoever originally created that charity!

I despise then. One guy followed me until
I told him I would call the police unless he stayed 10 feet away as I felt quite threatened he then stood outside the Sainsbury's I’d used to escape him waiting on me coming out. The security guard told him where to go.

I was also rushing through the city to get to the train station as my dad had died. I was visibly upset and one accosted me I said ‘I’m sorry please go away I’ve just had bad news!’ She persisted since I told her ‘look I don’t have time for your shite my dad died a few hours ago. I’m highly emotional right now!’ She kept trying to engage with me, following me ffs!

Shelter have them out constantly and I now no longer donate to them. I used to donate as I really hate homelessness and think in this age no one should have to live on the street. They use chuggers constantly and once you start to donate they badger and badger for more money. They even sent me a cd through the post with homeless people telling their stories. How much money were they wasting on the constant contact and making cd’s, employing chuggers? No ta my money will go elsewhere now!

They don't bother me in the slightest! I have one very simple rule NEVER stop walking. If you stop walking they've got you. I say no thank you and carry on walking past

Yes just keep walking fast, don't make eye contact and say 'no thanks' firmly. It usually works. Just having to do that kind of bothers me though ..

@Mnthrowaway20202 not sure why you think @GhostCurry 's attitude is strange! I do exactly the same as Ghost and trust me, the chugger has NEVER continued to harass or follow me! They wouldn't have dared to after my delivery of 'no thank you' I can assure you 😂

It might only be '3 little words' and I might only be 5'3...but 28 years as a primary school teacher gives my delivery of those 3 words more punch than Tyson Fury 💪😉

My answer is always yes of course I'd love to sign up, have you? Oh you haven't? Tell you what, you give me your bank details and I'll give you mine. For some reason this really pisses them off

@GinWithRosie

Because it’s clearly dismissive of others experiences? I’ve plainly told them to fuck off before and have still been followed. You’ve just been lucky enough to not come across a weirdo yet.