Am I the only person who never opens their front door to anyone?

[jugglingjugs]

I just heard my front door go, so I hid in the kitchen out of sight, no idea who it was but I'm now very curious.
I wasn't expecting anyone, if it was family I would have answered because they wouldn't come unannounced.
I also never answer my phone if I don't recognise the number. Is this just me or does anyone else do this?
I have never really thought about why until now.

Blimey if I didn’t answer my phone to unknown numbers I would never work! (Freelance). Often friends pop by unexpectedly- why would you not answer your door?

I'm quite happy to ignore either if I'm not in the right place to deal with any fuckery that might result from it... And if I really don't want to be disturbed I'd probably just switch the phone and the doorbell off....
I do mostly answer as in my experience it's deliveries and very very small amounts of BS so I can cope... I'm on a quiet cul de sac and people don't bother coming down to try to flog us stuff....
In the neurodiverse group I'm in there are huge amounts of people that would never answer...

Exactly.

What a horrible response to someone obviously reaching out about something distressing to them.

In fact, so many of you here should be ashamed of yourselves for your responses here.

This is actually a typical behaviour for people with things like ADHD, autism, anxiety, depression and so many other things.

I hope social media is teaching your children about compassion and inclusion because I doubt alot of you are teaching them that yourselves.

FYI, I do this too and I am neurodivergent and I am proud to share that to help others feel less alone.

Good Lord it was a joke. 😂

You seem pretty weird to me actually.

If the behaviour is due to anxiety you are very cruel and unkind to label it "weird". I hope the op didn't see your post.

I think this is actually quite concerning behaviour and it seems like having some sort of avoidance issues. What if it was something important? What is so terrifying about having to say a few words to tell someone you're not interested/busy if it isn't?

What does it matter if people choose not to?

Like I just said above - what if it is something important or urgent? Also, does it even alleviate the anxiety not to answer?

Mine doesn't. . If they did, I could go through all the faff of identifying which meter it is, taking a photo and sending it them. Or I could just open the door to the meter reader and let them do the work. Which is quicker and easier?

Who claimed it was the "best argument"? It was simply an inquiry. Why so aggressive?

I work for a charity and sometimes need to phone people with queries about something I'm doing for them. When I'm WFH, I put 141 in front of the number so that, to them, no number will show. Happily the vast majority of people do answer and it's al very straightforward and uncomplicated.

If they don't answer, I have to ask them to call me back when I'm in the office (to avoid having to give out my own number), so I'll be delayed in helping them. Alternatively they could phone the office and ask them to pass on a message to me about when they'll be available to take the call, but there's still going to be a problem if they won't pick up because they can't see who's calling.

I work for a university and when we call up, our numbers show up as a centralised call-desk number, rather than as the department/extension we're calling from. And yes, when we're calling it's usually because there's some issue, which the person we are calling is probably already aware of. I don't think avoiding the call is going to make those people any less anxious.

So, every time you open your door you think it's going to be something important or urgent? No? Thought not. God, I don't know why I even bothered to reply to this.

Why do you care so much about me missing out? I can assure you that my life is far more interesting than talking to strangers who knock on my door. Like interacting with people I am expecting to knock on the door, or - wow! - actually leaving the house to go out with them.

I never answer the door unless I’m expecting a delivery. I have had a few random people knock on my door, they didn’t leave a note/letter/parcel/email/call etc so f knows what they wanted. Can’t have been important.

I don't even know why you bothered to reply either, since you were just rude.

Obviously I don't expect it to be important every time, but how can I know which 1/50 times it might be? Or even when it isn't, it prevents some annoying time-wasting outcome, like having to trail off to the Royal Mail depot the next day to collect a package.

Madly much. I live in a building which is flats. I rarely wfh, but whenever I do it seems like delivery couriers always buzz for a parcel for one of the neighbours when I'm in the middle of a meeting! It hacks me off every single time, but then I realise that I am glad when the neighbours take in my parcels when I'm not home, so I'm definitely being unreasonable because I can't have one and not the other ☺

OP posted online to ask for opinions. Presumably she was aware she might be told it was unusual and concerning, and if not due to mental illness, a bit weird. It’s not normal behaviour to hide when your door goes!

I used to judge by the knock. It it’s just two slightly loud taps it’s probably a delivery. It’s that five knocks pause then two (you know like a tune) it’s usually a charity collector or sales person trying to sound like a friend so you open the door, I ignore it. Pre covid I would get a few annoying callers a week, then it stopped during covid. I had relaxed but was caught out the other day. If it gets bad again I will probably get a ring doorbell.

I do the same if it’s someone I don’t know. Mainly because I am not very good at saying no if it’s a charity wanting money or someone wanting to do a survey or something! I suppose it’s also to do with safety as it’s only when I’m home alone. I never answer the

That posted too soon! I never answer the phone either- too many scam calls!

It’s that five knocks pause then two (you know like a tune)

Shave and a haircut - two bits!

There are 3 blokes in a house across the road from us who never answer the door, man about 60 yes old and 2 lads I assume his sons about 30 yes old.

I took a parcel in for him, saw the delivery guy card him, he never came to pick it up. I waited until he arrived home, saw him go in so I went and knocked, I could see him moving around inside the house, yet still no answer. This happend twice.

In the end I had to accost him in the street in order to get him to take it.

Unless there is a very good reason not to answer your door, not answering it is very weird indeed and I have only ever heard of it on here. And the weird guys across the street.

Some people are scared of their own shadow.

'Unless there is a very good reason not to answer your door, not answering it is very weird indeed and I have only ever heard of it on here. And the weird guys across the street. Some people are scared of their own shadow.'

People are busy, maybe online wfh. Some may be anxious that isn't 'weird'. Some may have physical problems. Some cba! Whatever, it's really no one's business and to label people 'weird' because they behave differently to you is a bit shit.

We get loads of deliveries, I open the door but I absolutely respect the decision of others who ignore cold callers, god botherers and other unexpected callers.