To find door to door salespeople very stressful

[Myboyonlybreakshisfavouritetoys]

I think I'm just too much of a people pleaser or too British but I find saying no to people trying to sell me stuff SO awkward. Today it was Hello Fresh. I don't want a Hello Fresh box as I'm not a big recipe follower but I swear I almost signed up out of social politeness. I ended up having to basically shut the door on him saying "thanks I have to go now" as I couldn't find a polite way to say no . I'm also aware it's maybe not a super fun job and people work on commission so I feel bad saying no!
Is it just me -am I just really socially awkward?!

This !!!
Don't even let them start their sales pitch.

They are often scoping the house out with criminal intent.

Agree with others about saying "no thank you" as soon as you realise what they're there for - if you struggle saying no it'll only get harder once you've engaged with them

If they catch me off guard I will politely close the door on them.

Clearly we've been scoped as nothing worth stealing.

Get a Ring doorbell or just say 'No thank you' and close the door as soon as you see who it is.

I’d just pulled up yesterday after work to find a bloke waiting at my gate to ask if I lived here. Sweatshirt had something on it and he had a clipboard in his hand. As soon as he asked, I said ‘no thanks’
he came back with ‘But you don’t know why I’m here’. I’d already seen him knock on three doors as I was pulling up so I knew he was selling something
I just said that I don’t buy or sign up to anything on the doorstep. He realised he was going to lose the argument and as he walked off, I told him that the next door neighbour is bed ridden so not to bother. (Which is the truth and didn’t want her disturbed) He scuttled off. He’d even knocked on a house with the ‘no cold callers’ sign do I couldn’t be polite after he’d ignored it right by the door knocker.
Daughter passed him at the bottom of the road. She saw it was a bloke trying to sell light speed internet. We’re getting the round at least every month. Bloody sick of them knocking after 7pm at night and I won’t be polite next time.
im pissed off with them. We had one knock the door and i ignored it as i was recovering from brain surgery but he came back at 8.20 that same night. I may have been less than polite. Daughter watched through the spy hole and said he’d done shot off down the path 😂

I used to be really nice to them. Then we had a guy chugging for macmillan knock the door and he was so rude when I told him no that it sort of snapped me out of it. He did me a favour, really. They get short shrift these days.

Then they'll ask what time the home owners will be back.

Just a firm 'No thanks' as you close the door does the trick.

You don't owe them an explanation.

I just say I work from home (true) and I am on a call (sometimes true) and then politely shut the door. I've never had anyone come back later.

Light speed internet ignore them

No, but the OP struggle with that. I don’t , I find the intrusion infuriating

They are not ex-criminals as no such scheme exists. They are con artists

As soon as I spot a salesperson on the doorstep, I just say: 'not interested, thanks' and close the door.

It's not rude to say no, they're choosing to do a job that harasses people.

Haha glad it's not just me. I did try the I'm busy (which I clearly was as have 2 small kids and it was 6.30pm) but somehow he bulldozed through that and then it became very hard to interrupt the sales pitch.

It doesn't help that I swear every bloody influencer is flogging hello fresh all the time!

We've had the milk ones but maybe I sent DH to that one and he has more gumption!

When they ask if I’m the lady of the house I reply “not unless my husband has just been made a Lord”. It throws them off their script.

That’s what reframed it for me. Some guy knocks on my door without invitation and expects me to stand there while he implies that I’m a bad person for not giving him my bloody bank details? Sod that.

If they're too cocky or pushy I like to regale them with bizarre tales of tragedy and taboo which I make up on the spot, untill they start losing the will to live before my very eyes. Or ask weird personal questions about socks and stuff.
My mum says I will get a bad reputation but that's what I want.

I remember woman came round to try and get me to chain energy suppliers.
And wanted me to sign up a dd.
I said that id speak to my husband about it first and she got quite shitty with me shouting
" Wouldn't he want you to save money "
I said that yes he would but I wouldnt do it without discussing it with him.
I said " I don't know what goes on at your house but in this house we discuss things and respect each other's opinion "

Or just ask who it is, before opening the door. Just because someone has knocked it, or rang the bell, does not mean you have to open the door.

A few years ago the Government did consider banning door to door selling

Sadly it didn't

I fail to understand why as it's mainly scammers and crooks these days

I tell them I'm just after moving in so I can't sign up to anything yet. They usually move on pretty quick. None of them has copped it yet that it's been the case for a good 2 years 🫢

I find replying in sign language tends to do the job.

Urgh I hate it!
I used to get stuck at the door for ages as I couldn’t say no and I felt rude (although they’re rude and pushy as hell!) until one guy I got totally changed my response to them. I had just suffered a missed miscarriage and I was in such a state, absolutely heartbroken and feeling so so poorly and so low and I tried to politely say no and he just wouldn’t drop it.
I said listen I’ve just lost my baby and I’m not very well, I really don’t have the time for this, it was like he’d hit the vulnerability jackpot and assumed that was the green light to get me to sign up/donate (can’t even remember what it was for now) as I was closing the door he slammed his foot in it and pushed it back open. I saw red! I shouted something like ‘NO FUCKING THANK YOU!’ and repeatedly squashed his foot in the door until he moved it and slammed my door shut! Absolute arsehole!
I just tell them no thank you now and close the door, whether they’re mid sentence or not.

"Not today, thankyou!" in your best Hyacinth Bucket voice.

The strangest one I ever got was the door to door, "Bra Lady." She was a bit of a local character. You'd open the door and she'd stare at your chest for a moment and guess your bra size by psychic or possibly occult methods. She could be quite uncannily accurate.

She had a market stall on Thursdays too, so between the door knocking and market stalling you had to give her due as a hard working entrepreneur.