Chuggers target 91 women for every 6 men

[Hundredacrewoods]

www.canberratimes.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/street-harassment-for-a-good-cause-20180801-p4zuu1.html

Long overdue article about how chuggers almost always approach women (91 women for every 6 men in the observation period), use gendered intimidation tactics and take advantage of women being socialised to be 'polite.'

I have definitely learnt to overcome my socialization with them..took a while though.

I definitely get targeted much more when I am on my own to when my husband is there.

My approach with chuggers is to make eye contact but to speed up ever so slightly. As they come towards me I bellow 'Not today, thank you' and beam radiantly while sailing past. Works even if they've managed to get their first few words out.

LOATHE the cheeky chappy type ones. I had one in Newcastle a while back who wouldn't accept no and fell into stride beside me and then PUT HIS ARM AROUND MY SHOULDERS.

There seem to be a LOT of these types in the North East. Not sure if its true everywhere. I hope we have came across the same one tbh, rather than there being more than one of them who think its fine to touch random women that way. But yeah, have had that. I actually also once had one offer to accompany me to the bank I had used the excuse that I didn't have my card on me and did not know my details (way before I learnt how to say no without excuses) and he said that if I went into the bank they could give me the numbers needed for a DD, and he would come with me if I wanted

Have also had one literally shout after me 'so you don't care about ill kids while you have arms full of shopping?!'. DH got that once, with a cancer collection bloke who actually shook the bucket in his face and started screaming at him for saying no. That was the only time I have ever seen one of them forcibly go after a bloke.

One of them told me once that they're instructed to target women with prams

I used to find I attracted them with young children - which is odd because money was never tighter and I never had any guilt in saying no.

We do give to charities but ones that mean something to us and when we choose.

DH has been spectularly rude to some who have come to the door and tried guilt tripping - I just do no with the don't you care about... no they usually don't know how to take that.

I had one good looking man working for Amnesty leap in front of me once and say something like: “Go on love, I KNOW you want to talk to ME.”

I got such lengthy, girthy pleasure from looking him right in the eye, smiling, and saying “No, I don’t.” And walking on. His mouth was hanging open. I don’t think a woman had ever resisted his “charms” before.

I remember getting stopped and being asked 'help a disabled child will you!?'
I just replied 'no it's ok! I have one at home!' That shut him up!
(My son is disabled!)

I don't even clock what they look like, let alone their level of attractiveness. Nor, seemingly, do all the other people who determinedly stride by them.

But I do feel sorry for them on the street and in the call centre.

Why? Do you feel sorry for PPI, timeshare or double glazing salespeople? It's a targeted sales job. You get a lot of shit, the rewards are generally pretty good if you meet your targets.

I've been saying this to my DH for sometime. He was stopped by chuggers x2 in the course of one day - I was chugged (including having the chuggers block my path) 19 times in < 3hrs.

Why? Do you feel sorry for PPI, timeshare or double glazing salespeople? It's a targeted sales job. You get a lot of shit, the rewards are generally pretty good if you meet your targets.
This.
I just say "no thanks" and shut the door/walk away. It's particularly effective in a non-sequitur way, also if they ask a further question I reply again with "no thanks" so it's immediately clear all further interaction with me will prompt the same response. I did once have a few days agency work when I was young handing out leaflets (not charity related) and a job cold calling (sorry) and both are pretty soul destroying; my personal theory is that those who manage more than a couple of weeks in that kind of role are either desperate or a sociopath.

I always think about chuggers when people talk about online shopping ruining the high street.
Why would anyone want to go out to physical shops and have to run a gauntlet of 20 chuggers playing the guilt card and commenting on their shopping?
I’d rather stay at home where there’s no one to judge me except the dhl guy
Perhaps the charities that use these twats should take some responsibility for the demise of town centres.

I met a very wealthy man at a party who owned a chugger agency. He said that the charity owes around 12 months of payments to the agency to pay off the chugger cost. So it's a full year before the charity actually gets the money to save the spotted toad or whatever. Infuriating technique - I also avoid charities that use them and find smaller, grass roots orgs to donate to.

I do find the pretend flirting deeply irritating. I’m a fat middle aged sourpuss please don’t insult my intelligence by pretending to fancy me.

Gosh - yet another way women have found to turn themselves into victims. So now we’re victims of chuggers. And they use gender intimidation tactics, like standing in front of us and saying ‘hello darling’ and oh my god putting an arm around our shoulders! Quick, someone help me to the couch while I call the Everyday Sexism hotline!

They’re just people trying to make a living.

What does any of this have to do with feminism?

A cheery "No thank you!"' without breaking stride has served me very well for years.

I was trekking through town with seven children in tow. Still the chuggers tried to stop me. I pointed to the gaggle of kids around me with a look on my face of incredulity. NO, I will not stop to chat with you! Idiot.

hilbo
Sales techniques designed specifically to target women (plus mildly intimidating blocking, inappropriate touching) - statistics to show 91 women approached for every 6 men- I think makes this a suitable discussion for this board.
It's one of the very small, almost invisible ways that women are treated differently to men. It's not about victim status.

I was not commenting as a victim. Just as a slightly pissed off user of the high street.

t's one of the very small, almost invisible ways that women are treated differently to men

This ^^

Has anyone actually used the term victim to describe themselves when it comes to chuggers?

Its basically coorperate cat calling.

I was shopping with a younger female relative. When I was stood a few feet away a chugger approached her with the opening line "Excuse me, are you old enough to drink?"

As it happens, she was (just) 18 and perfectly capable of telling him where to get off (once she'd established what he was actually after), but I do think that
a) If the chugger thinks their target may be under 18 they probably just shouldn't approach them; and
b) A man ( I would guess in mid-30s) approaching an unknown teenager in the street and saying 'are you old enough to drink' is pretty inappropriate

Who made you the gatekeeper of feminist issues, Hilbo?

I think next time I'm stopped I will suggest they ask a few men instead!

It's one of the very small, almost invisible ways that women are treated differently to men.

It’s absolutely about victimhood. It’s about going around spotting utterly meaningless social interactions and then blowing them up to mean something they don’t. Look at the language in the OP - Gender intimidation tactics. Take advantage of women. Socialised to be polite.. It’s the language of utter passivity. The article itself is all about victimhood: the writer is “flustered”, “stuck”, “harassed” and seemingly silent in the face of his daft banter; she even “bolts” away from him at the end, like a frightened little sheep. Her “statistics” consist of hanging out on a street corner for 15 minutes counting heads, then getting her mate to do the same.

I’ve worked in chugger central in Londonfor the last 20 years. I recognise nothing of the scenario she describes, and I see blokes being chugged just as often as women. So there’s some more “data” for this discussion. Maybe I should write an article?

It’s a bullshit article with the bullshit “gender pay gap” stat stuck there at the end like a cherry poo on top of poo pie.

I’ve worked in chugger central in Londonfor the last 20 years. I recognise nothing of the scenario she describes, and

Well neither do i

But if that's someone else's experience then its fair enough