r/mildlyinfuriating • u/BulkheadRed • 23h ago
Winter is Coming Door-to-door salesman steps over the tape blocking off my freshly painted steps
I spent over 20 hours prepping, sanding, and painting my front steps while the weather is still good before winter, including taking two afternoons off work to get the job done before it's too cold. I just finished the job this afternoon and the paint is still tacky.
There is a long strip of painters tape attached to a paint can very obviously blocking off the stairs when you're facing it.
I have NO Halloween decorations up yet either.
Edit: for everyone saying it's not enough or my tape job is shit, it's like a 45 degree angle across the steps, and it's not a construction zone, it's my house. If you walked up to a piece of tape blocking your path at a residence where you weren't invited, you would probably at least second guess whether you should be proceeding forward. Thankfully, it's mostly dry and there is no need for rework as far as I can tell. That's what makes it mildly infuriating. He COULD have done damage, but it doesn't look like he did.
Edit 2: this is also not a common occurrence. I get MAYBE one knock a month on my door unsolicited. It just unfortunately happened to be the one day I had painted. It wasn't an expected situation. This was a mere just in case measure. Small town Canada.
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u/bugabooandtwo 23h ago
Honestly, there's almost no reason for anyone to go door to door these days.
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u/jyrox 22h ago
It’s just high pressure sales tactics. I love when it’s a window repair company or something and they say how terrible my windows are and I respond “you guys were the ones who sold/installed them.” Their backpedals are fantastic.
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u/whatintheeverloving 22h ago
Had a window insulation guy come by during the winter and refuse to come in so I could at least close the damn door and keep the cold out. Made some remark about how I 'must be feeling the chill' and I said, yeah. Because you're not coming inside and I'm not coming outside so I have to leave the door open, in the middle of winter, to let you tell me all about how much my home's insulation sucks. Excellent marketing!
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u/Immortal_Azrael 22h ago
You can always just shut the door in their face.
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u/1StationaryWanderer 21h ago
Just don't answer the door. There's zero reason to answer a door anymore. You should know if someone is coming over. Use your door camera if you want to. I've had sales people see me inside and I just look at that and ignore them. I will never buy anything from a door to door salesman.
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u/harryhend3rson 21h ago
Exactly! This one will never cease to amaze me. Why does anyone feel any obligation to open the door?? It's my house that I pay for, I don't know you, I didn't invite you, I'm not pressed in the slightest to open the door for you just because you showed up.
I've talked about this with friends and relatives and I'm baffled at how many just can't wrap their head around my viewpoint.
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u/OceanRacoon 21h ago
I've said that same thing for years, if you don't know why someone is at your door, you don't want to know. They're just going to want something from you, usually money.
Boggles my mind that anyone answers a random knock on the door these days
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u/Naive_Philosopher749 9h ago
My computer room sits at the very front of the house, when I sit at my desk I'm sitting next to a giant window that looks at my front door. I keep blinds slats mostly closed but about a foot open at the bottom so my cat can sit on the windowsill which means you can see my legs from outside but not my upper body. I also don't ever answer the door but it is funny to peek at people through the blinds as they knock on the door, back up from the house to wait, notice my legs, and try to knock again just in case I didn't hear. There is literally nothing you could ever be offering me that I'd want. If you come to my house and don't have my number I don't want you
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u/Itz_Combo89 19h ago
I like to check incase its the girl scouts
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u/supersimpsonman 15h ago
That does fall into the category of “[they] want something from you, probably money”
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u/ForgotMyLastUN 22h ago
It may be petty, but I fuckin LOVE shutting my door in their face. Sometimes I do it really slow so they don't really get it at first. They normally start to speed up their pitch when they realize what is happening.
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u/wdh662 21h ago
My proudest moment was one caught me coming home with my 1yr old and groceries.
I got him to carry the groceries in and then I shut the door in his face.
Absolutely no regrets.
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u/dr_jimmymcfluff 21h ago
I had a friend who would open the door eating really obnoxiously and than apologize and spit the food into his hand and throw it to the side than try to shake there hand.
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u/soullessginger88 22h ago
I've hit a bong on my front porch to get several types to leave. Salesmen are the easiest, missionaries only if they get super pushy. Thing is, I might actually listen to what they've got to say if they hit it too.
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u/The_Nepenthe 18h ago
Annoyingly this doesn't work in my neighborhood because it's either broccolli haired Logan Paul enjoyers trying to sell me internet or people trying to invite me to the black church.
Neither gives a fuck about weed.
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u/proudmommy_31324 22h ago
I just never answer the door and watch them on my camera until they give up.
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u/XxFezzgigxX 22h ago
Protip: You don’t have to open it either. Not even for cops.
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u/Different_Fig_2958 21h ago
Same with phone calls. You're under no obligation to continue the phone call. Even bill collectors. The times when it's a legitimate collection (usually medical bills in my case), i ask if they have a website, say thank you and hang up.
Unfortunately, I'm somewhat obligated to answer unknown numbers because it could be work related. That means I get to field all the calls for the two woman that use my phone number for everything (?).
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u/NightGod 17h ago
Every so often, I answer one of those calls and put my phone next to my speakers while I'm playing a game. Hope you enjoy the sound of my running around harvesting
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u/Immortal_Azrael 20h ago
God I love hanging up on these people while they're mid-speech. It's weirdly empowering. As soon as I realize it's nothing that matters to me and they're still trying to continue the conversation, they don't get another second of my time.
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u/actuallyapossom 21h ago
People have to go out of their way to canvas my neighborhood and I have zero patience for them. It's nice, my neighbor has even less patience than me, and our front doors are 6' apart.
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u/DryDiscipline2001 12h ago
I’m honestly shocked you invited a door to door window salesman into your home
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u/Mattoh4321 19h ago
Had ATT come and try to sell me their plans. They asked if I noticed comcast or any competitors bills going up, trying to say they were so much better. I told the guy I had ATT but cancelled them since for a single year they were raising their rates every quarter by $7-$8 a month and by the end of the year I was paying about $30 more than the begging of the year. His response was, “Oh that’s normal.” Wtf?
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u/mortokes 22h ago
Ive realized if you casually answer the door in a bathrobe some ppl get freaked out, apologize, and never come back
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u/Dezeyne 14h ago
My husband had been working out in our house in his ranger panties from when he was in the military. Some door to door salesman knocked on the door so my husband answered - shirtless, sweaty, and in teeny weenie shorts.
The sales guy starts going into his pitch and then had the audacity to ask my husband to put some clothes on because it was making him uncomfortable. My husband was like "dude you knocked on my door!?"
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u/jyrox 22h ago
One of my favorite responses as a middle-aged bald fat guy is to absentmindedly rub my nipples and keep biting my lip.
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u/smallermuse 22h ago
My favourite response was when we had a salesman come to our door which had a clearly marked sign that read "BABY SLEEPING. DOGS WILL BARK. DO NOT DISTURB." My husband answered the door with "So, you've woken our baby AND I'm dying of cancer". The look on that guy's face. I'm quite sure we were placed on the "do not every contact again" list.
Anyway, I miss that guy. My husband, not the dick salesman.
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u/SolidFew3788 21h ago
I'm so sorry for your loss! A baby and a dying husband, that had to have been extra hard on you.
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u/smallermuse 21h ago
Oh, yeah, it was awful. Still is. But he had the most awesome sense of humour and it makes me so happy to remember these moments. Because, ya, what he said to the salesman was true but also, he was laughing his ass off afterwards. He enjoyed fucking with him. When you go through stuff like that, you get SUPER dark in your humour.
Thanks for your kindness. 💛
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u/Dramatic_Airline84 19h ago
True story. Was painting the living room in a house I'd been renovating wearing - as one does when painting one's own house in really hot weather - an old pair of loose boxers and an old paint covered ripped up t-shirt.
Stupidly, when someone knocks at the door, I answer. Jehovah' Witness. Young lady, pretty, nicely dressed. Again, stupidly, I listen to her spiel, because I am too polite to tell her to eff off.
She gets about 3 or 4 minutes in and then starts to blush, turn red and her religious gibberish gets even more gibberish-like and she abruptly leaves.
I close the door, thinking "that was weird". When I close that door I feel a bit more breeze than I was expecting, and realized that my boxers were more worn and ripped up that i had realized and that the sack had been dangling through a hole the entire time.
Not my recommendation for dealing with religious callers who harass you at home, but it was effective.
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u/IchmagschickeSachen 21h ago
I’m a catastrophe insurance adjuster (meaning I mainly handle wind & hail homeowner claims) and I love it when some roof salesman who has never nailed a shingle in his life knocks on my door and tries to convince me I need a new roof without knowing what I do for a living. I always try to keep them at my doorstep for as long as possible. Stops them from using that time to scam someone else.
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u/lllorrr 12h ago
I am doing the same to phone scammers. "Oh, you want to tell me about your scam? I am listening. Are you finished? Sorry, I didn't hear what you said. Could you please repeat that from the very beginning? Oh, sorry, looks like there are some problems with the line, could you please start over?"
Looks like I got into some sort of scammer's blacklist, because they stopped calling me at some point.
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u/Emergency_Lie42 21h ago
I like to think it's the same mentality as dudes on dating apps that send 100 "sex?" messages out a day.
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u/OGcrackhead69 18h ago
Yeah the only fun part of door to door sales people is harassing them back and letting them see how it feels. Like you said I just turn every issue around to being their fault lol.
“We’re offering new high speed internet through T-Mobile”. “Oh really? Cause I just switched to T-Mobile from charter and my internet has never been worse!”“I noticed your roof might have been damaged in the recent storm. Would you like an estimate?”
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u/AdministrationWide87 21h ago
My favourite is when I tell a solar panel installer I don't have a roof. The confusion. It's not much but it is satisfying.
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u/DustyComstock 22h ago
Every other day I get solar guys, roofing guys, lawn guys, bug guys, Jesus guys...
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u/Lil_Brown_Bat 22h ago
I have solar and the solar guys still ring the bell. Bitch, you can SEE I have panels.
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u/OnTheEveOfWar 21h ago
I do not answer the door for anyone unless it’s family/friends who I’m expecting. I have a doorbell camera so I can quickly see who’s outside. I’ve had sales people repeatedly knock and they can hear my wife and I talking right on the other side of the door. I don’t give a fuck.
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u/GrundleSnactcher46 22h ago
Atleast where I live you just gotta put up a no soliciting sign then it makes it illegal if they try.
Only guy Ive seen ignore it was some homeless methhead who didnt understand the word then ran when I called the cops.
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u/bookprotocol 15h ago
I have a "No soliciting" sign by my doorbell.
People get PISSED when they ring my doorbell, and I come to the door, and ask them how am I expected to trust them and whatever they are selling when I know they can't read.
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u/HotdogTester 7h ago
I’ve only ever had ONE person that came up and didn’t ring the doorbell because they saw the sign. Part of me wanted to reach out to the community and ask what service or product they were selling simply because he read that sign and respected it instead of trying to make a sale of some kind. Then the other part of me didn’t because that’s the whole point of the sign being put up.
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u/ADIDAS247 21h ago
Yet I get at least one a week. Solar, Verizon (it’s always Verizon), Windows, Doors, masonry, roofing, occasionally magazines (wtf?), security systems/cameras.
And all this shit is just wasting time because my house has been completely rebuilt within the last 5 years.
One guy was telling me that my 4yr old roof should be looked at. The window guy is another one.
I think all these dudes prey on the elderly to be honest. I tell them every time not to go next door to me cause that’s my house too. It’s really just one elderly lady who’s just too nice and I’d be afraid they’d trick her.
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u/No_Kangaroo_9826 12h ago
Verizon guys I had to actually yell at after they came back a third time in the same day. First time said no not interested and I'm working, second time said no I get you have a job to do but I'm not interested.
Third time they kept saying they were coming back because they were trying to make time for me since I had been busy all day. I really did try to be polite but after I again told the guy I get you're on a quota but I'm not interested and he said so when can I come back to talk about other options for your internet or phone I lost it.
Never, just get the absolute fuck off my porch, off my lawn, stop trying to talk to us. And he acted like I was a piece of shit of course. But they've left me alone for a few weeks now
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u/AmbassadorSecure8864 22h ago
The boomers demand it, their bullshit must be satiated.
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u/moochickenmoomoo 12h ago
At almost 8pm? Seems too late to try to sell something door to door
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u/Problematic_Trolley 11h ago
It’s been too late to try to sell something door to door since like, 1995.
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u/cosmoboy 12h ago
Yeah, but they know you're home at that time. For me, I get window people and pest control. The guy that came at 9pm, I opened the door and just repeated 'It's after 9' until he understood what I was saying and left.
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u/Ok_Animator_1345 10h ago
I used to do D2D sales in 2017... the sales managers want their reps knocking well after the sun goes down. Its a crazy lifestyle
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u/JW98_1 21h ago
It's also 7:45 pm if the time is correct. Why are there people going door to door at that time of the night in the first place?
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u/GodHimselfNoCap 20h ago
They wait for people working 9-5 to get home to start their rounds, otherwise most houses would be empty or only have kids/teens in them
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u/Green-Dragon-14 19h ago
Is it normal to go door to door at night? I've never known it here in the UK
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u/Bdr1983 19h ago
Usually they come around dinner time here (the Netherlands), which is super annoying.
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u/bitt13 18h ago
I've noticed an uptick in it lately in Ireland. It was so strange to see someone doing it, I just stared at the poor man in silence for a full 10 secs. I suspect online ads aren't getting them anywhere and now they're retrying the old ways? NOT a good idea! lol
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u/Magikarpeles 19h ago
I'm in the UK and some pillock rang my bell at 9:30pm the other night to sell some veg subscription box
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u/devil_lettuce 23h ago edited 23h ago
Hard to tell from this angle, but I honestly probably wouldn't have known either. That really sucks though, hopefully he didn't mess it up too much
Also it looks dark outside... Why is door to door sales coming at night time? That would have pissed me off in and of itself
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u/OkRepresentative7467 23h ago
Looks like he barely had to step higher than normal to go over it. But yea, maybe he should have wondered why there was tape there to begin with.
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u/PunchDrunkPrincess 20h ago
He said he thought it was a halloween decoration. If he wasn't paying attention I can believe that..but he should have been paying attention
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u/DiegesisThesis 12h ago
Nothing spookier than a single piece of blue painters tape oooohhhh
He's either lying out his ass or is a monumental dipshit.
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u/UnknownSense 22h ago
My experience is they intentionally wait until like 8 or 9 pm because they know you’re home and will probably open the door.
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u/TurkeySlurpee666 20h ago
I do construction. People completely ignore safety cones and caution tape. The only thing that works (usually) is creating a true physical barrier that's too annoying for the average person to cross. Cones alone don't work. Cones with tape on the top work a bit better, but cones with tape on the top and in the middle work the best.
We also have to be super careful when laying out cones on roads. If people get confused or feel trapped, they panic and accelerate, sometimes through barricades. I'm pretty sure it's their flight response kicking in, but people freaking out behind the wheel is a big concern for us.
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u/BulkheadRed 22h ago
The camera angle doesn't really do it justice, but it's at like a 45 degree angle across the steps.
They ALWAYS come around in the evening. I never ever answer the door but I knew he was walking all over the fresh paint.
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u/Surferma4 21h ago
I live in a busy city in California and the ONLY thing that made them stop was my laminating the cities municipal code about door-to-door sales and taping it to my door. They take one look from 5-6 feet away and immediately turn away.
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u/WhichVegetable8285 22h ago
I have zero patience for door to door sales people.
This isn’t 1980 anymore. If I need something, I’m just going to buy it, or reach out to a company to do it for me. I’m not sitting around hoping some sales person knocks on my door to offer me “a deal I can’t refuse!!”
People work from home. People have infants and children in the house taking naps.
No one gives a shit about whatever you are selling, and I certainly don’t care if “Linda” two houses down is “incredibly happy with your work” (there is no Linda two houses down)
I am as rude as I can be to them - they do not show one ounce of respect towards my time, respect is a two way street. Hopefully they realize how stupid their job is and find another one.
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u/cat_selling_souls 21h ago
My neighborhood gets slammed with door to door sales and religious people every so often. I get sick of them when they won't take no for an answer.
I especially dislike the ones who tell me that my neighbors got something done by their company. I just ask them, "What in the nine fucks does that have to do with me?"
One time, I had just gotten home from a long ass day and the last two busses were crowded as hell, my feet hurt, and my back was screaming obscene things about my ancestors.
I had just gotten out of the shower, and this dude had the audacity to knock on my door and keep talking after I said I wasn't interested. To tell you that he saw the gates of hell open up would be an understatement. I went after his rude ass to the point that he scurried away.
Ugh. It's even worse when you have a no solicitations sign. They act like they can't read.
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u/Sad_Cantaloupe_8162 21h ago
I have had quite a few people tell me, "we're working at one of your neighbor's houses right now," as they point generally down the street. I tell them, "oh, yeah? Which one. I am on a first name basis with them all." And I am. They just say, "thank you for your time," and walk away.
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u/510Kyle 21h ago
We disabled our door bell years ago and haven't looked back, I don't answer the door for anyone.
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u/Darim_Al_Sayf 13h ago
You text me first or I'm not getting up. Everybody who knows me follows the rule, and everybody else gets to waste their time.
No I don't want to talk to you. Yes I'm an asshole. Take the hint.
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u/LightlyRoastedCoffee 20h ago
They act like they can't read.
Well, to be fair, they're working a door to door sales job in a year which begins with a 2. They probably can't read.
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u/gypsysaint777 12h ago
We have a no solicitors sign on our front door (an unfortunate but necessary eyesore) and this random political door to door woman chose to go to our side door in the dark instead and knock. I opened the door, told her there was a no solicitors sign on the front door she passed on the way to it and closed it in her face. Not having any respect for my privacy or my time is a great way to get me to not vote for your candidate.
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u/United_News3779 21h ago
And I certainly don’t care if “Linda” two >houses down is “incredibly happy with >your work” (there is no Linda two >houses down)
Door to door alarm salesman tried that tactic on my wife. My wife immediately screamed at max volume, "WHAT? That home-wrecking HUSSY!!! If she likes you or your bullshit alarms, I'd won't have anything to do with you!" and slammed the door in his face lol
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u/dereksalem 12h ago
I do try my hardest to not be rude to people, especially people just doing their jobs, but nobody should be doing this job. The job expects you to to manipulate people, lie to people, and generally be a nuisance. That deserves no respect, and it doesn't deserve me going out of my way to be kind.
The number of times I'm interrupted in my day (working from home), because I can't be sure how important the person at my door is, just to find out it's someone trying to sell me a bad deal on internet or powerwashing just kills me. I had a guy, one time, bend down to say hello and ask if I was busy when I was under the car. Solicitation like that should genuinely be banned.
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u/ComedianDesigner307 20h ago
I remember an older salesman at our door, we went quiet and didn’t answer pretended no one was home. He may’ve known we were home ,he kept knocking.
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u/Kratosballsweat 12h ago
We had some girl come up with Verizon/frontier and when she got to the screen door i just said “No” without getting up (wife and i were jamming out on Mario kart) she replied saying i didn’t even know what she was selling and i said probably Verizon if i had to guess cause she had a jacket on with the plastered on it. She then went off on us and started talking tons of shit i thought my wife was gonna give her the beat down of a lifetime but our kid was right there. These sales people are assholes.
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u/KeterClassKitten 12h ago
Empty out a jar of mayonnaise, fill it with vanilla pudding, grab a spoon, and don't break eye contact.
For bonus points, squirt some mango purée or lemon curd from a bottle of yellow mustard into your jar occasionally.
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u/Lollipoop_Hacksaw 21h ago
The "profitable" ones these days are also all loud, fast, sheisty talkers. I have neighbors that open up to solar panel salesmen, and internet salesmen, and they immediately start with "HELLOM'AMAREYOU HAPPY WITH YOUR HOME INTERNET? YES? DO YOU HAVE [___]??" and on and on until they are told to fuck off after their insistence becomes an issue.
Just completely intense and ready to counter any form of decent refusal the second they engage, even before my neighbors put a word in. Completely insufferable and painfully aware they are in a dead occupation.
They are practically out to exploit the lonely, elderly population at this point. Fuck them.
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u/Winter_Tone_4343 14h ago
Don’t u love going to a store and getting harassed by the cable/phone company? Or isn’t it cool when your phone starts blowing up from 6-8 every nite?
This stuff should be illegal.
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u/vibefarm 22h ago
You remember when people actually came to your house and knocked? It was totally normal. People just came to your home to visit you. Now if someone knocks its like "Who the **** has the audacity to be knocking on my door unannounced. Either way don't answer it."
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u/WhichVegetable8285 21h ago
Yeah, very normal for people that you KNOW to come to your house. Still happens to me very regularly. Neighbors stopping over, friends in the area just popping by, family coming to drop something off - all with no announcement to me prior and it’s not an issue.
I’ll gladly tell a door to door sales person using predatory sales tactics to kick rocks.
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u/WhoSc3w3dDaP00ch 21h ago
I worked in sales, I used to be polite. After the large, red "No Solicitors" sign went up above the doorbell? I'm not polite anymore.
One of the neighbors, bless him, is a retired police officer. He sees it as his civic duty to keep these folks occupied for as long as possible so they have less time to harass the neighbors. I don't have his patience, or free time, but glad he's on our side.
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u/dantheother 20h ago
We used to do that at the office with people selling things on the phone. Not the nice cold callers who were probably legit, we'd let them off. But if there's any hint of a delay or it's a bad line, you can bet your ass we'd put them on hold for as long as possible, maybe have a chat about utter bollocks to them, anything to keep them from annoying other people.
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u/ProfessionalRisk4206 13h ago
I love when they (salesmen, chuggers, god squad etc) say "oh your neighbours down the road/across have signed up."
I know the people who live in my street. The fuck they'd sign up or donate to some randomer at the door.
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u/TrustInRoy 21h ago
"We're in the neighborhood doing a job and we just wanted to know if you're interested in buying..."
Windows, siding, roofing, security systems, lawn care, Google Fiber, paint your house numbers on the curb, pine needles, etc...
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u/Blackpaw8825 22h ago
I feel bad because a job's a job and all that, but my politeness stops at "no thank you please leave" and the next words I'm saying after that are either a "you too" following a "have a good one" or putting on my drill instructor voice and making their continued trespassing a problem between them and their audiologist...
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u/CeyowenCt 21h ago
Also, you coming to my door in no way obligates me to answer. Have fun standing there in the heat waving at my camera while I watch you from inside.
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u/GolfandBaseball 22h ago
I don’t need the tape for this to be mildly infuriating. Just a door-to-door salesman is enough for me.
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u/Mainly_Miserable 22h ago
“Oh, my bad” continues to pitch product.
Infuriating. All the way infuriating.
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u/TheGreyGuardian 14h ago
I like how she tells him he's on wet paint and he doesn't even check his shoes or anything. Just walks off after she closes the door, potentially tracking paint everywhere.
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u/monroebaby 22h ago
I’ll admit, I’m an absolute asshole to people soliciting at my door. I don’t answer my door unless I’m expecting a package or visitor don’t doesn’t happen often or n purpose. I’d really rather not interact with these people at all.
Our entire lives are filled with ads for this or a subscription for that. Consumerism shoved in our faces every time we leave home.
When I am at my fucking house give me some fucking peace.
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u/miniry 21h ago
I'm with you. I was getting literally one of these a week for months. Roofing, windows, landscaping, fake power company people, god knows what else. And then one time I got one who was rude, and after I politely declined his roof assessment with a "no thank you", he laughingly and condescendingly said "why don't you put on some shoes" (?) so he could show me what was wrong with the roof (??), and that was it. I saw red. I was absolutely nasty in response, slammed the door, and then he continued trying to sell to me through the closed door (!) yelling his pitch at it, and I don't remember which obscenities I screamed at him through the door or how many times I told him to get off my fucking property but he just stood there for a minute when I was done, said "God bless you" and power walked away. And I have not gotten a single one since. Not one. I know it sounds tin foil hat, but I am convinced they are at least trading notes, or they maybe are all really just one company and there's only one list that I'm not on anymore. Idk. It is probably the nastiest I have ever been to another person and I'm not proud of it, but something about this little shit laughing and instructing me to put my shoes on, on my own property, so he could try to sell me some bullshit really made me lose it.
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u/meerkatarray2 21h ago
I was babysitting my nephew when one of these guys rang the door bell several times, pounded the door and started yelling. The baby was asleep up until that point I ran outside after them screaming that they woke up the baby (my husband was inside with the baby) and followed them to their car telling them just how ridiculous it was to pound on someone’s door like that for a sales pitch. I did not see another door to door salesmen for 5 years. I’m not super proud of that behavior but it does seem to work and I would probably do it again just for peace.
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u/Lazer_Pigeon 15h ago
Back when my brother and I were kids he ended up super gluing his fingers together like an idiot and we could not get them apart for the life of us
We tried a couple different cleaners but nothing was working and my brother was starting to freak out and cry
Then we heard a knock at the door and it was a door to door salesman’s and he saw my brother crying with his fingers glued together and busted out this orange citrus cleaning solution and offered to try to separate his fingers. That shit worked instantly and the timing of his knock was just incredible
That is the only time we have ever indulged a door to door salesman but we had to he literally came to the rescue at the right time
That’s my one cool story about salesmen otherwise fuck em they never respect people property or signs lol
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u/football_junkie43 21h ago
Bad tape. Good tape. It doesn’t matter. There’s always someone dumber than the tape job. I recently taped off my entire front deck at eye level, 5 feet of buffer leading up to the deck, and a sign that said “wet paint.” Amazon driver didnt skip a beat. Ducked under, stepped over, and placed the package on the freshly painted deck.
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u/BulkheadRed 21h ago
Comforting to hear I'm not alone. The dumb is strong sometimes.
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u/realaccountissecret 21h ago
I used to manage a bar/venue, and the owners put an emergency door in the men’s bathroom. Obviously that’s the dumbest fucking idea ever; people bounced on their tabs, people let in underage kids. Even when there was a bouncer outside the door, even when it set off alarms!
We were arguing about it in the bathroom (off hours) and he was like “why didn’t you put a sign?”
I was like LOOK AROUND YOU
There were multiple signs, including a huge one literally right on the fucking door. And he just said “oh I didn’t see it”
Yeah; NO ONE SEES IT
People are seriously just plowing their way though life
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u/clarkcox3 22h ago
If you’re a door-to-door salesman and it’s dark out, then you’re an asshole.
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u/Dat_Bokeh 22h ago
If you’re a door-to-door salesman
and it’s dark out, then you’re an asshole.33
u/SkubEnjoyer 22h ago
If you’re a
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u/tehpoorcollegegal 12h ago
100% lol I put in another reply somewhere that we hired someone who interviewed well but only had D2D experience - but he's super young, fresh out of school, so... we gave him a chance. Huge mistake. Super aggressive, ignores my coaching entirely, ignores his team, thinks he's hot shit, spends his breaks talking to his girlfriend on speaker throwing around slurs and vulgarities at top volume... Literally firing him tomorrow. Never again. Sorry future candidates, D2D experience will be an auto no from me from now on.
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u/T3Dawg22 21h ago
Did door to door sales for a month, couldn't do it.. i hated the feeling I got for bothering people while they were having dinner or people who couldn't afford the crap this company was selling. It sucks because at the time, it was the only job that called me back for an interview.
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u/SamOfXanadu 22h ago
...The weirdest part about all this is I learned there are still door to door salesmen. Did he offer you some brushes? ... Oh my god memory unlocked. There was this guy when I was a kid that used to come around and sell odds and ends toys etc. thank you random person!
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u/TrustInRoy 21h ago
It happens so frequently in my city that I had to put up a No Soliciting sign.
Which at least 3 salesmen, and 1 vote canvasser, have ignored recently.
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u/RawrRRitchie 16h ago edited 16h ago
You need to answer the door and tap the sign and say"can you fucking read or are you just a moron"
You get to have all sorts of fun with the ones that ignore it..insult them ask them why the education system failed them
Be so rude they regret knocking or ringing your bell
Or take the creepy route "you don't look like the client that requested me, oh well you're not the first person to catfish and you won't be the last come on inside I got the chains ready to go, did you want the leather or metal restraints? you wanted to be dominated right?
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u/Useful_Boysenberry14 21h ago edited 9h ago
I get them all the time at my house. I started having seizures a few years ago and need to nap after bad ones. They would ring my doorbell like 5 times and wake me up. I had to get an official non solicitor sign from the sheriff so they would leave me alone. The sign makes it so the sheriff can go shake them down for money if they solicit me and ignore the sign, not that I’ve ever reported the few who have ignored it.
Edit: someone keeps leaving and deleting comments about the sheriff thing. It’s a thing in my city. It’s really a no trespassing sign with a no solicitation thing on it. Since it’s official it’s easier to prosecute them for trespassing. The sheriff gets money from the fine.
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u/DamGoodAnimation 21h ago
Literally had someone scare the shit out of girlfriend while I was at work today. Door-to-door sales guy banged on the door of our apartment so loud and so long that she called me at work thinking she was in danger.
Got home an hour later to 5 realtor business cards wedged into the door of our apartment. Read that again: 5 business cards. For a realtor. In the door of the apartment I rent.
Door-to-door salesmen definitely still exist, and they’re dumb as fuck.
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u/Ok_Fig7692 21h ago
Our town and the next one over get them sometimes - usually selling solar, roofing or internet. Both our towns do require that they get a permit to solicit for a day or two, though. No permit, no soliciting.
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u/TK_Punch_ 20h ago
I just don’t understand the business model for that shit. Who buys anything from the person who is annoying you? If I wanted the product, I use the internet to find the best price, period.
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u/Rightintheend 20h ago
I get idiots from T-Mobile and Verizon all the time. That and some weird church.
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u/Local-Waltz4801 23h ago
"Blocking" is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that title.
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u/thisremindsmeofbacon 22h ago
Sure, but I feel like no sane person would see that and think they should step into that space
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u/NoiceMango 18h ago
Sure but a delivery driver would probably still try to knock or leave something on the porch
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u/Sufficient-Hotel2067 13h ago
Everyone blaming the tape job: he admits he saw the tape.
The quality of the tape job is therefore irrelevant. He saw it, decided it was a decoration without using an ounce of common sense or context cues (the tape is attached to a damn paint can), and actively stepped over it…
Even after he was told he stepped in wet paint, he kept trying to sell.
Dude did NOT give a single flying fuck about that tape and wouldn’t have if it were an “x”.
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u/rmczpp 12h ago
I can agree with everyone that the salesman is completely at fault, while also feeling that the tape job was insufficient. It should be idiot proof because there are a lot of idiots around
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u/shash614 12h ago
"no matter how much idiot proofing you do, the universe will just send a bigger idiot"
-someone
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u/Ta-veren- 22h ago
I can’t believe door to door salesman are still a thing lol
Like I’ve never heard once of success story. Other than from the internet companies.
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u/No-Celebration3097 22h ago
That sucks. They used to be really aggressive in my neighborhood. I stopped answering the door if I’m not expecting anyone. I’ve had neighbors tell them to get off the property or you will be seen as an attempted intruder
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u/FallingDiscontent 22h ago
When fate fucks you over: what are the chances of a door-to-door salesmen popping up right after you freshly painted your porch steps?
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u/throwditawayred 16h ago
i hate ads. if anyone comes knocking at my door i will make sure my house gets blacklisted. i will never buy what you're selling
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u/Gh0st_Pirate_LeChuck 14h ago
When are we going to make door to door spam illegal?
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u/WolverineLong1430 22h ago
Don’t know why there is such a mixed reaction. Whether she did a proper job at taping off the area is not the question here. The salesman acknowledged he saw the tape and ASSUMED it was related to Halloween. Why walk onto property at night and onto the stairs where there is tape across the stairs? I wouldn’t even bother and assumed the stairs were just repaired or had a structural problem. OP said there are no decorations either. The guy saw and knew the tape, stepped over it and didn’t care.
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u/FalconSpecial6149 22h ago
My dog hates when anyone comes to the door and she barks loudly. I’ll answer holding her collar and frantically say “can’t talk, dog is crazy” as she lunges. They leave very quickly. She’s harmless, but they don’t know that.
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u/shortyg83 14h ago
I hate door to door sales. But I mean, that tape in no way would infer fresh paint. It doesn't even cover the front of the steps.
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u/jacksp666 13h ago
If there's tape and it's not my place why would I overstep? Some people don't know boundaries.
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u/JerryLikesMyCorn 16h ago
thinking painters tape attached to a paint can blocking off steps is halloween decor is actually insane. and the people in these comments defending that logic…i worry for yall if ur that dim
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u/Wise-Pudding-9228 21h ago
I remember when I was in highschool a guy came to the door selling kids books and asked if I was pregnant. I was like what the fuck you come to my house and I get insulted.
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u/MadMadafaka 21h ago
I feel this. I spent countless hours refinishing my stairs. The guys came in to clean my ductwork and instead of lifting the machine on the way down, they banged it on every motherfucking step. I freaked the fuck out on them.
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u/unusualsuspect1337 22h ago
People defending door to door salesman, lol imma be honest before I became a homeowner I would be on this guys side but now that Im a homeowner, man the calls the constant people coming to bug you at all times of the days with services or whatever, gets really annoying
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u/FeePsychological1308 22h ago
I'm not really seeing anyone defend the salesman, I'm seeing people criticize the sole 'sign' being an ambiguous way too low line of tape. It could've have been anyone at any time of the day that effortlessly walked over it.
You can recognize that and still think salesman are both annoying and it's way too late for them to be doing that.
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u/Designer_Mud_5802 23h ago
I mean, the tape didn't block it off completely because he just stepped right over it.
As someone who has worked construction and has walked by many municipal projects, this looks like a interpretative tape job.
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u/Now-Thats-Podracing 22h ago
I don’t understand everyone defending the solicitor in this. Do you all live under a rock, or is every commentator either a bot or a 14 year old?
This is clearly infuriating.
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u/BringMeBurntBread 22h ago
This sub is always so annoying about this.
If its not infuriating enough, people complain that the OP is being petty. If its too infuriating, people complain that the OP doesn't know what "mildly" means. And there is no in-between. People treat it like its either one or the other.
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u/DisgruntledGamer79 21h ago
Door to door at 745pm ? Just asking for confrontations.
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u/Im_Ashe_Man 22h ago
I probably would've done the tape railing-to-railing, to physically block someone, but you did a nice job by attaching the paint can.
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u/MikeandMolly5656 23h ago
Who the hell does door to door sales at almost 8pm?
That alone would infuriate me. F@ck this guy!