[NA] Stupid door-to-door salesman

[Brian Austin]

It's Sunday evening, 5:30pm. Quiet time around the area.

I'm winding down from spending a lot of time in the shop. Getting ready to take a shower and hit the homework for school.

My wife opens the garage door to take out the trash. As usual, the escort of the house, Asta the Wonder Dog (70 lb, female German Shepherd), takes point on the excursion to the trash can. All is well, the two head back inside and my wife is just about to hit the garage door to close it when the dog barks the 'guard mode' bark (deep, I'm-going-to-tear-your-head-off-if-you-take-another-step kinda bark). Wife turns around and Asta is backing a guy down the driveway after he had almost been IN the garage.

He puts his hands up (big mistake, don't do that with a jumpy dog around) and Asta feints toward him. He just freezes and I'm busting out the door at that point (if I hear that bark, it's not something I ignore. She RARELY barks and always for a reason). I recall her (she's been ignoring my wife, not unusual) and she parks it by my side.

"Can I help you?" I ask.

"I've got some great information on double pane windows for you and-" he starts. I interrupt. "Guy next door installs them, too. If we need them, we'll see him. Thanks."

"Well, we've also got vinyl siding and-"

"Not interested. Goodbye."

"Sir, you know the energy savings alone-"

"Buddy, you've got five seconds to clear that driveway before I give the dog a release."

"You can't do that, it's against the law!" he's getting huffy?

"So is trespassing. And if you'd like, I'll call the Phoenix police officer that lives two doors down to come talk to us. He'll probably bring his English Mastiff, though, and he's much less friendly than my dog."

He left. Go figure.

What the heck? Sunday evening, doing door-to-door? I can see some kid selling candy for school or something but trying to run a business?? Where I come from, people got the sermon for mowing their lawn on Sunday, let alone actually trying to solicit like that. I can't imagine walking around bugging people on Sunday evening like that.

 

[wsuffa]

Of all the places I've lived, I've seen nothing like the door-to-door folks here in San Antonio. I've run off the same guy twice (wanting to paint my house) in two weeks, and I had to run off a stockbroker (!!) last week. They come every day of the week (including Sunday because they know you're home), on average three days a week. And another three days of flyers stuffed in the doorknob.

I still get more spam than door-to-door, but they're both annoying.

 

[inav8r]

I usually just close the door on salespeople - even if they're in mid sentence. I have a no soliciting sign on my door and if they're rude enough to ignore it then I'm going to return the rudeness by shutting it in their face.

 

[pete177]

I usually just close the door on salespeople - even if they're in mid sentence. I have a no soliciting sign on my door and if they're rude enough to ignore it then I'm going to return the rudeness by shutting it in their face.

Hmm..interesting, I dont think I've seen a door to door salesman in decades.

 

[silver-eagle]

I've not only closed the door on them but called the police. In my town, you need a permit to do door to door. I don't care what time of day it is, I don't want to see them.
Brian, I'd have let Asta have her snack! Followed by a huge bowl of ice cream.

 

[Brian Austin]

Brian, I'd have let Asta have her snack! Followed by a huge bowl of ice cream.

LOL...yeah, she would have had fun, I'm sure. The problem is that she's 18 months old and really hasn't gone through that level of training at this time. To her, it's all or nothing. She'll only obey MY recall, no one else's, even my wife's.

I'd have love to have seen Ben's (the neighbor cop) Mastiff come out, though. Asta has SOME level of control. That dog is just pure mean to any strangers..but Ben, Jr. can climb all over him as he sits there patiently. Ben likes it that way.

 

[Rudy]

Haha, my dad has a bullmastiff, he is the nicest, laziest dog you could ever imagine and he is an inside dog too!!
And you guys who have trouble with salesman should move to Kansas, i can't remember anyone ever coming to my door or anybody else's around here!

 

[fgcason]

When we were at home at my parents house, the wood front door use to be open and the tinted plexiglass full height door was closed. You can see out but you can't see in kind of thing. Around the porch about 4ft back from the door is a row of weird looking bushes about 2ft high and about 18 inches deep. Every time someone would come trying to sell stuff, they'd ring the doorbell or knock on the door. A few seconds later they hear a dog barking his head off closing rapidy on the door. Then the door would suddenly shake very violently like it's about to fall off the hinges and make a lot of noise since the door was flimsy and had only one simple latch..that would occasionally let go. I couldn't even start to estimate the number of sales slime that went backwards over those bushes and didn't stop scrambling until they were halfway across the yard. Not bad for a 25lb terrier... When I went to look, the dog was silently standing at the door wagging his tail and would look up at me like "I made him fall over the bushes isn't that neat."

One day I was running in and out doing stuff in the yard. At some point a guy that turned out to be from the local church recruitment department politely tapped on the plexiglass door then open it and take a couple steps inside. The dog was out back but that didn't stop things from going to DEFCON ZERO real quick. Just plain stoooooopeeeed move on his part...

 

[SJP]

What the heck? Sunday evening, doing door-to-door? I can see some kid selling candy for school or something but trying to run a business?? Where I come from, people got the sermon for mowing their lawn on Sunday, let alone actually trying to solicit like that. I can't imagine walking around bugging people on Sunday evening like that.

People tend to be at home on Sunday Evenings - they're back from whatever they have been doing for the weekend. In these days of Dual Income parents, it's high-probability 'someone is home' time

If there is no-one home on Sunday Evening, there is a good chance you are on vacation. That means the house is empty, and ripe for the other 'business activities' that wouldn't have appeared on the guy's business card. A second check Monday evening would make that business venture much more likely. Worth a mention to your policeman neighbour - if there is a rash of break-ins in the area, that 'Salesman' might be of interest to the boys in blue

 

[Brian Austin]

People tend to be at home on Sunday Evenings - they're back from whatever they have been doing for the weekend. In these days of Dual Income parents, it's high-probability 'someone is home' time

If there is no-one home on Sunday Evening, there is a good chance you are on vacation. That means the house is empty, and ripe for the other 'business activities' that wouldn't have appeared on the guy's business card. A second check Monday evening would make that business venture much more likely. Worth a mention to your policeman neighbour - if there is a rash of break-ins in the area, that 'Salesman' might be of interest to the boys in blue

Break in's are rather unusual around here. Between the alarm system and the GSD, my house and shop is well protected. All of my neighbors have either the alarm or dogs as well. All of us work odd hours and tend to wander outside at 2:00am or whenever. It's a cul-de-sac, too, so no one just 'passes through'.

And when strange noises happen in the middle of the night, people get a little spooked when two dogs and three guys with handguns come strolling around. The neighbor's teenage daughters don't fool around in their boyfriends' car outside anymore.

 

[MSmith]

Good doggie!