Quoted message said:Quoted message said:Perhaps it's just me, but I don't find this nearly as offensive as many
here seem to. A polite "no thankyou" or "sorry, but no" has worked with
every such person without recourse to rudeness or witty retorts.Thanks, Jon, you encapsulated well what I'd been feeling about a lot of
these smug, self-satisfied posts.I doubt we'd be so rude to people who have lousy but necessary jobs,
like refuse collectors or street cleaners. But nowadays there are so
many lousy but useless jobs (like the folk who knock on your door or
ring you up) and my reaction is - so glad it isn't me - so I try to be
polite as I slam the door/phone down.I've collected for charity myself - for free - and was amazed how rude
folk could be about third-world poverty. We weren't being stupid by
collecting in the poorer areas.As to market researchers, they've heard it all before. I've never done
it in the street, but if I'm bored at home I might. To the question
"how many people work at your worlplace" I once ventured "about half of
them" but apparently lots of folks crack that one. To Richard with his
£20 an hour fee, my reply would be "Oh, you must be a solicitor. Which
kind?"You used to get street researchers, but nowadays they seem to have died
out round here (most who look like them seem to be catalogue
recruiters, or perhaps employees of the business you're using. I think
much more market research is internet-based these days) but there used
to be a worthwhile street one* where you'd be taken to some upstairs
room to "test" some new product. Once it was even beer - but I doubt
that'd be allowed nowadays since nearly everybody bloody drives (see I
knew I could get this back on topic!)George Orwell, who did all sorts of lousy jobs, says that if you see
someone distributing handbills you should always take one to help the
person finish the job. So I always do, but once I took what I thought
was a leaflet from a Hare Krishna type, but it was a book, and he
insisted I'd "bought" it and had to pay - wouldn't take it back. I
thought this was a bit much, but you have to have some respect for folk
who give their time to a cause for nothing. Even Jehovah's Witnesses, I
guess.
Fair comment, but are these jobs (along with all the other telephone
and doorstep cold callers) really necessary? It may be that this means
is a relatively efficient means of raising funds compared to mailshots
etc. TBF when Kleen-Eze used to knock on the door I usually took pity
on them and ordered something. And I just say "no thanks" to the street
ones.