I had no idea what to write about today, that is, until he stepped into my life. You know them if you have visited a city. Those people with the wide smile, bright colored vest or shirt, and a binder. With a wave or extending a hand they ask you “do you have time to talk about the environment?” Ha, you thought I was going to say bums, but no these beings a by far the worse people you will encounter on the street.
Sure at first they complement you on your hair or cloths, but this is only a ploy to have you stop and talk to them. Now not all of them are for the environment, there is also the Red Cross, and save the children but they are all the same. They harass you to no end as you wait for the light to change so you can escape. It is not like they are in one area, oh no, they are on almost every block. So when you think you just escaped one, poof, another appears to greet you on the other side of the street.
These people are above and beyond aggressive. If I say no it means no I don’t want to talk to you. But they continue to shove whatever message they have been assigned that day. To me the cause they are trying to help just gets lost and I don’t give a damn. Not because I don’t care about the environment or whatever, but their aggressive mannerisms turns me off.
I get it, it’s your job, you probably have a quota, but please Red Cross and other associations there are better ways to get money. By having these people out there, you are hurting your image, not to mention money better well spent on the actual cause. Oh you guys didn’t know these thugs get paid? Well they do. Each day they have a base pay of $10-$12 an hour plus performance bonus. Here is an excellent article breaking it down, from someone who did this gig for a year: http://www.20sfinances.com/2012/01/17/confessions-of-a-street-canvasser/
I can’t stand these people, and I personally don’t feel comfortable enough to open my wallet in the middle of the street to give you money. These companies need to stop spending money on street canvassers, and actually give that money to the cause instead or have actual volunteers. There is another article from my local paper that is an open letter to all canvassers to stop. But what I loved was a PDF that you can print out and hand out little cards to canvassers that explain why you don’t stop. I highly encourage all of you to print some out and hand it to every canvasser that extends that hand and smile.
See you on the other side
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