How do you handle people who try to sell you things?

Post Reply New Topic

Or even a homeless person begging for money? It happens unexpectedly, and I become utterly paralyzed, so I just pay them to make the situation go away.

How to handle telemarketers:

Act all interested in the product, then ask for their home number to finalise the sale. They will give you the 0800 number. Ask again for their home number, and when they refuse, which they will, says, "So you don't like being bothered at home, huh?" Hang up, high-five whoever is around, and rest safe in the knowledge that you just served the annoying sod.

If people try to sell things to me, or beg for money I just ignore them or walk past.

If you give money to all who ask for it then you are a sucker and people will rob you blind at every opportunity. Learn to say no and mean it. Don't hang around to discuss this, walk away.

If someone phones me trying to sell me something I wait until they have said everything and they ask me something - at that point I DO NOT ANSWER THEIR QUESTION I just say "Goodbye" and hang up the phone. Never get into a discussion with telesales people. They are trained that while you are still on the phone there is a chance you will buy.

On the rare occasions that a telesales person immediately phones me back after hanging up on them I become rude and tell them to "F**k off" then hang up again. Repeat if necessary, they soon give up.

I ignore homeless people. I just walk by them. With sales people in the mall, I just walk by them shaking my head. I seldom stop.

On my last visit to England a window salesman in a shopping centre (mall) asked me if I would like a free notepad. Feeling a bit mischievous I said "Yes please". He gave me the free pad and started the expected monologue, finishing with "would you like me to give you a free home visit and a quotation for new windows". I said "OK" while grinning. "Where do you live?" he asked. "France I replied". His face sank, knowing he'd been had. "Ah! We don't go that far!". I strolled off with the notepad

Beggars on the street do make me very nervous, so I will generally just say "sorry, man, I have no change or cash on-hand." If they start following me, I put my hand in my pocket and prepare to pull my knife on them.

When dealing with people at places like carnivals, malls, etc bugging me to "buy this" or "try this game", etc, I just turn my head and keep walking, as if they don't exist. I know these people have jobs to do, but those types of jobs get zero respect from me. They are bottom-feeders and I do not like them.

I pretend I don't see them and that is that... I pay no attention to them at all.

In California we have a problem with very aggressive beggars, when told no they scream at you and sometimes get physically violent. I've been screamed at a number of times, but so far nobody has tried to physically fight me. It does happen, and is happening more often as the economy gets worse. I do know that in Reno beggars will follow you for blocks and push and spit at you, trying to lure you into a fight. Being spit at is especially worrisome, as spit can communicate disease. Spitting at police is a felony in some parts of the US for precisely this reason.

Beggars and other bottom feeders such as parking lot salespeople seem to get extremely angry when turned down nowadays because not many people want to give them money. The truth is, few have money to give, but that doesn't deter them, they'll follow you and scream their heads off trying to get you to give. Desperate people are unpredictable, and I worry big time about the day that one of these jerks jumps on me and punches me black and blue for turning him down. Street fighting is not my forte.

Great post! I hear you, fighting is not my forte either. That's why I am glad I at least carry a knife, though I hope I never have to use it. When I was heavily into photography, I usually had a tripod or monopod with me, and if the situation had called for it, they would have made good weapons. But all this conflict is the reason I stopped taking photos downtown and in other places where I might encounter violent transients and/or street thugs.

I was always like this but since I've started working in the city I've stopped being quite so polite.

I used to stop for everyone who called out at me because I thought they might be a visitor to Sydney asking for directions. Now, unless I know somebody, I keep walking even if they're trying to talk to me. My time is my time and the lunch break is short enough as it is without people taking up more time.

I tend to get asked for "20p for the phone, love" or "some change for a cuppa, darling" Its the "love" and "darling" that makes me cringe. I tend to mumble something about having no change and just walk on. They respond with "thanks anyway, sweetheart" and i cringe even more. (they really sound like quite pleasant beggers though after reading the stories above!)

A nice way to get rid of them is to politely thank them for their efforts and then ending the conversation by saying I have other things to do.

"No thank you ... No thank you ... I SAID 'NO' DAMMIT!"


What homeless beggars? The homeless people in my area either hang out near the mission, or run away when anyone gets too close.


Watch your back. Some work in teams. While you're distracted dealing with one, the other is sneaking up behind to do some quick purse-snatching ... or worse.

It is considered appropriate to ignore beggars. I used to fear a beggar would attack me because they were crazy. Surprisinly, they will never invade your space.

You could say, "I don't have any money to give". But often times, engaging conversation with them is more likely to cause problems. Ignoring them is usually the best way.

As for salespeople in a mall, the best way to get rid of them is to say, "I already own (whatever they are selling).

I ignore them. It is a waste of their time and mine to try to sell me anything. Marketing does not work on me and I don't understand how it works on anybody. If I want something and can afford it, I buy it. Otherwise, I don't.

I just remembered something that happened in Tenerife. There's millions of sunglasses salesmen on the beach, and they were pissing us off at every grain of sand, so I dared my brother to say, "No thanks, I've already got a pair, unlike you," implying that the salesman had no balls, LOL. It was well funny.