Lincolnite

Lucky for me Lincoln no longer requires bike licenses (I am no fan of stickers on my rides)

I had a security service guy stop by a few months back.  I mostly just joked around with him and offered him a beer.  We do get religious solicitors in my crummy neighborhood regularly.  Do they need a permit?

I lived on SW 16th for the past 3 years. I saw more people selling stuff door-to-door *EACH YEAR* there than I saw in 9 years of living elsewhere *COMBINED.*

One time it was a young man (18ish) dressed very… “urban” with the waist of the jeans about mid-thigh, and the baggy tank top undershirt and tattoos. He started his sales pitch by flashing me his laminated permit to sell door-to-door, and then told me he was “a youth from this neighborhood” raising money for the “Husker mentorship program”.

I questioned that he was really from “THIS neighborhood.” He swore that he was and that he just lived a couple of blocks from here. I asked to see his permit again and his company was listed as some outfit from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I told him to get lost.

My neighbor wrote “WE WON’T BUY YOUR CRAP” in marker on a piece of cardboard and taped it to his door a couple of summers ago. (I noticed he took it down when his son had to sell stuff to raise money for youth football that Fall.)

I’m not counting kids raising money when I say this, only college agers or older. On at least one occasion we had someone knockon our door (always around 6pm) selling… water coolers, windows, gutters, siding, candy bars & magazines for trips overseas, yard services, manufactured garages, roof repairs,

My coworkers who live in other parts of Lincoln say they don’t have the problem. Apparently the West A neighborhood has “suckers” written on our foreheads or something.

It actually got alarming one summer night a couple of years ago when the doorbell rang at 10:15pm. A college aged kid answered the door and started trying to sell me children’s books. I explained that I refused to buy anything on principle - no one should ever ring my doorbell at 10:15pm unless they had a badge on and needed to give me bad news. He got all nervous and said - “Sir, I see that small bicycle over there - you must have small children. Studies prove that reading to your children will…” I interrupted him and told him to move along and recommended that he NOT ring any other doorbells in the area. He got this crazy scared look on his face and said “Sir - you don’t understand, I’m from South Dakota. A van dropped me off here about 6 hours ago. I have to meet it in 15 minutes, but I can only get back in if I sell enough books. I’m nowhere close to what I have to sell. They will LEAVE ME HERE!” I told him I was sorry, but if he got left here the Russ’ Market around the corner would surely let him use a phone to call the Police.

The next day when i shared the story at work, a colleague said that a few years ago Dateline did a story about these companies that haul college kids to other cities and treat them like indentured servants. I’m guessing this was one of those situations.

I guess what I am saying is… don’t get me started about door to door sales!

I don’t fall in any of your catagories, Mr. W.  I’m probably one of the rudest people in the world to those door-to-doorers (unles they’re young kids raising funds for a worthwhile cause) who don’t take “no” for an answer.  In our old neighborhood the neighbors couldn’t believe how quickly I could get rid of people at my door.  I still provide lessons.

I’ve been in a similar situation & gotten phone calls from an agency trying to help a teen who was deserted in Grand Island by the magazine company he was working for.  Horrible.

However, I practically had a box of M&Ms;or coupon books surgically attached to my arm throughout high school.  I’m a sucker for girl scouts or band geeks who come knockin’ on my door.  (But none of those sissies who have their parents drive them around!) hehe