Getting stopped on the street

Ardent

Lately I find I can't walk ten yards around Dublin city centre without someone getting in my face looking for "just a minute" of my time for some cause or other. Take this morning for example - Jenny was looking for me to sign a direct debit mandate to contribute some money every month to help some kids in Africa. She wouldn't give me any literature or even a mandate form to bring with me and mull over because the paper costs too much money to print to give away like that, apparently. I had to sign there and then.

Now, while I'm all for donating money to a good cause and have done so many times in the past, I normally find myself blanking these people or saying that I don't have time to talk. I know their buddy will be flanking the other end of the street and there'll probably be yet another tag-team a little further up the way working for another agency. I guess I find it annoying that there is so many of these evangelists on the streets and, when you do stop to talk to them, they are sooooo pushy.

Am I turning into a cynical, insensitive old fart or does anyone else blank these people routinely?

uberwolf

a short no thank you. Without breaking pace.

thesteve

I'll have to join you on this one... Avoid eye contact, works everytime... or else listen to some music, once they see the earphones they usually leave you alone

super_furry

I think the problem is, as has been discussed here previously, that there's just so many of the bastards. You can't walk down Grafton Street or Temple Bar these days without someone in a brightly coloured rain coat trying to stop you for money.

RE*AC*TOR

"I already donate"

guilt free lies

Gilgamesh

don't break pace and run over them if they get in yuor way

Evilution

Coming into trinity college in the afternoon is a nightmare. No matter which direction you come from you'll stumble across them (sometimes literally). The main gates to trinity and sometimes the nassau street entrance are a hotbed for the feckers.
Ever notice the way they're all cut from the same mold though? All button noses and red cheeks and big smiles. What meds do these people take in the morning?

AARRRGH

Is spitting in public illegal?

If we all spat on them they'd all quit (joke)

They are highly annoying. Especially the ones who try to block your path.

Chalk

ask them how much do they donate from their 14eu ph wages.

D!ve^Bomb!

this topic? again?? why???!!

I am MAN

Pretending to be on the phone works best

Ardent

D!ve^Bomb! wrote:

this topic? again?? why???!!

Sorry if this topic has come up before recently, I just haven't seen it.

Tusky

I had a hood up and earphones on and was looking at the ground to avoid eyecontact and the girl actually stood in my way and bent halfway over to catch my eye.

They were anoying until I found out they get paid 14 euro an hour, then they became a joke.

PADDYPOKER

Think about it.
Why would you give your name, address and Bank details to a stranger?

RE*AC*TOR

Get some fake business cards.
Give them to them and tell them to ring Frida.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

a hot female stranger, maybe.

Ardent

PADDYPOKER wrote:

Think about it.
Why would you give your name, address and Bank details to a stranger?

That's exactly what I thought when she was giving me the spiel.

14 euros an hour? And there was me feeling sorry for some of them! I'm sure they're on commission as well.

Spalk0

Ardent wrote:

Lately I find I can't walk ten yards around Dublin city centre without someone getting in my face looking for "just a minute" of my time for some cause or other. Take this morning for example - Jenny was looking for me to sign a direct debit mandate to contribute some money every month to help some kids in Africa. She wouldn't give me any literature or even a mandate form to bring with me and mull over because the paper costs too much money to print to give away like that, apparently. I had to sign there and then.

Now, while I'm all for donating money to a good cause and have done so many times in the past, I normally find myself blanking these people or saying that I don't have time to talk. I know their buddy will be flanking the other end of the street and there'll probably be yet another tag-team a little further up the way working for another agency. I guess I find it annoying that there is so many of these evangelists on the streets and, when you do stop to talk to them, they are sooooo pushy.

Am I turning into a cynical, insensitive old fart or does anyone else blank these people routinely?

I know what you mean!

I regulary get them coming up to me on numerous occasions!Once i walked the From the spire to Arnotts(which cant be more than 150 yards) and i was stopped 8 times!Thats ridiculous!And they expect you to have all your bank details on you!
At the moment im doing through concern where they take about 22 euro a month out of my account and i allways buy those scratch cards when i have the money!I dont appreciate that one of them called me a tight bastard because i said no thanks!
It is very annoying though because every time i get this feeling of guilt when i say no thanks and thats a lot!
Apparently they go for the people that look nice!So just look mean!hehe

dcarroll

I am MAN wrote:

Pretending to be on the phone works best

In Dublin? Are ya havin a laugh, the thing would get whipped out of yer hand in a second

Ardent

I think maybe my problem is that I don't like their attitude.

For example, I was walking up Baggot St one evening not so long ago with the intention of grabbing a taxi. I happened to be smoking a cigarette and decided to stop and finish my smoke beside the bin outside the Spar before hailing a taxi. While I was finishing my cigarette, I could see two plebs up ahead and I heard yer wan say to her buddy: "Look, he's seen us and won't come up this way".

I was so tempted to go over and say "Oh f**k off!".

seamus

Do you have a minute?

Nope.

Simple as.

Actually, me and a mate were in town once when we were stopped and asked if we had twenty minutes to come in, watch a guinness commercial and be given free beer. We were raging - we were *actually* in a rush and had to turn it down.

Iago

Yeah I find the same, it's pretty inconsiderate. There I am, having to get out of my comfortable bed, try and wake myself up with my hot shower. Find something to wear, and decide what exactly goes with those trousers or do I have a tie that suits this shirt, and where's my watch anyway.

Go downstairs and make myself breakfast, then check my wallet and make sure I've enough to buy a nice lunch, or will I have to go and take money out of the bank machine. Get in my car/on the bus/train and head towards my job, which I don't particularly like but hey it's money right? Try to decide whether I'm going for a drink or to the cinema or for a game of cards..and then these ba$tards are ignorant enough to try and get me to donate money for some kid I don't even know, who isn't even from my country? really gets my goat, I mean what do they think I am a rock star or something?

I mean I'd love to donate, I really would, if I could afford it, but you know I've this holiday coming up and I'm saving for a house, and I just bought myself a PS2 and a rake of games and I'm a little short right now. Besides if they weren't on the street you know I'd probably go online and donate anyway, but now I couldn't be bothered after the amount of hassle I've got. I mean seriously, time is money and I've better things to do than spend 5 minutes listening to them go on about how poor Umbugo in Kenya has no rice for his dinner, let the politicians sort it out.

Not to mention that they're getting paid to hassle me on the streets, who ever said that charity begins at home? Answer them better they'd donate what they're getting for standing in the cold and putting up with the hostility, abuse and withering looks that are thrown their way because like me everyone else has a REAL job to get to and isn't getting there any quicker with all these interruptions, and god knows I hate being late to the office and getting down to work.

At least once I get to the office I can have a coffee with the lads and we can all have a laugh at the losers who have to stand out there in the cold and rain all day instead of being sat in here where it's warm and dry and make some real money.

yep, they really get my goat alright....

therecklessone

Ardent wrote:

Take this morning for example - Jenny was looking for me to sign a direct debit mandate to contribute some money every month to help some kids in Africa.

Tell Jenny she gets your bank details if you get her bra size.

That'll put her right off.

StupidLikeAFox

yeah what he said

Mohanned

You donated or no english

simu

I find it highly unacceptable that they make disparaging comments about people who reject or ignore them. Do they have numbers or some other sort of ID that would identify them? Even if they don't, it might be a good idea to send a quick e-mail of complaint to whatever charity they are working for.

They really destroy the atmosphere of Dublin city centre - fortunately, there aren't as many of them in Cork or Galway... yet!

deRanged

simu wrote:

- fortunately, there aren't as many of them in Cork

There's usually ~4 concern ones on Patrick St. They're not too ba.

In the summer the Hanley crowd descend. My record is being asked 14 times in one trip from one of the street to the other.

RuggieBear

Had a Lifeboats girl approach me the other day and i realy want to donate to this charity but i was in a rush and she refused to let me take the direct debit mandate form altho i asked her a couple of times for it and that i'd post it in, as we walked up the street together. In the end i just walked away seething that i wasn't allowed to donate on my terms...

According to a mate of mine, this is coz she wouldn't get her commission for me signing up if i filled in the form and posted it in myself.....now i don't know if that is true but i reckon there is a small place in hell for people like that putting their commission ahead of my efforts to donate if it is...

Stephen

Iago wrote:

*whine*you are all so inconsiderate*whine*

BOO-****ING-HOO.

therecklessone

deRanged wrote:

In the summer the Hanley crowd descend. My record is being asked 14 times in one trip from one of the street to the other.

Got stopped by a foxy little thing selling for the Hanley crowd last year, I could have handed over the keys to my car I was that besotted...

Iago

Stephen wrote:

BOO-****ING-HOO.

touche, your compelling argument has made me completely reverse my opinion and join your side. Have you ever thought of taking up debating on a professional basis?

the_syco

I have a habit of catching their eye, so they usually nod @ me, or wave, and I just say one of the following, on the way past them;

• nope
• not today
• in a rush
• no money, sorry
• (if I'm in an evil mood)how much to you get paid to do this charity work?

I buy those scartchies sometimes, tho. I know its a scam, but the money has a better chance of doing some good.

...or if they have a half-dead baby strapped around their waist...

• F*** off!
• Get the f*** back to your own f***ing country!
• Burn in hell!
• Get a f***ing job!
• Get the f*** out of my f***ing way!

=-=

And no; they don't block my way. The trenchcoat helps, and so does the fact that I'm bigger than they are.

I hate the damn chuggers (charity muggers). And the sickening thing is that its now a per/hour job, with a few agencies providing the people for alot of the charites. Back a few years, the buket-collecters would get a fifth of the money earned. That may seem alot to some people, but the other 4/5th's would go into the charity. Now, you get €14 an hour no matter what.

=-=

Oh, and for the record, none of them has ever stopped me. Stopping me is not a good idea.

deRanged

therecklessone wrote:

Got stopped by a foxy little thing selling for the Hanley crowd last year, I could have handed over the keys to my car I was that besotted...

was that in Cork?
cos there was a young one selling tickets down by Reads last year. She practically had queues of people waiting to buy from her.
Not that I noticed or anything

Blisterman

Yeah, my friend cant say no to a hot girl. It's not like she's gonna strip down and have sex with him if he buys a scrathcard.

Caesar_Bojangle

PADDYPOKER wrote:

Think about it.
Why would you give your name, address and Bank details to a stranger?

Spot on.

Its not even hard to make up a plastic i.d card with whatever details you want, like the cards they have hanging around their neck and its and its fairly easy to get 'Concern' printed on the back of a vest so you look authentic too.

I find an unexpected punch to the face does the trick.

therecklessone

Blisterman wrote:

Yeah, my friend cant say no to a hot girl. It's not like she's gonna strip down and have sex with him if he buys a scrathcard.

Basta*d. Way to ruin it for the rest of us sad, sad people...

therecklessone

deRanged wrote:

was that in Cork?
cos there was a young one selling tickets down by Reads last year. She practically had queues of people waiting to buy from her.
Not that I noticed or anything

No, Temple Bar last year.