My experience is this...
If you are in a city where there are a lot of hustlers, panhandlers, and drug addicts, it makes the job more difficult for canvassers who work street corners rather than going door-to-door.
First of all, many people just don't have the time when they are on the go. If you catch them when they have more time available - such as at home - they tend to be more amenable. They'll still have a high rejection rate, but more people will at least take the time to listen.
Second, in a city like the one above, people don't know who to trust, so they follow their first instincts. Nobody wants to be made a fool of. It's safer to say 'no', and walk away. For some, they want a bit more finality so they add rudeness to seal the deal.
For instance, I spent 2 years being homeless. During that time, I still maintained a neat and presentable appearance. Whenever I walked downtown, I would always have a minimum of 3 people ask me for money - panhandlers, but some were mobile rather than stationary. It got so bad that I stopped being gracious. No smile. No eye contact. I would simply say, "I'm homeless" while walking away. One guy replied, "Jus' 'cos you're homeless don't mean you're broke." You should have seen the fire in my eyes after that. It took a lot of willpower not to turn and flip out on the guy. I didn't receive any cash assistance. I didn't panhandle. I quit drinking and gambling. In short, I didn't want to become what I saw so many other homeless become. So maybe I wasn't broke **at that time**, but I knew how hard it was for me to scrape together money to meet my own needs. It would be stupid in my situation to hand that money to someone else whom I knew for a fact did nothing but sit on the green drinking and smoking and begging all day (when you're homeless you get to know who does what) while I would have to make do without. I would be enabling and encouraging continued bad habits for another while doing harm to myself. It's not an even trade-off.
Now, my experience has also been that people like that are actually well in the minority among homeless people. Probably around 15%, I would guess. The rest will volunteer, do odd jobs, find ways to buy things cheap so they can resell it at about a 20% profit, etc. It doesn't matter if these guys were convicts or alcoholics or drug abusers. Most of them try to be legit because it helps them mentally, not just financially. It helps them keep a positive attitude in a bad situation.
Back on point though, being solicited on the street, for whatever reason, can be a nuisance. That becomes amplified when you constantly have people begging, hustling, and doing shakedowns. Even more so when it happens day after day after day.
If I had any advice for canvassers and solicitors, it would be make themselves stand apart from all the typical street-doings. Have an organization t-shirt, or a sign, or a booth, or whatever. It makes them look more legit. It will encourage more people to take them seriously. Don't walk up to people to harangue them. That's a turn off because street cons do that. Stay in one place for awhile, then move to another if need be. Attract attention from passers by. Be polite. Know when to let it drop -- time is money for you, don't waste it on an obvious lost cause. Don't be pushy because that's desperate and sleazy. Following these ideas will distinguish you from the street hustlers. It will make people more willing to hear you out. Forcing it is a turn off, and money out of your own pocket.
Edited by
actionlynx
on Mon 08/07/17 12:21 PM
