How to deal with aggressive people on the street???

nwc389

I make no eye contact and don't stop , slow down or speak .
I'm 4 ft 11 and female and no chugger is a match for me

Pixie5740

VfM4meplse wrote: »

Chuggers irritate the hell out of me, although I am always polite. They are idealistic but deluded young people in the main, and don't realise what they do has a very limited impact.

Chuggers aren't idealistic (ok you might get the odd one who is) they are not volunteers they do it for money. I'm sure I read somewhere that chuggers are either paid commission (about £15 for every person they sign up) or don't get commission but are paid about £8 an hour but still have targets to meet. I think it varies from charity to charity. I just don't engage with them and that seems to work for me.

TBagpuss

For chuggers I normally just blank them - I know many of them are probably just trying to earn a living so I don't go out of my way to be nasty unless they are aggressive.

If it is a charity I already support I will say so.

More recently I've started getting them turning up on the doorstep and to those I tell them that the fact that the charity is harassing people by trying to guilt-trip them on their own doorseteps means that that charity immediately goes on my "do not donate" black-list and that I would encourage them to pass that message back to their employer.

When I was a student we used to get the Jehovahs Witnesses and at least one other evangelical christian group knocking on the door on a regular basis. One of my housemates used to respond with a maniacal smile and an enormous amount of enthusiasm, saying things like "I am soooo glad you came. I'm an evangelical Satanist, come in, let me tell you all about the joys of surrendering to our Lord Beelzebub!" As he was 6'2" and had multiple piercings and s fondness for wearing leather it was particularly effective.
Another housemate was studying Comparative Theology and used to debate with them and wind them up by being far more familiar with the bible and it's history and interpretation than they were.

Both were a pleasure to watch. Oddly enough, we stopped getting them show up after a while . .

JulieElizabeth

I wear headphones all the time, so if any of these eejits try their pitch on me I ain't listening

Amber_Sunshine

Here's a suggestion to shut up the chuggers:

'I no longer have a UK bank account'.

DUKE

A good mood means when they smile at me I smile back, when they speak I give my toothiest & most hideous grin & say no rather loudly.
Or if I can't be bothered I look them in the eye & start shaking my head as soon as they approach me, no words are needed. Bad mood means I completely ignore them.

LameWolf

I think I read somewhere that chuggers aren't allowed to pursue their target for more than three steps; I'm fortunate in that my husband can spot a chugger a mile off, and can push my wheelchair at a rate of knots, so we're usually past them before they've had chance to draw breath.:D

The ones that really annoy me are the ones that come knocking at the door; I find it much easier to deal with them now we have an intercom with a camera so that I can see who's at the door - I just say "no thank you" from the sanctuary of my lounge!:o

Mags_cat

JulieElizabeth wrote: »

I wear headphones all the time, so if any of these eejits try their pitch on me I ain't listening

Me too - whether or not there's anything playing through them!

dragonette

Street fundraisers are paid by the hour, but can have targets. One of my close friends is one atm, and she uses charm rather than intimidation! Some are aggressive in their approach - those employed by the charity tend to have higher standards than those hired in from elsewhere.

I cannot stand doorstep fundraising. It feels intrusive! Had one try to say I looked 18 to try and draw me into conversation

I'm always polite, but never stop. I've never had aggressive or pushy beggars in Glasgow or ones that argue with you. A firm and polite 'No' is sufficient at most. I'm short and in my twenties and its the confidence to not back down that works best I think.

Anatidaephobia

I've never heard the term "chugger" before; had to Google it when it first popped up on this thread