Something weird my doorbell chimes

[SteveRiley]

The following odd event just took place.

My doorbell rang, accompanied by several sharp knocks on the window. I sat my laptop aside and trundled downstairs to see who was disturbing my Friday night. One female human, approximately 5'8" tall and 25 years old, stood there, bobbing and smiling. I opened the door, and before I could say anything, her mouth went into full gear.

"I'm from your neighbors across the street? They said you're the one who's adopting the cute black girl? Here I am?"

I was flummoxed. What's the proper response to a stranger making such an inquiry? How does one determine where the actual question is, when everything the person says ends with a question mark?

"No, just kidding? How are you? I belong to an organzation of young women? We ask for donations to help young women find jobs? So we don't have to take government money? Can you help me find a job? So we don't have go around asking for money?"

She offered no identification, and appeared to have no collateral to support her claims. I calmly explained that my wife and I already make regular charitable contributions to a number of agencies.

"No, we aren't from a government agency, we don't want tax money?"

I explained that the aforementioned organizations aren't affiliated with the government.

"Well why didn't you just say that? You wasted my time here? What's your problem?"

Having determined that was her final volley of questions, I closed the door and returned upstairs.

[Ole Juul]

Well you gotta wonder why you answered the door if it wasn't to hand out money?


I guess it's a matter of perspective. Of course we can take this even further.
An old Vaudeville routine:

A guy walks up to the ticket counter and asks the lady for a return ticket.
Her: "To where, sir"
Him: " To here, stupid!"

[woodsmoke]

meth head

[SteveRiley]

Hm. I didn't think to compare the diameters of her pupils. Next time, I guess...

[rms]

No talk, don't open door or just release the hound?

[Qqmike]

Unfortunately nowadays (USA), the bad apples have ruined it for the good people. I no longer trust anyone going door-to-door, especially these kids doing it. SOME studies have shown it to be a scam (e.g., some $5-candy-bar-selling gigs where very little of the money goes to the kids). I've even had young, very sexy, scantily dressed girls knock at the door and try to run a gig on me, selling this or that.

However ... I made an exception a few years ago, very uncharacteristic of me to do this ... as I usually research things until I drop from exhaustion ... A guy, about 35, driving a small economy car (which later he told me saves him money rather than to use his work truck), knocked on my door and gave me a focused, serious, enthusiastic pitch to trim my 40-ft Arizona Ash tree that needed trimming very badly. He was from Honduras, had been an appliance repair guy here and didn't like it, and loved trees, could tell ya all about them, said he climbs them himself and has two helpers on the ground to work up what he drops from the heights of the tree. I bought it! Trusted him, let him into the back yard, agreed to a $650 cash deal (which is low here for this work, comps being $750-$1250 and higher). Long story: I liked the guy, he did a perfect job!, I was and am still happy, AND he picked up a few hundred off my neighbor who also had some (small) trees to do. In the 33 yrs I've been here, the first time I ever made a snap purchase decision that way.

[Detonate]

Beware of the "Travelers".

[GreyGeek]

The "college kid working his way through college selling magazines subscriptions" was a common scam around here for a while.

Another was selling boxes of fruit (oranges, mostly, sometimes grapefruit), and another sirloin steaks!