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Increase in door to door soliciting

My wife and I have seen an marked increase in door to door soliciting in our NE Heights neighborhood. Door to door sales people have never really bothered us but lately, they have become annoying and some, like the shady fellow selling frozen meat out of his pickup truck, have become unsettling. Normally, there is an increase in soliciting when school starts, but these aren't school kids coming by. Anyone else seeing an increase where they live?

Seems like some strongly worded No Soliciting signs are in order.

Tags: Heights, NE, Soliciting

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Balletmom on September 4, 2011 at 3:57pm

Our neighborhood association posted the neighborhood as no soliciting (the city offered the service and to put up signs) and it has gone way done. Only the neighborhood kids are allowed to go door to door. You can also pick up a sign from the police substation about no soliciting to place by you door or doorbell.

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Permalink Reply by SweetCaroline on September 5, 2011 at 8:23am

The City requires them to have a City Permit to solicit homeowners. Ask to see it. If they don't have one, send them on their way. I had a decorative iron gate made to my entry way to the house. It has a lock. It doesn't have a door bell. Works for me!

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Permalink Reply by Edith Grove on September 5, 2011 at 8:47am

I have a No Soliciting sign under a carved horned skull on my door - it seems to work for the most part. Religious people and political people still ignore it on occasion.

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Permalink Reply by Dale on September 6, 2011 at 7:46pm

Edith, i LOVE it!!

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Permalink Reply by Michelle Meaders on September 5, 2011 at 10:32pm

"Religious people and political people still ignore it on occasion." What about that? If I'm walking precincts for a candidate for city council should I skip houses with those signs? I have a list of people who usually vote in city elections and who belong to this candidate's party, and I want them to know about this candidate when they vote. There is no TV or radio advertising for these races, and so far no public candidate forums that I know of. I'm not selling anything or collecting money.

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Permalink Reply by mombat on September 6, 2011 at 9:09am

I am an active voter and I hate it when people leave fliers on my doors.

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Permalink Reply by Michelle Meaders on September 6, 2011 at 11:00am

Does that mean you would rather they rang the bell and talked to you directly?

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Permalink Reply by Edith Grove on September 6, 2011 at 12:59pm

I good friend of mine once had a very specific "No Soliciting" sign that also mentioned that the soliciting of his time was strictly off-limits. It's not just about soliciting money, it's also about soliciting someone's time. I have a home office, so anyone coming to my door is taking time and concentration away from my work.

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Permalink Reply by mombat on September 6, 2011 at 1:16pm

No, I would rather that they look at my previous record and know that I am going to vote and leave me alone.

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Permalink Reply by Michelle Meaders on September 6, 2011 at 1:54pm

This isn't just about encouraging you to vote. This is about informing you about what you are voting on and how it works. If the newspapers and local TV and radio news were doing their job, and people paid attention to them, you would be hearing the details about this election.

Also, do you know that there is a big change in how we are voting this time, and that there are a dozen city bond issues to vote on, even if your City Council district isn't in play this time? Do you know where to find the websites for the candidates, and the description of the election on the City's website? Do you know that the local League of Women Voters have put out a Voter Guide that will be distributed tomorrow to Libraries, Community Centers, and Senior Centers? Do you know that City elections have stricter Voter ID rules than all other elections, and that you can't take your Absentee Ballot to your polling place, which probably isn't where it was last time?

Candidates using public financing or without large corporate donations can't afford to mail to the many registered voters in their district, and only a small percentage of them vote in city elections. Volunteers like me let them reach potential voters with a personal message. When I go to a house with a "No Solicitors" sign, they don't have to answer the door, of course. The ones I have talked to mostly say they are glad to have the information.

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Permalink Reply by Amy Cat on September 6, 2011 at 3:29pm

In my world, no soliciting means just that. No soliciting. It doesn't mean you get to decide what you want it to mean. If you come upon a message on someone's home and choose to ignore that message there's a very good chance you will not be received with kind words. You are asking people to make decisions. But you're overriding a decision they have already made. Not cool.