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They so won't see that sign!

I drop and roll if I'm by a window and wait until they've gone. Our front entrance isn't on the street so we don't get many, fortunately.

We live in a neighborhood that is predominantly Spanish speaking. I've noticed that we just get passed by when the people come around recruiting for their church etc. Unfortunately I've also noticed that the homemade tamale lady passes up our door on Saturdays!!

Maybe it's worth the bible salespeople for the girl scout cookies??

as a former canvasser for an environmental group, i'll tell you that those signs never stopped me. i passionately believed in what i was doing, and thought of those signs as more of a warning to anyone selling anything. also, that VAST majority of people with those signs never said anything about them, and often signed on, wrote letters, and made contributions. so i guess it goes both ways...

We don't get many solicitors, but local restaurants and real estate dealers are constantly attaching things to our doorknobs or sliding things under our doors. I'm at a loss as to what to do with that, especially since I know that many of the people who deliver these things don't speak or read English.

This is not to intended to offend those dedicated to a faith that proselytizes...however...

There was a Jehova's Witness family that came by my house like clockwork, every weekend. One summer weekend morning I was expecting my boyfriend, and had prepared a breakfast of fruit and croissants and all kinds of tasty spreads for us to "share" that lazy day. I heard a rap at the door and ran to open it wide. In the nude. The family stopped coming by. And I learned a trick that proves to be very effective.

I run to another room like an idiot. I don't know why, I could go with Casey Dukes' more sensible drop and roll. I guess my flight instinct is really strong! I also get my dog to bark like a rabid pit bull. (He's actually a tiny corgi, but they can't see that.)

ROTFL, kimg! I wish I had the guts.

A loud scary sounding dog would do the trick. Also, even if you don't have a dog, I would think a beware of dog sign would ward off some. I just bought my first house and then had to leave it a week after I moved in to work in Arizona for a few months, so obviously I don't have that issue....yet.

I say ignore em or be very short and blunt and close the door immediately, same with telemarketers. I always hemmed and hawed and tried to be nice and this would eventually make them extremely nasty since they felt I wasted their time knowing I won't give them what they want.

I think going to someone's home is an extremely intrusive way to reach people rife with the possibility for scams and crimes. It often feels like bullying, puts me on edge, and makes me extremely unreceptive to the product or message even if I would otherwise agree with it. I mean who knows if the people are who they say they are?

I just answer the door and say, "No thank you. We're not interested." Then politely close the door.

I don't get solicitors, or environmental activists, or religious groups. But when I was living in Idaho, I came this close to running over three Mormon Missionaries. Please, if the practice of your faith involves knocking on doors wearing dark colored suits, don't jaywalk at night on very poorly lit residential streets. It's just a bad idea.

Ya know, I suppose I should take that back. On two separate occasions when someone came around proselytizing I've said I was a member of a satanic wicca coven and a scientologist and then asked if I could share my story with them. They left quickly.

I have been tempted to get a "no soliciting" sign, but so far I haven't. I think my greatest fear about the sign is that someone will vandalize the property if they get offended by the sign. I also suspect that many people will disregard it or think that it doesn't apply to them. I tend to answer the door and then act like I have been greatly inconvenienced (because I have) if someone is trying to proselytize or to sell me something. I never buy anything that is sold door to door. I usually just say "no thanks" and shut the door quickly (and then watch out of a window and make sure that they leave the property without damaging anything). I wish people wouldn't go door to door - I think it is dangerous. I also think fundraisers where children are sent to knock on strangers' doors are also dangerous and put children in harm's way. You never know what goes on in someone else's house.

I get those crazy end-of-times fire and brimstone people knocking on my door at weekends. I don't have a foyer, so my front door enters into the living room. I'm sorta ashamed to admit it, but I do a combo of Casey Dukes 'drop and roll' along with Kitties 'I run into the other room like an idiot'.

kitties!, I have a pit bull mix and a corgi mix. The corgi has a far more menacing and dangerous sounding bark than the pit. I am glad that most strangers can't tell which one is making the menacing barks! Of the two, the pit is the friendlier dog (as long as you aren't sitting in her spot on the sofa).

"I think going to someone's home is an extremely intrusive way to reach people rife with the possibility for scams and crimes. It often feels like bullying, puts me on edge, and makes me extremely unreceptive to the product or message even if I would otherwise agree with it. I mean who knows if the people are who they say they are?"

I agree with this completely. I work alone at home and notice I'm becoming increasingly angry because of all the disturbances and feeling unsafe.

Nothing against anyone's religious beliefs, but Jehovah's Witnesses are the biggest offenders in my neighborhood. They always send two men who stand on my porch and knock for several minutes.

I've gotten to the point where I just don't bother answering the door anymore. I am exasperated with all the flyers attached to my porch and mailbox too.

I always think that if you product/religion/environmental group is that great you won't have to force your belief down my neck. That always is a red flag to me that what you are "selling" must not be that good.

I never answer the door...ever, never. Its impossible to see who is at the front door from all vantage points in my house, so I hide, frozen like a scared bunny, wherever I am until I think the person is gone. If you are my friend and unepectedly stop by, you probably have my phone number and that is a far more civilized way to annouce your arrival:)

LOL. A solicitor in London is a lawyer.

When they used to come to my door in Austin, I would just close the door on them. I didn't invite them so I felt no need to be polite in return. Now, in NYC I'm so sick of the solicitors on the sidewalk - I was hit up 4 times in 2 hours. Annoying. Now I just begin the conversation with "NO". The kid said "I didn't ask you anything" I said "I don't have time for homeless, the environment, the Democrats or the gays" He just laughed - busted.

considering i'm a young female who lives alone, i'm PARANOID to death when there is a knock at the door. luckily i have a security door that allows me to see out and them not see in. i also have two small dogs who love to bark when strangers are nearby.. i guess the loaded gun by my side is overkill, but hey, what can i say?

Ive always told them the person they're looking for has been imprisoned and should return in approx. 8 -12 months.

We had one Christian group psychologically abuse our 2 year old by telling her that she was going to die (that's how they get a mental foot in the door with people, the fear of death).

I now have a zero tolerance for people selling things or ideas.

Put up a big sign saying "Invited guests and authorized personal only!" and if they ignore that then spray their clothing with a dilute beta-methylindole solution.

Anyone who is uninvited and bypasses my "no solicitors" sign (by my doorbell) is considered a trespasser and forfeits any semblance of courteous treatment. No matter how "passionate" the environmental canvasser feels about the cause, it does not excuse intrusion into my personal space- my home. This is beyond a pet-peeve of mine, and I lose all rational thinking when someone crosses this line.

"Anyone who is uninvited and bypasses my "no solicitors" sign (by my doorbell) is considered a trespasser and forfeits any semblance of courteous treatment. No matter how "passionate" the environmental canvasser feels about the cause, it does not excuse intrusion into my personal space- my home. This is beyond a pet-peeve of mine, and I lose all rational thinking when someone crosses this line."

Absolutely!

We moved back to Seattle, and I was totally unprepared for the deluge of solicitors. I listened to the first few very convoluted scams that seem to be running around and then decided I just wasn't going to answer the door if I was not expecting someone. We also have a dog that barks. There are a number of very scary stories about people who've been let in or who have come in through an unlocked door when guests have been expected. I just won't risk it.

I used to get Jehovah's Witnesses, kids wanting to rake my lawn or mow it, and one woman who actually hit me up for money, claiming she was 6 months pregnant and spent the night outside the night before. She was obviously not pregnant, and recognizing a scam I gave her nothing.

The next morning I found the little triangular window in the rear passenger door of my car busted, the glove compartment open and disarrayed and my spare change gone. It was an edgy neighborhood, what can I say.

After that I put up a small sign by the doorknob: "I can rake my own yard, I don't care about your religion and I don't want what you're buying. Please do not disturb."

People quit bugging me but my friends found it amusing.

montgomery burns voice ==> release the hounds

I get so many solicitors on my street--everyone from high school kids selling newspapers, to Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Democrats, enviromentalists, homeless advocates, and the occasional crazy person with a hard-luck tale.

I answer the door if I feel like it, and hide when I don't. The easiest way to ward off religious missionaries is to point at the mezuzah on my doorway and say "Sorry, I'm Jewish." That stops them in their tracks. I guess Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses have a pretty bad track record converting Jews!

Everyone else gets a "Sorry, I don't give to solicitors" and a polite door-shut.

Jehovah's Witnesses need to be shot on sight. Unless they have girl scout cookies with them, then wait to shoot them until you are assured not to harm the cookies.

No doubt, people who sell useless things and peddle their religion door to door are very nice people, but I work at home and find being interrupted in the middle of work very irritating.

I'm usually ever so polite, but firm. I tell them I'm not interested and to please not return.

I used to be LDS (Mormon) and family members were constantly sending over missionaries to my house. I was once expecting my boyfriend over and had just gotten out of the shower, so I answered the door naked. I'm sure it was the highlight of the missionaries' day, but I didn't have a problem with them after that. Funny that I'm not the only one to do that, kimg!

I printed a sign and put it on my front door: "A fee of $15 per half hour will be charged for listening to sales or political canvassing. One hour minimum charge. Cash in advance. No exceptions." I've only had one person come to the door despite this and I used to get several a week. I asked that person, "Do you have $30?" and pointed to the sign. He said, No, and I smiled and said, "Well, I guess I won't be talking to you today." He left. If anyone does pony up the $30 I'll listen to their spiel, but otherwise, I live in peace!

I'm the same as MsAmanda. I just dont answer the door, and if its a friend, I assume they have a cell, and would either call me to tell me they were on their way.

I also tend to peer out the window upstairs to see if I recognize the person as they walk away. 100% of the time I don't so it reiterates that I just dont answer the door. I work from home, and just dont feel comfortable. Even if its the gas guy, they can come back when my husband is home, I'm not letting anyone into my house by myself!

In France, at least in Poitiers, we have that problem in the street. The street is public, but I hate being bothered at home -be it on the door or on the phone-. No religous sollicitors here, but often salespeople trying to sell subscriptions to book catalogues. I have a window above the street door so I can see who's ringing, and they don't know where my appartment is so they don't see me watching. Generally I don't answer if I'm not expecting anyone, but most of the time it's just a student who left his keys inside.
Telemarketing is more annoying, now I just invent incredible stories (M Clauzier? no he's gone to Venezuela for several months to study giant clams ... ) or act weird :
-Hello, M Clauzier?
- No.
-...you're not M Clauzier...?
-No.
-...
-...
-Uhhh ... could I speak to M Clauzier please? ...
-No.
-....
-....
-....
-Uhhh... sorry to bother you, good evening....
-good bye.

Add some surrealism to life.

Since moving to the country, we've had only one soliciting group -- a Baptist church, which I let leave some tracts but didn't allow in. However, in my previous home in the suburbs, I got every type of salesperson you can imagine, plus Mormon missionaries (I was raised in the church and they had my address). I didn't answer the door for any of them.

P.S. -- I envy y'all that opened the door naked! Unfortunately, I'm just too fat for that -- although it might be an added incentive to drive unwanted visitors away!

I put up a sign that says "NO SOLICITING! NO products, No services, No religion!!!" And it's been working for about a month so far. I saw one teen with magazines go to the neighbor's house.

The mailman came to the door to deliver a package and said he liked it, especially the no religion part.

Now, if only I could get them to stop stuffing menus under my door.

Before caller id and do not call lists became available, my roomamte and i used to receive tons of solicitation phone calls, at least haf a dozen times throughout the week.

One evening, a friend of mine and I were working on a spec script and the phone must have rang two times within an hour. By the third call I decided to share the frustration. . When the sales person asked if I was home, I said "She's here. She's deaf." A long pause, followed by a click.

From that point on, I have always fabricated some outlandish response, just to make the watsed time somewhat entertaining.

I am so glad to see there are others like me who duck & hide! I thought I was a weirdo. If I don't know the person outside the door, it stays closed. Very intrusive to show up on someone's door unannounced.

While I appreciate that everyone has there own opinion about door to door preaching, just remember that it takes a lot of courage to go out and share any kind of message when the world is full of people who, to quote one of the posters above, would like to shoot you at sight.

Jehovah's Witnesses have done more for free speech than any other group (do a little research, you'll be surprised) and they do it without a political agenda, something most other groups can't say. If you don't want them to come to your door, just tell them. Most will just politely walk away.

My kids won't duck and hide with me :(

i live up on a hill with a lot of stairs that people are required to climb to get to the gate that will lead you to my door. it's very discouraging to solicitors. and was worth every penny we paid for the house. :)

I cock my head and say, "No Speakey Eengliss."

I do one of three things depending on my mood and circumstances:

1. I simply do not answer the door when the bell rings (I also do this for my phone - even if the machine is off, I just let it ring - people need to stop acting like Pavlov's well-trained dogs about intrusive calls and visits).

2. I do not open the door but I loudly say, "yes?" through the closed door. When the person identifies himself or herself, I say, "sorry, but I'm not interested."

3. I live in Japan. I say I don't speak Japanese and they give up.

I do a lot of freelance work that requires pick up and delivery to my door so I can't always ignore it, but I usually refuse to answer if I'm not working actively on a job.

I forgot to say that I second the people who say that the Jehovah's Witnesses are quite polite and not the least bit persistent. If you say you're not interested, they don't bother you (and yes, there are Jehovah's Witnesses in Japan!). Please don't be rude to these people. They mean well, even if I don't agree with them, I can respect their motivation.

I absolutely hate when companies, usually lawn care, call and say "we'll be in your neighborhood next week and we're going to leave some literature on door knob" I always respond "um, actually, no you're not". Sometimes I get an 'ok' and never see anything. But occassionally, I get someone who wants to argue that they can't possibly remember to skip my house so I tell them that since they seemed to remember my phone number just fine that a four digit addres won't be difficult and that if I see paperwork from their company I will file a complaint since I told them not to enter my property.

For the regular religious pettlers, I repeatedly open the door and tell them that my position hasn't changed from last week and they need to stop wasting their time. I've actually watched them skip my house.

That and I often call my neighbors to give them a heads up so they don't answer their door.

or peddlers...I can't spell this early!

It's my door and my telephone. I don't feel the need to answer either one.

I usually open the door, say "No thank you," close the door and that's it. I can't say that the intrusion doesn't annoy me sometimes, but it's not really that big a deal, is it?

in my neighborhood its mainly Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons. When I was younger my mum humored them and the Mormons would come to my house one day a week and they would read their Bible together. I think my mum only did this because her grandfather was Mormon and was curious since she is Catholic. After awhile though, I think she said goodbye to them. Now none of them come to our house because we usually have our dogs in the front yard and they bark like crazy so they can't get near the front door.

I usually do the Mexican thing(George Lopez joke)- hide if anyone comes knocking on our door and when they honk come running out! LOL When I'm at school in NYC many people come walking up to me mostly for save the children type of thing and I respond I HATE KIDS! that usually leaves them with an expression like this O_O and i keep walking.

I'm mainly agnostic but IMO I think if someone is looking to find god or something through a religion it should be done through their own choice and path instead of people who feel they need to save people. the topic of religion just gets me very angry and I've gotten into verbal arguments with close minded people. ugh.

Im amazed at the amount of hate-speech going on here. I agree with BrettTorey that everyone has their rights as to their own beliefs etc. but 'shot on sight'? Come on. FYI if you don't answer the door when Jehovah's Witnesses visit, they will just come back until they get someone at home. All you have to do is say 'No thanks' and nobody wastes their time.

It takes effort for me to get my angry barking dog not to lunge forward as I speak through my security door. It makes it easier for me to say I'm not interested and just close the door--polite but firm.

My Jehovah's Witnesse mother discovered a very elderly woman in a super ritzy area who had fallen and been lying on the floor for three days-none of her family or neighbors noticed she was missing and didn't check on her. My mom saw her through the ordeal and continues to check in on her when she's in the neighborhood (including doing her grocery shopping when needed). And once, when I tried to get out of talking to them by saying I was sick, they asked if they could get me anything.
So really-these are the people you want to hate?
By the way, they don't sell bibles, but they'll give you one as well as the shirt off their backs. Ease up and show a little respect!

I always offer something to drink. I always listen to what they have to say. I rarely buy what they are selling.

Getting angry is going to accomplish anything. They are simply doing a job. A job that they more than likely don't particularly want to be doing in the first place. Nobody dreams of being a door to door salesman when they grow up. They do it because they have to. The least the rest of us can do is makes it a little more pallatable for them.

I have a sign on my door that reads "No Soliciting. I already have everything that I need." I haven't had a solicitor, or door-to-door religion pusher in 10 years. I can get the Girl Scout cookies at the local supermarket from the local troop that sets up shop there.

A few years back, there was a guy going door to door, telling my neighbors that the county was requiring that their house numbers be painted on their curbs and then he produced some "official" paper that reaffirmed his claim.

I ducked and rolled on this guy when he approached my house. The lengths that some of these sheisters go to is mind boggling.

I say " ok,"

"yes,"

"sure,"

and buy anything they're selling. it's awful.

I just found this post through a search (looking for a stylish "No Soliciting" sign) after a solicitor pounded on my door tonight at 8:45. Like animalhouze, I am a single woman living in a house, and I've become very uncomfortable with strangers coming to my door. I've given money to environmental organizations and other groups that came to my door in the past, but a couple of true sales people have recently really put me off. Reps from a remodeling company and a company selling security systems (now that's intrusive - questions about the security of your home) - both asked me, "So do you live alone here?" I think they were getting at, "Shouldn't I be talking to your husband about this?", which also totally annoyed me, but more importantly made me feel vulnerable and unsafe. If it happened again I'd say, "He's not home", but I won't answer the door anymore. I'm getting a sign, even if people are going to rudely ignore it.