Sunday evening around 7 pm our doorbell rang. This is a rare event. I glanced out the window and saw a nicely dressed black man. Since I've turned down my quota of sales pitches this week I made Joel answer the door.
Joel, plus 3 kids, politely listened to the young man tell his story. From East St. Louis. Trying to earn a living and improve himself for his 7 year-old daughter. Yada. Yada. Yada. Finally, he whipped out his "credentials" AND his list of magazines. And don't you know my husband actually LOOKED at the list. This kid got further with my husband than the others ever have!
I'm telling you. He was good. His claim was that he would earn free money for college, which would help him give his daughter a better life. He really played the kid card. I was also impressed that he played the Christian card. As soon as he heard my husband's name (Joel) he asked if Joel was a Christian (it's also the name of a book in the Old Testament). I don't know that I've ever heard anyone ask my husband that question in the context of hearing his name. Anyway. This guy was a great salesman. I wanted to buy a magazine from him. Really I did. I wished him well (unlike the kid earlier in the week). Thankfully, Joel didn't find any magazines we were interested in on the list.
Despite a polite refusal the guy kept on with his sales pitch. "Won't ya let me have a blessin' today?" He was very polite and easy going. Which is what made it hard to tell him no. Finally, I felt he'd taken up enough of our time so I put in an appearance at the door (and gathered my shoeless and sockless children back inside the house). I think the young man realized he wasn't going to get anywhere when he saw me. He asked us to pray for him and his daughter, took his list back and continued down the street.
I so wanted to tell him that the best thing he could do for his little girl was to get a real job, even if it's only flipping burgers, and attend an inexpensive community college. Hard work will get you further than selling magazines door-to-door ever will. And make sacrifices - like going without cable t.v. or XBox or name brand clothes.
Sacrifice and hard work. It's what built our country. It's what's building my family. That and not buying magazines from door-to-door salesmen.
6 comments:
Hard work? Sacrifice? What's that? Totally kidding. Joel was a real sport--I've been home enough that I don't give any of my time either! :)
My husband always listens and occasionally offers a dollar or two. Me, not so much.
Whether the nice man knew it or not, he was likely working a scam. I've had friends buy magazines and NEVER get them. I had my son google the company the last time one came by and it came up with all sorts of bad reviews. I don't know if the door to door folks know they are involved in a scam or not...if they do, even sadder :-(
I always get college students trying to sell me a line of books to help with my kid's homework. Then they try to convince me I need these books if I homeschool...Then my favorite part: when they want me to rat out the neighbors..(which ones have school children)...I'm not really comfortable telling a stranger where all the children in the neighborhood live, thank you very much!
The best sales kid I had was the one that told me I was a domestic godess!
I have such a bad attitude about these door-to-door guys too. I've reached the point where I'm not even nice anymore because they're so annoying and persistent. My husband is way more tolerant than I am.
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