I hate when people shove things in my face. Especially when I'm walking. I walk fast. I don't want to stop to read what you are handing out, to hear what you have to say, to sign your petition. I don't sign petitions. Most of them don't interest me.
I take the same route to work and back every day. Every day when I get to the top of the subway steps there is a guy standing there handing out circulars advertising sales at a nearby store. I don't know what they are selling. I don't know what store it's for. Whatever it is, I'm not interested and I don't want it.
I would just walk by quickly, say no thank you with a smile. But he just kept trying to hand it to me day after day. So I thought about it for a second. I assume he gets paid for this. Maybe a meager allowance, but why else would he stand out in the heat handing out pieces of paper. So if this is his job, maybe he needs to hand out all the circulars in order to go home. Maybe he doesn't care if you are taking them or buying from them, he just wants to get rid of it.
Yesterday, I got to the top of the stairs. He stretched out his arm wide, I didn't dodge it this time. I took the circular with a big smile on my face, said thank you and have a nice day and walked away. I got to the corner, folded it up neatly and threw it in the garbage. I never bothered to look at it.
I don't want what you are selling. I don't need it. I am not interested. But maybe, just maybe, I did that guy a favor. Maybe he can go home a few minutes earlier today having finished his job for the day.
I'd like to think I made a difference, otherwise that was a waste of paper.
There was this j for j guy giving out panthers, so I asked him for one and a bunch of my friends. Then I walked to the nearest garbage, still in his eyesight, and yelled "blasphemy!" and crumbled them up and threw em out. The look on his face was priceless :)
ReplyDeleteI do the same thing. What does it hurt me to take the thing..? ill get rid of it and he'll have done his job. no harm no foul
ReplyDeleteThose pamphlets cost the owner money. He prints them and hires people to distribute them in hope that they might make a purchase. He has no interest in giving them to people that will throw them out without looking at them. You might have done the worker a favor but ultimately it is the wrong thing to do.
ReplyDeleteI never thought of it that way. Thank you for pointing that out. I will keep it in mind for the future.
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