A KNOCK AT THE DOOR

BY DAN MILLER
(posted January 30, 2006)

Door to door sales people seem to be a vanishing breed in these days of eBay and online shopping.

Not only that, but police blotters are filled with other reasons why unsolicited, face to face business propositions are not as welcomed as they were in the days of Norman Rockwell's America.

I've never been a door to door salesman, though briefly -- during my college years -- I was a delivery man for my pal Ricky, who was a Fuller Brush salesman.
On Saturdays, my job was to deliver the orders he had taken, and collect the cash.

Delivering the products was the easy part.... collecting the cash was, at times, a challenge.
For a young guy, I assure you it was an early lesson in human behavior.

People got downright miserly when it was time to pay for their brushes, soaps, lotions and shampoo.
I saw both husbands and wives lash out at their spouses for ordering a comb or brush without the other's knowledge.

On many occasions, I would see people running and hiding behind doors and furniture when I'd ring the doorbell.
I guess they figured I was a bill collector, or a police officer.

I even encountered one or two women who appeared eager to work out alternative payment plans.
But Ricky had made it clear he wanted cash upon delivery.

Anyway, here's what started me thinking about door to door sales people.

A story -- reported by KMBC-TV in Missouri -- had me questioning my usual presumption that most people are reasonably smart.

Last week in Springfield, Missouri, three women -- in separate homes -- became ill after agreeing to get tattoos from a door-to-door tattoo "artist", who just showed up and rang their doorbells.

That's unbelievable enough....
But it's even more unbelievable because one of the women said she noticed that the man's tattoo equipment appeared to be homemade, with black tape wrapped around it, and fishing wire dangling through it.
AND SHE STILL LET HIM GIVE HER A TATTOO!!

My goodness, how desperate was this woman for a tattoo?

According to the story, all three women got skin infections around the tattoo area, and one ended up in the hospital.
Now the local health department is advising all three to get tested for HIV and hepatitis.

You know, it's OK to buy combs and brushes, or magazines, or maybe even vacuum cleaners from door to door salespeople.... but when they're peddling such things as root canals, or cosmetic surgery, OR TATTOOS -- a polite "no thanks" seems best.

But who knows.... if a door-to-door brain surgeon shows up at the homes of those particular Missouri women, they might want to give it serious consideration.
It could be exactly what they need.

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