Southwestern Company rep
Jun. 15th, 2007 03:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
walkitoutWell, this one's a new one on me. I _was_ a JW. I've received visits from Mormons. I went to a Cutco recruitment thing once (ha! We didn't get along. Duh.). But this is the first I've ever heard of Southwestern Company.
Jeff, from Missouri, was personable. I refused to open the screen door on account of being contagious (I have a really nasty head cold. Not making that up. I'm still in PJs and did not volunteer at the library today and did not go for a walk today. For real.), and cut his presentation short once it was clear he was selling "early learning" something and that it was books. Come on. I need more early learning books like I need another dozen holes in my head.
Altho if the holes were well placed, they might help with the drainage. Never mind.
He wanted to know just how contagious I was, because he was hoping for a refill on a water bottle. I was happy to oblige (I know what it's like going door-to-door and I do try to be friendly, without misleading people into thinking that I might ever buy whatever it is they are offering) and washed my hands first. He really wanted to show me a definition in one of the kids' books, so I agreed to that. That, in fact, gave me enough to know that it was the Southwestern Company when I went googling around to figure out what had just happened. He also wanted to know who in the neighborhood did not have kids so he could skip those houses, which I was perfectly happy to oblige with (altho after, I wondered if I'd done a stupid, but no, these guys seem legit).
A USA today article about this company and others:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/2006-07-19-college-work-usat_x.htm
The book I was shown was unbelievably lame (not that I looked at much). Which is basically what I would expect for a product sold in this context.
Poor Jeff. I hope he's not relying on this line of work to pay for anything important. And I really hope that most of my neighbors have the sense to say no. Next step: is he supposed to have a license for this? And if, so, does he have one?
Addendum: he _is_ supposed to have a license for this. Hmmm...
In case it is not obvious, I'm no fan of the door-to-door sales critter.
Further addendum: after about 45 seconds of dithering (apparently I feel strongly about this), I found the non-emergency number for Brookline Police and called them. He does indeed have the license (and I think she's getting calls, because when I said there was someone going door-to-door selling some kids stuff, she finished my sentence for me with books). All is square and I will now leave this topic alone. Unless someone else wants to commiserate.
Jeff, from Missouri, was personable. I refused to open the screen door on account of being contagious (I have a really nasty head cold. Not making that up. I'm still in PJs and did not volunteer at the library today and did not go for a walk today. For real.), and cut his presentation short once it was clear he was selling "early learning" something and that it was books. Come on. I need more early learning books like I need another dozen holes in my head.
Altho if the holes were well placed, they might help with the drainage. Never mind.
He wanted to know just how contagious I was, because he was hoping for a refill on a water bottle. I was happy to oblige (I know what it's like going door-to-door and I do try to be friendly, without misleading people into thinking that I might ever buy whatever it is they are offering) and washed my hands first. He really wanted to show me a definition in one of the kids' books, so I agreed to that. That, in fact, gave me enough to know that it was the Southwestern Company when I went googling around to figure out what had just happened. He also wanted to know who in the neighborhood did not have kids so he could skip those houses, which I was perfectly happy to oblige with (altho after, I wondered if I'd done a stupid, but no, these guys seem legit).
A USA today article about this company and others:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/2006-07-19-college-work-usat_x.htm
The book I was shown was unbelievably lame (not that I looked at much). Which is basically what I would expect for a product sold in this context.
Poor Jeff. I hope he's not relying on this line of work to pay for anything important. And I really hope that most of my neighbors have the sense to say no. Next step: is he supposed to have a license for this? And if, so, does he have one?
Addendum: he _is_ supposed to have a license for this. Hmmm...
In case it is not obvious, I'm no fan of the door-to-door sales critter.
Further addendum: after about 45 seconds of dithering (apparently I feel strongly about this), I found the non-emergency number for Brookline Police and called them. He does indeed have the license (and I think she's getting calls, because when I said there was someone going door-to-door selling some kids stuff, she finished my sentence for me with books). All is square and I will now leave this topic alone. Unless someone else wants to commiserate.