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How many door to door salesman do you encounter? Where do you live, if you can share?

I haven't seen one in decades, and even then it was usually some pamphlets or books to support a cause or the other.

On the phone (Italy), OTOH, I used to get daily scam call to buy "Amazon stocks" or change utility providers or install water filters. That seems to have massively faded out due to new regulations tho.

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Probably a bit more than one per year. Mostly painters telling me I need to repaint.

Norway.

Jehovah's Witnesses, across Europe, still even nowadays. Some other minor religious sects targeting elderly, usually offering care or attention followed by vicious takeover of real estate.

Only because you have not been profiled as lone and vulnerable, doesn't mean the practice doesn't exist:)

I'm pretty sure that would fall under freedom of religion rights, and it couldn't be banned. Especially as proselytizing is a well known and well established religious practice.
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I know JWs go door to door but I don't think they sell anything nor do they ask for donations - all their stuff is free? To qualify as a salesman you'd have to be selling something, surely?

My local C of E cathedral sent out a mailshot during COVID asking for donations with a range from £50 - £1000 options on the card (yes, really). I've never had anything like that from JWs.

I get visits from the local air ambulance team looking for donations but I'd classify them as a charity, not a salesman. Even though the person is under contract (employed) to do the task of going door to door, it would be a charitable engagement and not a sale. I asked the last guy if he got commission - he said no.

DON'T APPROACH ME WITH YOUR RELIGION. PERIOD.
I understand the sentiment but I don't understand why you're shouting a response at me; I was trying to highlight the difference between charities and salesmen.

I think your issue is with religion, not sales people, which is what this article is about.

No, you cannot hide behind "but I'm not selling anything".

Because then a marketing person could say "but I'm only trying to make you aware of $PRODUCT; I'm not trying to sell it!"

Yes of course. But I was saying of the people I've had at my door, only some have been trying to sell things, which is what a "salesman" is.

The guy from the local baptist church gave me a some book about being saved by Jesus (it had instructions on how to pray I think? dunno threw it away) but he didn't ask me for any money.

By contrast, the Lithuanian girl who was trying to sell religious books (no idea who they were - some encyclopedias? it was very odd) was trying to sell them to me (nice girl, had come to this country and was living in a dorm? was confused why UK taps had hot/cold separately instead of a combined tap). The guys scamming me about a roof repair were definitely not doing it free. Nor were the guys trying to get me to switch internet provider, nor the guy offering me window replacement and double glazing, nor the woman selling me "lucky lavender", nor the guy selling sponges and cleaning products for tiny amounts of change.

That's what I was saying - people who ask for money or donations are salesmen. People who don't, aren't.

Nuisance religious callers and general unsolicited visitors is another topic. The article is about sales calls, not general nuisances.

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I get several a year (UK). So far in 2026, I've had:

* Jehovah's Witnesses

* people offering to steam clean my roof/drive

* the local Fibre company trying to sign me up.

* well known scammers who claim to be on some kind of prison release scheme selling overpriced kitchen/household tat