Dallas City Council May Put End To Those Pesky Home Solicitators Who Sell Us Magazines We Don’t Want. Or Need.

What do you think about home solicitation?

I have a “No Solicitation” sign, or rather I should say, I HAD one. Someone snitched it, probably a solicitor. I generally do not like to be bothered when I am at home unless it’s a friend or business meeting knocking at my door. So I am thrilled with the city’s new “get tough on solicitors” talk. I also do not like papers randomly thrown in my yard unless I have requested them – clutter clutter clutter.  It’s a constant battle with paper, and I am  counting down to three days per week mail service to save about a billion trees and one hour in my day.

City Attorney Tom Perkins says the new city ordinance would apply to anybody selling things, offering services or handing out commercial handbills door-to-door. This is good, folks:

Home solicitors would be required to register with the city, made to pay a (yet-to-be-determined) non-refundable fee, and given a certificate of registration, good for one year, within 30 days of the application. Registered home solicitors would also have to wear a city-issued I.D badge.

Might this stop those companies who send sweet young people to my door, telling me they are trying to make an honest living and lift themselves up from poverty by selling me a subscription to a magazine? Here’s the scenario: I answer the door, usually kind of bitchy because I have been interrupted. Then I look at their sweet young faces and feel guilty for being bitchy, so I buy a dang magazine from them — something trashy like PEOPLE or once I even tossed good money on COSMO. The child goes away all smiles, I go back to work, and later I see that I’ve spent like $300 for a magazine subscription I could have bought for $30.

Then I’m really bitchy.

How can those companies be teaching those sweet young kids anything but rejection and deception?

So yes, I like this new legislation. I also do not like having leaflets and newspapers thrown at my door unless I want them. It just shouts “she’s not home” if I don’t pick them up, which I sometimes don’t, and when the wind blows or it rains, they are a mess. Current anti-litter regulations  prohibit leaving handbills at vacant houses, but are seldom enforced, as any Realtor can attest. They will be better enforced and new provisions would be added that hold the name on the handbill responsible for any violations that occurred, in addition to the person running around handing them out. The fine for violating any of this could run up to $500.

I think it should be $1500.

It goes without saying that anyone getting a permit to solicit should not have a criminal background, and Scouts can be exempted. I also do not mind being solicited by the neighbor kids for holiday cards and such. 

So tell me, am I being too bitchy here? Do you mind people coming to your door to solicit? And what do you think of this new Home Solicitation ordinance?