Let me first make something clear. Of course, I have nothing against charities and the good work that they do. What I do have a problem with are the charity muggers, or chuggers, that often make the streets of Bristol a nightmare to negotiate.
Almost every day of the week they can be found on the centre, lurking up Park Street, on the Triangle or outside Clifton Down shopping centre.
As I am mostly on a bicycle, I can look at their tactics without being sucked in myself (apart from when cycling through Castle Park when Sustrans actively target cyclists).
Their modus operandi is to be wacky, spinning their clipboards around, dancing, beckoning you in with exaggerated hand gestures, catching your eye and then extending a hand.
Some people simply ignore them, others give a mumbled apology. I have very rarely seen anyone stop and give over their bank details, but still the chuggers are there – a scourge on Bristol’s streets.
We should be able to walk around the city in peace, and not have to run a gauntlet of smiling idiots who greet you like you are a long-lost friend when all they want is a direct debit guarantee, the first year of which probably pays them and their motley crew to continue in this most annoying of jobs.
Grrr I know what you mean, a pet peeve of mine. One of the things that annoys me is either their lame attempts at a compliment – flattery won’t get you anywhere mate, or when they say “it’ll only take 30 seconds” – yeah right it will only take 30 seconds!
My normal tactic is to pick up my phone and pretend to have a very important and animated conversation. It looks lame but it works every time.
They must be effective if the people are still out there? Someone should ask a charity perhaps.
Chuggers are annoying little prats who need to be properly licensed and regulated so they start to behave themselves.
If a tin-collector behaved in a way the chuggers do in Bristol the council would revoke their license, kick them off the streets and ban them from collecting again.
They’re all just as bad as each other and just don’t give a damn about peoples right to walk around without being harassed for money. God only knows why these odious little toerags think that tw@tting about encourages people to give to charity.
http://epetitions.bristol.gov.uk/epetition_core/community/petition/1943