In the UK we have services you can notify when you don't want junk mail and telesales calls. There appears to be no registry for you to inform when you don't want to be hassled in the High St by people trying to get you to sign up to various services.

By signing up to NotToday.com you are sent a badge to wear when out and about so the canvassers can see that you are not interested. This saves a lot of time and embarrassment, both for you and the canvasser.

The badge design would have to be trademarked to prevent people just making their own.
-- oneoffdave, Jan 23 2003

(?) Mailing Preference Service http://www.mpsonlin...sr/html/default.asp
Stop that junk mail [oneoffdave, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

(?) Telephone Preference Service http://www.tpsonlin...sr/html/default.asp
as above but for phones [oneoffdave, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

"Baby on Board" badges http://news.bbc.co....agazine/4330647.stm
In LOndon, the tube is offereing pregnant women "Baby on Board" badges to wear so that other commuters know that they should give up their seats. A good idea, particularly in the first few months of pregnancy when you might not be quite sure whether someone is pregnant or not... [hippo, Mar 09 2005]

I am wearing my "this idea is too silly for words" badge today - sorry.
-- po, Jan 23 2003


I like, especially if there are penalties for violators. If they actually come up to you without noticing the badge, you can say, "That'll be a fiver, please!"
-- krelnik, Jan 23 2003


// The badge design would have to be trademarked to prevent people just making their own. //

Well, just make one of a different design then. I don't get why people would do this. Are you suggesting there would be some sort of agreement among the canvassers that they would only ignore people wearing official "Not Today" badges?
-- waugsqueke, Jan 23 2003


If it was implemented in the same way as the existing schemes, the canvassers would be trained in recognising the badges but only the bravest/burliest canvasser would approach someone wearing a "Hassle Me and Die" badge.

Admittedly the usefulness of this tends to be limited to people who work and/or live in busy city centres where these canvassers tend to flock. At lunch today I had to avoid 3 of these in 50m so it would be nice for them to clock the badge and just not bother me.
-- oneoffdave, Jan 23 2003


What if the canvassers produce a badge that overrides the "Not Today" Badge? Would you then produce your "No, Really, I Mean It" badge? etc...
-- snarfyguy, Jan 23 2003


Oh No! I've spawned a badges arms race.
-- oneoffdave, Jan 23 2003


I've actually got a badge that says "Don't badger me", with a picture of a badger on it to clarify or not.
-- weedy, Jan 23 2003


I want to be a "not today badge/button", door to door salesman.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Jan 23 2003


Nice one, [2fries].
-- snarfyguy, Jan 23 2003


can beat your badge [weedy] I have a T shirt that say "don't badger the badger"
-- po, Jan 23 2003


One/two middle finger(s) do this quite nice/rude/ly
-- thumbwax, Jan 23 2003


I was one of these people and believe me there was nothing you could do to stop me.
-- xnihilo, Jan 23 2003


(steps aside and ducks)
-- snarfyguy, Jan 23 2003


I find that if you walk past them in a fast and purposeful manner they usually don't bother.

It was actually because of a question asked by one of those outside shopping center survey types soon after I moved that I came to the realisation that my cross street was Cross st. The pizza guys thought I was kidding.
-- madradish, Jan 23 2003


Double bay badge.
-- skinflaps, Jan 23 2003


Turn unwanted hassle into entertainment.

Memorise the details of someone you dislike and regurgitate it onto the gym/ double glazing/ oxfam/ church of the latter day saints questionnaire/ application form. Ask them to call as late as possible.
-- FloridaManatee, Jan 23 2003


In a few more years, the halfbakery t-shirt will work just as well, identifying the wearer as being dangerously insane, or at least, unemployed.
-- pluterday, Jan 23 2003


Does no-one here use Jedi mind tricks? "I'm not the soft touch you're looking for."
-- my face your, Jan 24 2003


I live in a relatively rural backwater little place which doesn't have these kind of canvassers. Does a blank, unresponsive stare work? Or a little drooling? A little bend to the eyebrows that suggests that you're desperately attempting to process the incoming sales pitch, but it's all coming up blanks? Or what about, No Habla Anglais? I'm genuinely curious if any of those tactics work, or if it just encourages them.
-- Soterios, Mar 09 2005


"Please do not ask for opinions, as a smack in the mouth often offends", or simply "FOAD".
-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, Mar 09 2005



random, halfbakery