Is anyone else getting sick of these people? I sware there were more of them than shoppers around the top near virgin. When will this end?

Anyone else bothered by this?

I'm sure theres already a few threads about this as I have posted on them but can't find them now. :huh:

yes I agree, I'm totally fed up of them. On tuesday I was sat on the benches on fargate waiting for someone when I got one sitting next to me pesting to do her market research. I wouldn't mind, but when I'm sat minding my own business I don't really want someone coming up & sitting down next to me asking me to fill in her forms.
If I wanted to do it, then I'd approach them. I think that's the way it should be.

i have quite a good excuse because i rarely go anywhere without my little girl so i just say "sorry i dont have time im taking my little girl for her dinner".
they take a look at her and think shes starving and let me on my way...lol..:hihi:

dont know what im going to do when she starts school though,ill have to think of another way out of it..:)

If I see a swarm of them I hold my mobile to my ear

The thing is, we should not have to come up with stratagys to avoid them...I think they need to be banned.

If I see a swarm of them I hold my mobile to my ear

just hope that someone doesnt really ring you while you are pretending...lol..:hihi:

Yes i don't like them approaching me. I understand they have a job to do but surely there are other ways of getting information without making people feel uncomfortable.

Besides that the ones that ask for names/addresses should certainly be banned what with us having identity theft rammed at us from every which way.

just hope that someone doesnt really ring you while you are pretending...lol..:hihi:

LOL it's bound to happen one day isn't it? :hihi:

i'm getting sick of them at crystal peaks, not marketing, but talk talk,eon energy,axa healthcare, all blocking the sodding walk way so that you are having to avoid them.
it's bad enough when they've got the kitchen set up and the scooters and the beauty cream woman blocking the walkways.
i've decided to stay in sainsburys.

they go away apologising if you give them a load of verbal abuse:hihi:

give them a confused look and put on a polish accent then say no understand:thumbsup:

I was stopped on Saturday, in the pouring rain to be asked about Easter cards. Goodness.

I say - Sorry luv/mate I'm busy. :rolleyes:

i've decided to stay in sainsburys.

Thats not always safe - they had Talk Talk in there couple months back - got pestered by them asking who I was with for my phone line whilst I was buying my cereal. Almost whacked them with a big bag of Granola :rant:

Havent seen them since in there - maybe they got complaints :)

I was given a £5 note after being interviewed by a market researcher in Waitrose 2 weeks ago. It took 5 minutes of my time and I was amazed to be given money at the end. I also got 3 bottles of wine after being interviewed by a researcher about my car. I am generally quite happy to talk to these people as the research often goes towards improving services,products etc. and it must be a rotten job, especially if people are offensive to you. It's usually not difficult to say you don't want to participate thank you, without being mean, but there was a guy in Homebase once who pursued me round the shop for ages and wouldn't take a polite no. I had to get nasty in the end as his approach was so agressive. I think public places are fair game for researchers but supermarkets & shops should think before they allow people to hassle their already stressed shoppers.:|

I'm sure theres already a few threads about this as I have posted on them but can't find them now. :huh:

Only this one that I can recall:

People With Clipboards On Fargate (http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=39627)

ddd

I did some market research a while ago for radio. They got me to go to a hotel conference room with some other people and gave me £30 after.

The ones I think are more persistent are the charity types, especially at the top of fargate and the Moor. They just won't leave you alone, and then you have to walk past three of their mates. Argh! :rant:

I was walking past one the other day and happened to mention that I'd been to the pub and she apologised and left me alone. I don't know if this is some technicality thing because they are asking for money, rather than the market research types.

Any thoughts?

I once got stopped on fargate for some sort of label test on spirits, basiclly say which one is the best, they took us into some where across from st marys church and we did all the testing and what have you, we thought we,d get at least a bottle of whisky or vodka or something and they offered us nothing what so ever, i thought this was poor lol, so while my mate was still doing his thing, i nicked a bottle of bells whisky off the table lol.
They didn,t suspect a thing either i was stood there for a good 5 minutes waiting for my m8 to finish aswell.

...some of them can make you feel guilty for not stopping to talk to them! there are so many of them..!

Another reason why my I-Pod is invaluable.

...some of them can make you feel guilty for not stopping to talk to them! there are so many of them..!

On a bad day, when you've run the gamut of The Moor Town Hall Fargate, you've had to rebuff and politely turn down so many market researchers, chuggers, Big Issue sellers and every other kind, by the time you get to the other end you just feel drained and a bit horrible.

Nowadays I don't put huge effort into being nice, I just walk swiftly, put a hand up and say 'no time' and to be honest, they're usually fine with that. They don't seem to take it as rude. But I still don't like the niggling anti-social feeling I get after rejecting a dozen people in five minutes!

It's not hard, and you shouldn't feel guilty.

When they say something along the lines of 'can I just ask you a few questions' just say 'No'.

Works every time for me. or do as my friend does, when asked - he always asks what's in it for him; if there's nothing, he just goes....

There were some which used to really get to me a few months back. I think they worked for a charity and wore red bibs and were totally OTT and in your face until you actually got off Fargate itself which I presume is out of the range where they can 'legally' hassle people.
They'd "hello gorgeous... just one minute... really just a sec..." until the cows came home thinking flattery would work. The falseness was pathetic

There were some which used to really get to me a few months back. I think they worked for a charity and wore red bibs and were totally OTT and in your face until you actually got off Fargate itself which I presume is out of the range where they can 'legally' hassle people.
They'd "hello gorgeous... just one minute... really just a sec..." until the cows came home thinking flattery would work. The falseness was pathetic


Yeah, I got harassed by one of those..this skinny guy with long curly hair followed me from the top of fargate up untill I went into HMV. I said my usual no thanks at the start but he kept hounding me.. gave him a blank face all the way down. Really annoying :/

if they approach you, (and i mean, look at you, target you, and physically walk towards you) then stop, and just say "Im sorry, but Its illegal to APPROACH people like that" - and see thier faces...

this is actually true, you cannot legally approach someone in such a fashion, they are allowed to stand there, and say "Excuse me" etc and look towards you, turn towards you, but they arent allowed to physically target/approach you...

if they approach you, (and i mean, look at you, target you, and physically walk towards you) then stop, and just say "Im sorry, but Its illegal to APPROACH people like that" - and see thier faces...

this is actually true, you cannot legally approach someone in such a fashion, they are allowed to stand there, and say "Excuse me" etc and look towards you, turn towards you, but they arent allowed to physically target/approach you...

If thats true, then most of them want sacking, because i get that most of the time on fargate, especially the older women who do it.

i have thought about screaming, then running away shouting "no no, dont hurt me" or something...

thats why they cant legally approach people, they dont know how the person they are approaching will react, what if someone has a problem of some sort, and when people approach them in the way they do, it sends them into shock, or a fit or something... or sends them mad and they think they might get hurt.. ( cant remember what the condition is called :( ) - but yeah... thats why any way

The people who really bug me though are those guranga monks. At least market researchers don't ask you for money! And with those monks you often get five in a row demand money off of you!

i have quite a good excuse because i rarely go anywhere without my little girl so i just say "sorry i dont have time im taking my little girl for her dinner".
they take a look at her and think shes starving and let me on my way...lol..:hihi:

dont know what im going to do when she starts school though,ill have to think of another way out of it..:)

Use exaclty the same excuse, then when they say "what little girl ?" scream "oh my god I've left her on the bus" and leg-it.

Sometimes i just say "no" and other times i get so hacked off with the numbers of people approaching me i just look at them and say nothing.
They don't know what to do.
I think they think i'm unhinged :)

Use exaclty the same excuse, then when they say "what little girl ?" scream "oh my god I've left her on the bus" and leg-it.

LMAO! :hihi::hihi:

if they approach you, (and i mean, look at you, target you, and physically walk towards you) then stop, and just say "Im sorry, but Its illegal to APPROACH people like that" - and see thier faces...

this is actually true, you cannot legally approach someone in such a fashion, they are allowed to stand there, and say "Excuse me" etc and look towards you, turn towards you, but they arent allowed to physically target/approach you...

Simply not true (I used to work for NOP)

I assume what you are referring to is if they walk towards you in such a fashion as to cause a reasonable person to have an expectation of violence, and unless you know some very strange market researchers.....

Apart from anything else, i could see a lot more people complaining if market researchers started shouting across the road instead of walking up to you and asking if you wouldn't mind!

i have quite a good excuse because i rarely go anywhere without my little girl so i just say "sorry i dont have time im taking my little girl for her dinner".
they take a look at her and think shes starving and let me on my way...lol..:hihi:

dont know what im going to do when she starts school though,ill have to think of another way out of it..:)

You say 'no thanks'.

The thing is, we should not have to come up with stratagys to avoid them...I think they need to be banned.

no way some of them are awesome. Sometimes, theyll come upto you and ask all questions, then they get you in some huge fancy building and you get free food to "sample" and stuff, I <3 market research!

Okay I must be losing my touch what the heck does

<3

mean????????

I reckon it's a heart (turn it 90 degrees).

Well ask yourselfs our sheffield ambassdors are quite good at moving the big issue sellers who are trying to earn a living. But they dont go anywhere near these people one question WHY ?

i have thought about screaming, then running away shouting "no no, dont hurt me" or something...

thats why they cant legally approach people, they dont know how the person they are approaching will react, what if someone has a problem of some sort, and when people approach them in the way they do, it sends them into shock, or a fit or something... or sends them mad and they think they might get hurt.. ( cant remember what the condition is called :( ) - but yeah... thats why any way

I believe it is called soliciting.

Anyway, I don't mind the market researchers. I keep getting £5 vouchers and a free cup of tea. Suites me down to the ground. Last one was for giving my views on a magazine that I have never bought.

chris 101-the ambassadors work with the archer project and big issue and assist with the on street management of the big issue sellers,no one is moved without a reason.
What exactly would you like the ambassadors to do about market researchers who are engaged in a perfectly legal activity and by the way are also just trying to earn a living?

Is anyone else getting sick of these people? I sware there were more of them than shoppers around the top near virgin. When will this end?

Anyone else bothered by this?


how can you be sick of them .. i tried out a new ronseal fence sprayer yesterday and got 30 quid for my troubles :D

I've also tested different beers and got 20 quid for doing it . Easy money :)

What exactly would you like the ambassadors to do about market researchers who are engaged in a perfectly legal activity and by the way are also just trying to earn a living?

"just trying to earn a living"
By annoying and pestering people who want to get on with their own business??
And don't anyone tell me that a polite "sorry I'm busy" always works. I worked in the town centre for 16 years and was bugged by these pains in the ***** nearly every day.
Ought to be banned, or we ought to be legally allowed to punch every one of them who annoy us.

I pretend to be Russian and say - "прoстите - я не говорю по-английски". That shuts them up.

I agree they are pain in the **** but alot of other things are too,do we ban everything we dont like?
Is it that hard to walk past them and either ignore them or fob them off without it ruining your day?
There are worse evils out there than market researchers.

I have taken part in about 5 or 6 MR interviews. I always find them interesting ands I suppose I'm grateful someone is taking an interest in what I think. Did one on lager which involved tasting about 6 different brands. And got paid a fiver for about 3/4 hour of my time.! :)

I've found that they still approach me even when I'm listening to music on my headphones. :confused: They make Fargate into a tiring obstacle course. :rant: