Market Research

How many members on this forum have been stopped by the market research women that take over the city centre at times?

Do you find it troublesome to be pestered this way and have you ever been rude to any of them?

I have been accosted many times but have always been pleasant with them and indeed have received gifts for my co-operation.

Chocolate, money, bags of goodies and their gratefull thanks.

But don't they ask very searching questions? that can put one in a dilema sometimes, I have been stumped on occasions, which had me stammering until I re-composed myself.

I've done market research for a Guinness promotion in O'Neills on West Street and I got £20 of high street vouchers. One quick survey and one telephone call.

I also did some research for the film "Men In Black" and what products I associated with it... but they gave me nothing at all!!!

When I lived in Bolton my mates and I got stopped to take part in "Lager" research which consisted of us drinking 3 half pints of lager and saying whether they tasted nice, strong, smelt like cabbages, etc... is was quite entertaining really. Again, I got nothing out of that apart from 1 and a half pints of lager

I always try to catch market research people's eyes when I walk by but they never seem to want to talk to me ...

I've been stopped plenty of times and if it's genuine and/or interesting and I am not on a tight schedule I sometimes participate.

I have a problem with these researchers because I won't eat anything if I don't know what's in it. Being vegetarian I avoid things with animal products such as gelatine. Having done chemistry at school I try and avoid things which I recognise as having been dangerous. I particularly avoid ingredients which are only described by e numbers.

So, when they ask would you prefer this or that I say what's in it? When they, usually, say they don't know I won't try it. The same goes for any skin products. Are they tested on animals? I don't know. Well I won't try it then.

They get really frustrated because they cannot fit my answers into the little boxes on their response sheets.