Was NSPCC volunteer on Fargate correct?

[punk 10]

tk at peaks merely had a sign at the till and didn't even ask.

 

They ask at peaks too and yes, it's very annoying.

[broudie 10]

I used to find the congregation of 'clipboarders' gathering on Fargate something of an annoyance, but after several years working in the city centre - I find it more of a game avoiding them now. It's quite funny on busy days seeing if you can run the gauntlet between zavvi and hmv without being accosted

 

There are a number of tactics you can use (some found in professional sports):

 

Blocking - adjusting your pace so you use another pedestrian as a human shield between you and the clipboarder - placing them directly in the line of fire.

 

Aural Ignorance - whether you own an mp3 player or not, invest in some headphones. Place them in your ears and you can walk on appearing oblivious to their advances without being too rude.

 

Shop Slalom - Duck in and out of shops, gradually making your way to your destination. Wait in the shop until the clipboarders attention is diverted. This tactic can be practiced in some earlier computer games.

 

Mentalism - Always keep a tube of sherbert in your pocket. Eat liberally before attempting to pass a clipboarder - they'll think you've got Rabies and give you a wide berth. If you can't stomach the fizzy stuff but don't have a sense of embarrassment try other 'crazy' defences like pulling your pants down or shouting phrases like 'Thatcher forever' down the middle of Fargate.

 

Speed Walking - sounds simple, but hard to execute. Step up the pace when faced with a clipboarder - by all means engage them in conversation, but DO NOT change your pace - make them walk and talk with you. Chances are they'll give up within 10 steps - if they don't then they thoroughly deserve your money.

 

See no evil, hear no evil - Just carry on like the clipboarder isn't there. The rudest tactic of all, but one of the most effective. Even better if you're actually deaf or blind (a significant advantage in this sport).

 

 

There are more. I could go on...

 

On a more serious note, and in answer to the OP's point, no that charity worker was bang out of order behaving the way they did. I know these people have a job to do, but they must appreciate that we all have a personal choice to make as to whether we want to be approached in public, and those of us that don't must have our wishes respected.

 

When I was growing up in the 1980's, if we wanted to get money for charity then we had to actually DO something for it - e.g. sponsored swim, hop on 1 leg for 14 hours whilst drinking baked bean juice, forward rolling from Birmingham to Bristol etc etc. Now if some of these guys were prepared to do something like that, then I'd definitely stop and talk to them in the street!

 

 

Incidentally, I regularly donate money to various local and national charities through the MANY events held by my employer every single year. I get to choose which charities get my money this way - and the people who organise these events put in significant personal effort to do so.

[Wotwosit 10]

A friend of mine had a particularly tiresome one of these collectors nab him on Fargate. He asked the collector (in a very quiet whisper so it wasn't heard by anyone else) if they has ever given evidence in court in an assault case involving actual bodily harm.

 

When the collector said 'no' my pal offered to give them the chance to do so in a case where they were the victim.