What did you say you are selling?

Have you ever had the experience of teenagers going through the area knocking on doors trying to sell magazine subscriptions? It happenned to me last night for the second time since I've been married. The first time I actually obliged and bought a subscription for a magazine I never read which cost about 3 times the regular newsstand price. I was not about to oblige a second time. I figured out after listening to the sales pitch last night that these kids use guilt, manipulation, and flattery to get you to buy. I did not hear anything about the quality of the magazines or why it would be a good idea for my family to make this purchase. Some of the things this young salesperson said to try to convince me to buy went something like this:

1. After finding out that my occupation is "domestic Goddess" (his term not mine) he told me that is the hardest job in the world and I deserve to put my feet up and read trashy magazines. (yay for me.) These magazines were pretty much garbage except for maybe "Family Fun" and "Parenting" which incidentally gave him the most points, which also means most expensive.

2. He is so close to winning the most points to be able to win a vacation and if I help him out he will for sure win.

3. All of my neighbors have helped him out by buying a subscription. (let's rub on the guilt.)

4. If I buy from him, he will put a sticker on my door that says "Don't bug me" so that none of the many, many other teenagers in my area will not knock on the door and bother me again. ( and this is a good reason why I should buy? Give me a break.)

5. He entertained me with some extremely lame jokes and asked me many personal questions and shared personal things about himself so that by the end we were on familiar terms.

6. He talked so fast I couldn't even get a word in edgewise.

7. Oh and my favorite: He told me that he is from a national group that is teaching teenagers positive communication and social skills.

I succeeded in not buying, and as he left he said "Please don't buy any magazines from anyone else." So what are they actually selling? Magazine subscriptions or the chance to further the education of the future leaders of our country by teaching them to get away with manipulation and con artistry. (If that is even a word.) Whatever happenned to selling things for the purpose of providing a useful service to someone? Well, that's how I feel about that.