'Skilled Chuggers Required' - Amnesty International

Oranage2

rubadub wrote: »

Jaysus that sounds like a real horror story, does this really go on in this day & age. I can only sit here shuddering imagining if I had to go through a job interview, be expected to actually work everyday, and then get taxed on my earnings.

The starving babies have it easier.

greenpilot wrote: »

A bitch, isnt it...Thats called Work, welcome to our world.

Very good - just nowhere as funny as the post above. As I've said I havent chugged in well over a year and it was during the summer to save enough for college.

I've since finished college and have a new job.

I didnt especially like doing chugging and was fired just before I was there 6 months, I'm happy to reveal all if anybody wants to know anything about it.

mathie

Skilled Chugger Required

Key Responsibilities

Harrassing people as they try to walk down the street.
Spreading out wide over a street with your fellow leeches colleagues in order to trap as many people as possible.
Ability to say "Hiya mate!" every five seconds.
Ability to feign sincerity.
Ability to feign any other human traits that might get you a few quid.

Chairman Meow

Paid street fundraisers are sometimes known as chuggers because usually fundraising is viewed as aggressive or invasive (a portmanteau of "charity" and "mugger")Wiki

I prefer the portmanteau "Chunt"

BlimpyBoy

"I don't speak English" usually confuses them just long enough to get by them.

stovelid

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

he shouted "cool sideboards man"..

Insulting your taste in furniture is going too far.

summerskin

It's like going back in time on here. Is Ireland really so far behind the times? This reaction to chugging happened in the UK about 8 years ago, and now they just carry on as normal, realising that chuggers will always be around as the charities want the money they bring in, whether some people like it or not.

you stop if you want to, and don't if that's your preference, simple. All the people here that say they swear at chuggers are liars. I did the job years ago and you got swore at maybe once a week, usually by some tattooed eejit.

The thought of the keyboard warrior nerds here telling some South African rugby player who is chugging while travelling for a year to fuuck off cracks me up. You all shy away and say "no thanks" politely in all honesty.

Must be awful for Dubs to be so far behind real cities like London and Birmingham that they have to recycle their arguments from way back.

summerskin

The other thing is, chuggers do need to be skilled. The average troglodyte does not posses the language ability or powers of persuasion/manipulation to do the job. The firms I worked for used to have a strict policy of only hiring graduates.

I got into the job when I moved to London 11 years ago after working as a sports journalist in France and the USA. I wanted a change of direction, and just something fun to do over a summer. I started off on a flat rate of £9.50 per hour with no commissions. 3 years later I was working as the manager of one of the largest agencies, managing 50+ people and earning approx €42k p.a.

The best chuggers are never the hippes, it's people who are pure sales people. I used to have a team leader who was constantly telling us how evil Nestle were and that we should boycott all their products as we were raising funds for a charity that was battling them.

Every lunch break I would take off my jacket and open a Kitkat Chunky, and every time she would say to me "How can you do that? Do you not care??"

My answer was "Sorry love, when the jacket comes off, the conscience goes with it." And it's true. I chugged and managed campaigns for charites like the WWF, when the fact is my life's ambition is to eat Panda meat before they die out. I also managed campaigns for Friends of the Earth and now I work in the oil business.

It's a job, one that can pay quite well if you are good at it, and one that can certainly open doors for your career further down the line.

Of course, now i just say "No thanks." when they ask me to stop.

Giruilla

summerskin wrote: »

It's like going back in time on here. Is Ireland really so far behind the times? This reaction to chugging happened in the UK about 8 years ago, and now they just carry on as normal, realising that chuggers will always be around as the charities want the money they bring in, whether some people like it or not.

Actually this reaction to chugging also happened in Ireland 8 years ago and its happened every year since. I can't see people ever not being annoyed by being pestered by college kids for money while on their way to work.

summerskin

Me neither, but amazingly it doesn't annoy EVERYONE, or people would not sign up to donate at all.

It annoys the crap out of me now, but so does lady gaga. Yet amazingly some people are not annoyed by her, and even listen to her music etc.

jester77

Any charity that resorts to using chuggers (or dying children tv ads) is not a charity I want anything to do with

summerskin

you could just donate to the ones who send leaflets in the post, or even christmas cards, instead then.

after all, the financial return on investment for those campaigns is roughly 1.8x original investment, compared to 3.6x investment for chugging(yes, even after paying chugger wages).

that's why chuggers will be there until they are outlawed, they make a killing for the charity.

of course some places have "outlawed" them in the UK, Peterborough and Winchester being examples. Manchester council has reduced the licensing so that smaller team numbers can only go there, and on a reduced number of dates and times.

Why don't you all just ask your city councils to do the same?

Giruilla

jester77 wrote: »

Any charity that resorts to using chuggers (or dying children tv ads) is not a charity I want anything to do with

I empathise with that point. Those methods of charity say a lot about the people you are trusting to give money to and also a lot about the way they view you. I fundamentally don't agree with people being paid to collect for charity.

summerskin

A national children's chrity in the Uk spent £560k one year on a radio fundrasing campaign. This money was paid to actors, producers and radio stations. The charity gained 46 new supporters at an average donation of £60 per annum, or £33,120 over the average 5 year "life" of a donor.

Same charity, 2 years later, spent £100k on a chugging campaign and got 960 donors at an average of £108 per annum, or £518,400 over the average 5 year "life" of a donor.

So, agencies/people were paid to raise funds, how else could funds be raised? Would you expect printers etc to not be paid for producing leaflets, cards etc?

Liber8or

Only way to deal with them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0hqpMc9HKw

Jesus Wept

summerskin wrote: »

My answer was "Sorry love, when the jacket comes off, the conscience goes with it." And it's true. I chugged and managed campaigns for charites like the WWF, when the fact is my life's ambition is to eat Panda meat before they die out. I also managed campaigns for Friends of the Earth and now I work in the oil business.

.

Ghandee

CashMoney wrote: »

This sounds very familiar to me. Did the company owner drive an Audi TT and did you have to listen to 'Hey Ya' every morning at the morning meetings by any chance? I rang a similar (same?) bell in Melbourne 8 years ago...

Can't remember/didn't see what he drove.

I think his name was Dave though, and he was from Perth.

There was a guy working there from Kerry (team leader or something), two mates that were physio's, one from Omagh, and one from Newry.

Give my self the shakes thinking about it, one of the most horrible jobs I've probably ever did, only stuck it ten days, needed the money......

Gummy Panda

summerskin wrote: »

I chugged and managed campaigns for charites like the WWF, when the fact is my life's ambition is to eat Panda meat before they die out.

Fúck you buddy!

Cianooo

Nice one Enfield for spotting that.

We've just gone with the fact that we're called 'chuggers' now and we just accept it with a tongue in cheek attitude.

But as Enfield pointed out there are opportunities to get out of being 'mugged'

1) Say 'no' when one asks you to stop
2) Say 'no' when they ask you to sign up

or for the less vertebrae creatures out there:

3) Lie and say you don't have a bank account
4) Give the wrong details.

Yet despite these spasticatedly obvious choices people still like to be dramatic and retarded and say we 'mug' people hahahahahaha it's really quite pathetic.


Good chap 'The Rigger', good chap, you sap.

Ste.phen

I'd like to think some people out there are so nice and have enough free time to 'take one for the team' and engage the chuggers in a long-winded conversation which leads to no donations - helps keep them away from the rest of us tbh.

Friends of mine made this - I can see it being effective -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgd2FBEh49c

psychward

Cianooo wrote: »

Nice one Enfield for spotting that.

We've just gone with the fact that we're called 'chuggers' now and we just accept it with a tongue in cheek attitude.

But as Enfield pointed out there are opportunities to get out of being 'mugged'

1) Say 'no' when one asks you to stop
2) Say 'no' when they ask you to sign up

or for the less vertebrae creatures out there:

3) Lie and say you don't have a bank account
4) Give the wrong details.

Yet despite these spasticatedly obvious choices people still like to be dramatic and retarded and say we 'mug' people hahahahahaha it's really quite pathetic.


Good chap 'The Rigger', good chap, you sap.

nahh its kind of like if a pedophile stops you in the street . you want to kick his head in and throw up. Most don't want to use some kind of fake politeness towards chugger scum. They just want chugger scum to fu(k off and die preferably in extreme pain.

cloud493

I just tell them to **** off at this point, sick of being harrased by them. One of them said to me quite recently, I had something in a HMV bag, and they said 'How much did that cost you man? Do you know how many lives you could save for the cost of a DVD?' I said '**** off and get off a job you commie ****' Just say it all the time now.

Oranage2

psychward wrote: »

nahh its kind of like if a pedophile stops you in the street . you want to kick his head in and throw up. Most don't want to use some kind of fake politeness towards chugger scum. They just want chugger scum to fu(k off and die preferably in extreme pain.

Lucky there are "hard men" out there keeping our streets clean and harassing tax paying employees.

psychward

Oranage2 wrote: »

Lucky there are "hard men" out there keeping our streets clean and harassing tax paying employees.

The streets are clean ? Last time I looked the filthy rude obnoxious chugger scum were everywhere harassing simpletons, the aged and the weak minded into emptying their pockets. Paying tax on it is no different to a con man ''laundering'' his money in an attempt to appear respectable.

Oranage2

psychward wrote: »

The streets are clean ? Last time I looked the filthy rude obnoxious chugger scum were everywhere harassing simpletons, the aged and the weak minded into emptying their pockets. Paying tax on it is no different to a con man ''laundering'' his money in an attempt to appear respectable.

Well it's very different kid...

It's like going into a bank and calling the teller scum.

cloud493

Anyone seen the new ish ones in the middle of Henry street? Wear blue shirts. Every-time I walk past, or anyone, they stick their hand out for you to shake. Trying to trap you into something :mad:

wilkie2006

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

I just loudly say "Sorry, I'm gay" and keep walking. Confuses them to no end.

That's funny. I said, "Not interested. Married!" to one female chugger as she was walking over to me. Quite liked her reply too, though: "Yea, in yer fcuking dreams!"

az2wp0sye65487

One I used last year when walking up Grafton Street:

Chugger: (hand extended - waiting for handshake) "Hello sir, would you........"
Steviecakes: (interrupting him) "Sorry, I don't speak English" and kept walking....

I got about 20m away before he realised and shouted after me "But.... that WAS English..." Chugging opportunity over at that stage, I was on my merry way!

antodeco

I have them calling on my door now. Can't escape. I actually had one chap try and come into the house to chat about it. I just open the door and ask what charity is it for, then just tell them I'm signed up with world vision and airtricity

wilkie2006

antodeco wrote: »

I have them calling on my door now. Can't escape. I actually had one chap try and come into the house to chat about it. I just open the door and ask what charity is it for, then just tell them I'm signed up with world vision and airtricity

That's bull$hit (the practice, not your story). Whatever about them harassing you on the street, I draw the line at door-to-door $hit. I really think that should be illegal.

wilkie2006

Phoebe Future Guitar wrote: »

One I used last year when walking up Grafton Street:

Chugger: (hand extended - waiting for handshake) "Hello sir, would you........"
Steviecakes: (interrupting him) "Sorry, I don't speak English" and kept walking....

I got about 20m away before he realised and shouted after me "But.... that WAS English..." Chugging opportunity over at that stage, I was on my merry way!

Sorry about the $hit quality...

Jester252

When ever I see the Chugger minefield I just hid behind a large group of people and let them get picked off and I make it through with all my change intact

whatever99

I have never been bothered by these people. I just say "no thanks" and keep walking without slowing down or anything. Works every time. I've never been held up or insulted.

Same thing I do to most people who call to my door selling services etc.

Nothingbetter2d

EverEvolving wrote: »

I stole a drink in a nightclub many moons ago, does that count?

only if you pryed it out of the owner's hand... if you just knicked off a table then your just a common thief.

mikemac1

Strolling down Shop St, Galway or Cruises St Limerick

Up the road you see some gorgeous girl giving you the eye
And then she approaches you

What's going on? Is this my lucky day?

She comes up chatting away, commenting on your shopping bag if you were buying clothes.
Any plans? Any holidays booked?

You wrack your brain wondering do you know this girl, it's embaressing when someone knows you but you've forgotten them


Next thing you know she says she is with Hanley Center wants to flog you scratchcards

Shame on you Hanley Center, I see what you are doing.

People won't stop for chuggers but they will stop for a chat with a friendly girl
No hi-vis/coloured vest, no ID on display, tis sly

OctavarIan

cloud493 wrote: »

I just tell them to **** off at this point, sick of being harrased by them. One of them said to me quite recently, I had something in a HMV bag, and they said 'How much did that cost you man? Do you know how many lives you could save for the cost of a DVD?' I said '**** off and get off a job you commie ****' Just say it all the time now.

Not a people person are you.

Seaneh

I hate the fecker.

Galway seems to get a particular brand of wanker, the ones who walk infront of you and won't **** off, and then eventually give some sly comment as you push past them, once saw one **** shouting at people who ignored him, got so bad someone called the Guards who came down and told him off and then the little **** got mouthy with them!

Only positive experience was aboiut 5-6 yeras ago I was in Dublin for work for a wee bit and wandering from my hotel room to the place I was working and took a short-cut by the Gaiety, pretty girl approached me, started chatting, I told her I wasn't interested, sorry, she kept talking, I was about 15 minutes early anyway so kept chatting, eventually convinced her that I (a)wasn't interested and (b) didn't have my bank details anyway so the conversation just moved onto other stuff, I asked how she got into the job, she told me the money was good and it was good craic moving town to town, she only planned on doing it for 3 months to save money to head off travelling, she'd just graduated from UCD, blah blah, asked what I was doing, we had common interests, in the end I asked her out for a drink, she said yes, ended up wearing the face off her down stairs in Hogans later that night.

Thank you very much Concern.

Wish I could remember her name though.


IF you are aged 26-28, brunette, from Swords, used to work in a call centre and briefly worked as a chugger for concern outside the Gaiety and et a nice young man from athlone who you later held hands with, holla atcha boy, you were sound.

whatever99

whatever99 wrote: »

I have never been bothered by these people. I just say "no thanks" and keep walking without slowing down or anything. Works every time. I've never been held up or insulted.

Same thing I do to most people who call to my door selling services etc.

i used to be the same until one little fcukhead started dancing in my path a couple times when i tried to get by
could have punched him

whatever99

bluewolf wrote: »

i used to be the same until one little fcukhead started dancing in my path a couple times when i tried to get by
could have punched him

You obviously weren't stern enough!

I'd almost love one of them to try and stop me.