Door-to-door vendors' bizarre product choice

[srd]

Why do the homeless/jobless/destitute that ply their wares from door-to-door at 1930hrs always offer totally inappropriate products?
If they offered a selection of DVDs, beer, wine, porn, newspapers, crisps, board games and paracetamol I'm sure they'd do a darn sight more trade. Who on Earth wants to buy an overpriced chammy leather or pack of �2-a-throw dishcloths in the middle of their cheese course?

[sunflower68]

You blinkin summed it up there srd.  Lol.  I had one guy polished my brass knob -missus- with overpriced brass stuff.  I'll give them 100% for gift of the gab and bleeding nerve though.  I'd pay a pretty penny for someone to bring me wine door to door.

[Sammy Snake]

There used to be a service round here called dial-a-drink.  Basically an off licence on wheels, you could ring up for beer, fags, choccy.

It didn't stay in business very long although I don't know why, i thought it was a bl**dy good idea!

[sunflower68]

Blimey, I'd be like Bette Davis in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, never off the phone.

[srd]

I'm far from stupid, and only mildly prejudiced.

A few points:

-You are wrong in assuming these vendors go and choose their own merchandise - they obviously operate from a central 'distribution' point, otherwise they wouldn't all be vending the same things, the length and breadth of Britain! (I also doubt very much whether they pay up front for goods; I'm sure they work on a sale-or-return system, taking some commission.)

-many of the things I suggest would have very low wholesale prices - crsips from a local supermarket could be offered door-to-door with a 200% mark up.

-a Big Issue vendor doesn't try and sell encyclopaedia because walking home from work his/her customers don't want a multi-volume reference work, but might want something to read on the Tube. In other words, they offer what there is a market for, unlike their door-to-door brethren.

-It isn't a question of my 'Humanity' (sic). I'd like to see these people sell more successfully, but have never understood why they market such inappropriate products.

Unfortunately for you, my reasoned and intelligent reply now makes your hyperbolic assertions of my stupidity rather childish, and your interpetation of the issues at stake extremely naive. Still, this thread died about two weeks ago so I doubt anyone at all will read this...