Door to Door Fraud

The chance of a true bargain arriving at your door is not very high.

A salesperson rings your doorbell and has a whole truck full of meat that is either (1) an over-order from a retail food chain, or (2) meant for a restaurant but something has gone wrong with the sale, or (3) the freezer has been acting up for the past two hours and the "boss" has instructed the employee to sell it at "give away prices" to the closest homeowners. There are endless explanations for why this person is suddenly at YOUR door, choosing YOU as the recipient for the bargain of a century -- none of them are likely true.

Do genuine Omaha Steaks ride around in a panel van? Not hardly. BUYER BEWARE. Worse yet, if the meat turns out to be bad or you end up in the hospital fighting a nasty case of salmonella, consider how silly you will sound when you reveal that you bought it from a guy in a panel truck who "just needed to get rid of it."

Ditto on the people who just happen to show up at your business doorstep offering to sell you pots and pans because their "vendor show" has ended and they do not want to ship their samples back to their home office in Poughkeepsie. All we can tell you is "NOT!!!!!!"

What to do?

Politely say "No thank you," and have a little fun if you must. (Add on, "You see, sonny, I have had chronic diarrhea for 12 years, and if I eat any meat ... well come in and I will SHOW you what happens. I had one bite of hot dog last night, and I can show you what I did to my bed sheets. Come in ... but you better hold your nose.") As the salesman is running from your home at full throttle, close the door and go inside and think about reporting him to the police. Even if the items aren't stolen property, it's very doubtful this vendor has a license to sell in your city/county.