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Zeus 02/29/2012 5:00:00 PM
What's 'respectable' about this job? Not much, apparently.
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02/28/2012 3:12:00 PM
You're the same person that comments on all of these stories. You give away who you are so easily that you probably don't even realize it, do you?
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01/27/2012 9:35:00 PM
phill i have 1 child and a new baby coming my prayers goes out to your family.
i experienced some shady doing with jhon nelson and nick joseph but what you have gone through is traggic and i hope i never have to burrie one of my own childrGOD WITH PUNISH THE WHOLE EVIL INDUSTRY !! one day they will meet their maker
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01/27/2012 9:31:00 PM
sorry but anybody thats been in that gypsi industry is either a scumbag or a liar which 1 are you?
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01/18/2012 6:25:00 PM
This story written by Craig is based on fact finding and not on someones wild opinion about how wonderful mag crews are. Why don't you look at the facts: www.travelingsalescrews.info
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Bjcjacobs 01/18/2012 4:43:00 PM
your an idiot I was in the biz 6 years not all crews are the same jackass
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Bjcjacobs 01/18/2012 4:41:00 PM
your full of shit
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Phil Ellenbecker 11/24/2011 8:19:00 AM
It's just a matter of time and your neighbors daughter will either be raped, murdered or killed in a van accident.
You foolish stupid FOOL!!!
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cripplebastards 10/05/2011 4:48:00 PM
Anyone who holds rosy notions about these organizations either has never had an experience with them, is lying or brainwashed, or was involved with a very exception to the typical magazine crews. I think some of the positive comments on here are magazine crew PR.
I had a cousin who was in two of these crews, and the generalizations tend to be very true. The 'positives' are heavy drug abuse, random sexual involvement, partying -- what travel there is, it's looking at the side of the highway from a van, or looking out the window at the cheap hotel. Let's not fool ourselves that these managers are taking their crew members to museums or encouraging them to make long term plans about a potential career. They work with people who have criminal backgrounds, some of whom are disturbingly violent.
Brainwashing, withholding of income, physical and emotional intimidation and leverage is used to control those who vocalize their discontent. The managers also discourage contact with family and friends back home, due to the fact that the crew member may be persuaded by the concern of those who care for them. I feel sympathy for those kids who joined these crews because they have no one who gives a crap about them. These crews are basically cults without the religious indoctrination -- unless you perceive making money for the mangers and their bosses is a religion.
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09/10/2011 5:34:00 AM
That's great, i think is a great opportunity many people who aren't afraid of a little person to person interaction. Great story Thelove0fyourlif!....
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09/10/2011 5:32:00 AM
I personally I love sales, I've been in sales my entire life... And let me tell you, in an economy like the one we have right now any respectable job is better than seating waiting for something to happen. Awesome post!
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Neversettle03 09/08/2011 6:54:00 AM
So very very sad. And so depressing that it's true.
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Dr. Sparks 09/08/2011 3:13:00 AM
This is an amazing comment, I am part of such a great crew. There are no hard drugs or violence around, the pay is fair and All that is needed to make lots of money is a great attitude and a personal drive to suceed. It has propelled me to a personal satisfaction and a confidence I haven't had even after several years in college and a upper middle class upbringing.
Now I have seen the other side of this from other groups, but that doesn't mean it's the rule on all crews.
I owe much to my mentors, and am actually anxious to get back on the road from vacation.
Tear it up!
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Richard Sammons 07/13/2011 2:54:00 PM
"I'm interested in placing a promotional link on: http://dadonfire.net/
for a website about Teen addiction." - V. Elden from http://sellyourwebsiteads.com/
Have care as this offer is a scam to get you to place ads for which you are never paid and then they try to sell you advertising space on other websites. Another name used in this scam is Mica Moore. Consider any emails from this source to be spam.
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Thelove0fyourlif 06/16/2011 1:07:00 AM
My neighbors daughter works on a magazine crew, for about two years now, and LOVES it. She comes home every 6 months or so with new stories about the places she's been. I'm 38 and haven't traveled or seen half the things she has! She had just turned 18 when she joined. She was a high school drop-out, smoked marijuana all the time, was in an abusive relationship. That job SAVED her life! They helped her get her GED, got her away from that boy she was with, she doesn't touch cigarettes or any kind of drug, she's even enrolled in online classes! These young adults are experiencing something most of us never got the chance to. Their in SALES, lol, and their a lot more upbeat and positive than most young adults I meet in my every day life. I buy every time, and you know what? I get my magazines. EVERY time.
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2bord 05/24/2011 12:57:00 AM
My sister was a victim of one of these companies. Her experience was exactly, I mean to a "T", what this article portrays. When my sister finally confronted the manager regarding the wages she wasn't receiving and her living conditions he dropped her off at a bus stop with, no money, in the middle of the night in Illinois. She along with all of her family lives in California. My parents received a phone call at one in the morning from her, alone, scarred, and crying. When she got back she said that she never once got paid for any of her sales and only received a daily allowance for food. She also said that every night was like a drug and alcohol fueled orgy, where the manager would provide the drugs and liquor to sales people who had done well that day. Later she received a 1099 saying that she owed $10,000 in taxes for wages paid to her. She was 18 years old and just three months out of high school when she was recruited. She had just started college and was working a part-time job. The thought of taking a semester off to travel and make money was very enticing. With the way these companies conduct themselves it turns my stomach to think of what could have happened to her. People should be enraged that these people are able to do business.
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Robert M 02/22/2011 1:34:00 AM
I was on his crew back in 89-90. If I knew then what I know now I would have stayed clear of all that BS.
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anonymous 11/28/2010 5:09:00 AM
I had the misfortune to stay 2 weeks at a hotel where one of these groups were. They were all out of control. Fighting, smoking weed and cigarrettes in the rooms, drinking. One of them urinated in the elevator. They would harrass other guests. I was there on business, so I couldn't change hotels. The Managers, or whatever you call them were as bad or worse. one of them banged on my door because he was too drunk to find his room. The hotel of course did nothing. If hotels would refuse to take these jerks in it might help to stop this.
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Anon 11/08/2010 11:51:00 PM
Sounds like the people who prey on these kids for the sake of money could do with a few bullets in the head. Money won't save them from Satan when they're burning in Hell.
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Dede 11/02/2010 5:00:00 AM
Want to stop these organizations and help the exploited workers? NEVER buy ANYTHING from them. Today I had two of them come up to me with the usual spiel"My Mom lives on the next street, We`re your neighbors with a school project" baloney.Their lies are practiced, but not perfect. When I declined politely to buy, the fat one became abusive, loudly calling me "douchebag", among other things.I asked them to leave the neighborhood, as the fat one yelled "douchebag " all down the street.So I called the local PD, and followed a block behind with my German Shepherd.The fat one verbally abused another neighbor, who chased him off their property. I continued to follow until an officer showed up and arrested them. Sorry, magazine guys,-stay out of Upland.
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Jeff 09/01/2010 8:22:00 PM
I was a traveling sales kid twenty years ago for William Gillespie's SUCCESS EXPRESS, which is still around. I'm now doing research for a writing project on mag crews.
It only took me two weeks to realize I was working for a cult of criminals: "Bill" Gillespie, Rod Washington, and others. They brainwash you, hide your sales, and keep you emotionally bankrupt. It's all mind control, emotional abuse, drugs, sex, and more.
This industry is corrupt. The time will come that these criminals find themselves in prison. They'll pay for what they've done to kids.
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Tulasi Sisti 05/04/2010 3:16:00 PM
I have been approached by young people selling magazines for years, typically African American males from large cities, who are very kind and mannerly. This style of money making is catching on in other industries, like painting homes or selling windows.
Just this weekend my partner and I were returning from a days excursion and, while stopped at a traffic light, a young kid yells over to us from a Suburban SUV that we "have a nice bike," and "would you adopt me?" Another young kid yells from the back seat of the car that he "give good foot rubs and can clean." I asked them where they were from, he said "all over, Texas..." and he yelled what they did but I didn't hear so well and did not realize until we drove away that what he said was that they sold magazines. It is very saddening that our country is in such disarray and so disjointed that young people cannot contribute to the communities in which they live.
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Joe B 04/28/2010 4:57:00 AM
Good article, canceled my Reader's Digest subscription.
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C. Winter 03/28/2010 11:06:00 PM
I don't care to comment.
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JLB 03/19/2010 3:09:00 AM
Im sorry to hear that several of you think that this good investigative journalism
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Seth Hunt 02/21/2010 8:34:00 PM
im sitting in a cheap motel in New Orleans right now, stuck. Because I was promised an amazing oppurtunity to travel, and make a lot of money. So far I've made nothing, and deicided to quit this morning when I realized I was getting nowhere and my "comfort period" (which is basically getting 20 dollars a day to live off of) was over as well so I would be living without any income in a place completely foreign to me. I had to call my mom up and beg for a ticket home, which she was happy to oblige because she warned me of these things and I just wouldn't listen. I haven't seen any beatings or anything from managers, but I did see a guy sent home for not working because he had pneumonia and a 102 degree fever. He's dealing with that on a bus from New Orleans to Pittsburg tonight...
As far as the pathetic excuse for a walk-in closet motel rooms they have us staying in, theres 4-5 to a room. so 2 or 3 people are sleeping on the floor in each one. While in these, I experienced fights, drug use, and various other vulgar incidents in which I joined up with this to get away from..
I was trained to lie my way into a sale. And as an Alabamian I was raised to be honest. The job wasn't by any means honest. Had I made a dime doing this, I would've felt terrible taking it. Anyways, I just wanted to put in a little of my experience. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at seth256@gmail.com, or myspace.com/seth256hxc.
Thanks for the vent!
-Seth256
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db 01/26/2010 5:04:00 AM
i want 2 help and do anything possible 2 stop these tragidies i want 2 speak on aninomity i worked 4 different companies 4 20 years and i owe society my services in bringing down this corupt buisness
i can give u inside info on people and crews such as
ms holmes verndell smith marni weldon latel garrett and different people with go doers inc as well as people like will smith and pccs of gig harbor wa
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Andy 08/17/2009 11:41:00 PM
Absolutely incredible article. It seems the author spent some time on a mag crew, that is how accurate this is. I did it for almost three years for Palmetto Marketing now Sunshine Subscriptions. Why did they change their name you ask? Only because if you were to research the name Palmetto Marketing, Inc you would be shocked on what you would find with terrible crimes you couldn't imagine. This industry is run by bosses that you would find on a Mafioso movie. Vinnie Pitts the president of the NFSA, which like mentioned in this article, is to be the watchdog of wrongdoings on these crews, owns Sunshine Subscriptions. Why in the hell would he exploit his own business??? It was a sweat shop on the streets for youth that was rejected by society, that grew up either poor, around drug abuse, sex abuse, physical abuse, or were just trapped in their two bit towns and needed to escape. We were easy to brainwash and manipulate because they praised us for our successes which we all thought were amazing. To go out and sell 15-20 subscriptions in a long, long day we looked forward to collecting our $40, rather than $20 if you sucked. The managers were good, real good. Bob Cecil who ran Vinnie's main crew resembled Pierce Bronson and could motivate a sloth to run a marathon. They worked us like cattle and we relished the PMA because back home we were nothing, losers, gangsters, druggies, whatever. This crew gave us life. The only problem is the same backgrounds these "kids" grew up with, most of the population of our prison system has as well. So the characters throughout these companies are not for the faint of heart. And when you mix hard drugs with misfits, well you search for yourself and find out what these crews are all about......
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Breezy 08/06/2009 1:33:00 AM
Throughout your entire article I agreed with portions of your research. I do and have prayed for all the kids and families that have been hurt within this business. I felt the need to comment because I also worked within this industry and saw and heard things I was not accustomed to when other crews were present in the same hotel our crew was staying at. See, I was not an underprivileged Hire. I had graduated, travelled, had morals, was in my early twenties and was interested in the sales industry.
Upon many things you failed to mention about outside sales is all the positives of certain crews. Fine mention the bad ones and their names and all the hurt and confusion they created but also mention the good crews, managers and door-to-door industries that make it a point to have ethical values in a world that has very little currently.
I'm sure in all the extensive research you did you had to find some positive information and I'm not just talking about the cynical comments which are spread throughout your article.
Let me share some with you just in case you threw those notes out; Positive and Self Motivating meetings every morning prior to going out into the field, Breakfast at a restaurant (not fast food) every morning, seeing the United States and learning about our countries history from state to state, meeting and visiting with the communities throughout this country-sharing pictures with them of trips they had taken by being the contest winner, checking in with the manager and receiving tutoring about where they could improve in their sales, receiving money each night for Dinner at a restaurant of their choice, receiving money to go shopping-send to a parent-buy a book/music/movie-buy decor to decorate their hotel room-buy anything they wanted...., manager's paying for the entire teams to go to the various amusement parks for the day, manager's paying for numerous reward incentive items whether the staff made their quota that day or not-new shoes-sales books requested by the team-movie tickets-bonus cash back on their books, Sunday sales meetings where everyone had to dress for a business meeting-the guys in dress slacks/shirt/tie and the girls in dresses or dress slacks and a blouse, a sales meeting where you are given advice and also listened to.
I will again repeat I do understand that there are horrible stories in all industries where people have lost everything they gained or lost themselves but to judge without having all the facts present is not fair to any industry.
Especially the oldest one in most countries, door-to-door sales.
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Chelsie 02/08/2009 6:20:00 AM
I used to be a mag agent. and I have not met one crew that really subjected their agents to drug tests or background checks. my sons father whom i met on crew is a felon on the run out of california.. those managers are nothing but liars and you never see your money.. people get attacked and beat up for being WAB's or what they call scrub agents. everyone sleeps with everyone.. the crew that i was on in 2007 lost atleast 4 girls to pregnancy.. and thats not all
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hivelozity 12/28/2008 3:46:00 PM
this was a very well written article...by a writer who did his homework...i host a small growing website for former sellers and "kids in a contest" trying to reconnect with old crewmembers and disseminate information helpful to kids who have fallen prey to the predators who profit from their efforts/sales. it has been many, many years since i traveled with one of the earlist 'godfathers' of this byzanntine industry...and little has changed...my old manager is now elderly,shriveled...and STILL gleaning 10's of thousands of dollars a week from americas porches 6 days a week. the only real defense consumers and young folks have against this racket is awareness...because the old school managers lobby congress with big money to keep accountability in the backseat...sad. visit my site at www.travelingmagsellers.8k.com...getabunch.
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brandy salter 12/24/2008 8:42:00 PM
I used to work for john tork when it was called integrity sales. no one understands the pressure that gets put on you when you are there. I have seen things that are disturbing that people on the crew do. if you need anymore info please let me know i would be happy to help salterbrandy@msn.com
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jdaws 11/24/2008 4:09:00 AM
originally posted by Eyewitness:
"to mag man and jdaws,
Both of you are lying jackasses! Plain and simple. Read all the PERSONAL, FIRST HAND COMMENTS here and its clear to see that the article was 100% correct.
Its strange that you did not even so much as acknowledge the deaths, trouble and evil that has been DOCUMENTED here.
Somebody's always going to run cover for the crooks and pimps. I see you two volunteered."
Eyewitness - Given the time lapse between these comments, odds are you won't see this. That said, you clearly did not read my post. I readily acknowledge the fact that this is a seriously flawed industry. I never said the article was incorrect. My point is simply that both sides of the story need to be represented. As for calling me a 'lying jackass', that is a completely unfounded, childish statement to make. Nowhere in my post did I resort to name-calling and rude comments. I simply asked for a fair representation. Perhaps you would do well to take a second look at my first comment, and attempt to view it and respond in an adult manner.
On the topic of not acknowledging death, trouble and evil, I feel it necessary to repeat that I readily admit all these things are present in this industry. As far as the topic of death is concerned, you would do well to tread lightly. A girl that worked for me was murdered by a resident whose door she knocked on. Telling me that I fail to acknowledge the gravity of this type of situation is a serious grievance on your part. Please think before you speak, or in this case write, and do your best to respond in a civil and adult manner.
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Amanda 09/05/2008 4:33:00 PM
I lived in a dorm in San Marcos, TX and I encountered these sellers numerous times. The real scary part is that they go inside these dorms very easily and knock on our doors and act like they are students at the university.
Thankfully I never bought anything because I was always flat broke but these teams of kids always gave me the worst vibe. I am just glad I never got hurt!
Scary stuff. GREAT ARTICLE!
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miragana 09/05/2008 5:41:00 AM
Good day!
It is very informative and has a very good quality in it.
I like it...
www.Squidoo.com/MPI
mliragana.blogspot.com
Thank you very much for your time.
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JR Cash 09/03/2008 3:35:00 PM
Excellent, excellent article.
One of these punks came to my door in Spring of 2008. It ended with me barely stopping myself from killing him in the middle of the street (I'm a big dude). After politely turning his mag offer down, he went absolutely berserk, threatening my life, my pregnant wife, and just about anything else he could think of. He was completely unhinged in about 5 seconds.
Ran his plates, and he's a Tork boy. Don't let anyone tell you this is an innocent business. I now have IR cameras and a very large weapon ready to stick in these kids' faces.
If I can do anything in my power professionally or privately to burn these crews down, I will.
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John Brewington PI 09/02/2008 10:11:00 PM
Craig,
I thought I told you in person that this was a great article, if not here you go. As a PI that has been tracking these characters down for a couple of years I'd say Craig got it right on the button. Id' say the state got it right on the button too because Karleen Hillary Spruiell was sentenced to the Arizona Department of Corrections 08/28/2008 to several 5 years terms to run concurent.
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Eyewitness 08/12/2008 6:09:00 PM
to mag man and jdaws,
Both of you are lying jackasses! Plain and simple. Read all the PERSONAL, FIRST HAND COMMENTS here and its clear to see that the article was 100% correct.
Its strange that you did not even so much as acknowledge the deaths, trouble and evil that has been DOCUMENTED here.
Somebody's always going to run cover for the crooks and pimps. I see you two volunteered.
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Manda 08/06/2008 6:10:00 PM
I was on a sales crew for 7 months, and traveled all over. And I can't believe I'm reading about things I remember. I remember my boyfriend being called a W.A.B., and when I got pregnant they wanted me to get an abortion.
YOU had to act like a kid, boys weren't allowed to have facial hair, girls had to look young. They told us NOT to tell anyone we did it for school, but then again they wanted us to look like KIDS! Its kinda wierd if you think about it.
At the end of the day, all that mattered was having your business. If you didn't you could pay in many ways. Sometimes they would FORCE us to make bets. Like milk bets. I remember when we were in Maryland we had to make a milk bet, and whoever lost got milk poured all over them. I went up against a good friend of mine and won. But I felt so bad because it was like 40 degrees outside and we HAD to do it. I hated things like that. Also I had to see him get written all over by marker because he didn't have enough sales in a day, so they made fun of him.
Sometimes if we didn't have enough we would have to do 300+ sit ups and push ups. I lived on Red Bulls and Gas Station food and lost over 40 pounds in 7 months. When I came back my mom thought I was on drugs because I had lost all that weight and had no money.
The company I worked for (Always Helping People LLC) wouldn't give me back my clothes, even when I said my aunt would pay for them to be shipped back to me. They have brainwashed my ex into thinking that he can't do any better, and that this is the best he deserves. So he won't talk to me, nor have anything to do with our child. Its sad what this industry does, and its even worse to see kids come on here and defend it, because their blinding by what was going on out there.
I am thankful for this article, and I hope it stops a lot of people from being scammed by these people.
If you see a kid, try to help them, if they refuse to be help then call the police, so that more people can't be scammed.
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MAG MAN 08/03/2008 6:41:00 AM
nice article... from one side. Ive been in the mag business for 20 years. came in as a troubled teen. i was taught from my manager to be a fair, respectable, honest, gentleman.. pick a business. now google that business, with a bad term... school bus wreck, or police rape, or judge rape, or teacher rape.. geeez!!! lets not mention the preachers ,reverends ,priest or god forbid the day-cares!!! how about car sales people. hell i could go on for days!!! its good reading. if they had put 18 months into police corruption that would be good reading.
I'm not throwing b.s.... just making a point. pick any business and get the ball rolling and it can be made to look like anything you people want it to. give it a break already. not only is this b.s. journalism, Ive sued and won against two newspapers. wish they had mentioned my company. if you had a job and didn't get paid, would you stay. how about if you got the hell beat out of of you??? these people work mostly by themselves everyday, if these tells were true why wouldn't they leave??? the bad sales pitches?? who can account for all of their sales people all of the time?? i guess its fine when the car salesman sells the car with 200,000 "highway miles" that was locally serviced ( bought at an auction 500 miles away)
on top of this all being b.s. the worst thing that could happen is the publishers pull out. then everybody starts selling a different product.
hey!!! lets do a story about b.s. journalist
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jdaws 08/01/2008 6:28:00 PM
As far as a professional attitude in journalism goes in reference to the article, I feel highly compelled to disagree. This is a clearly biased(not without reason) article that only presents one side of the story. I ran a magazine crew for the last 5 years, and just recently quit because I was tired of the full time travel. My company filled all of their orders. My company registered every town they worked in. How do I know this? Because I was the one that went into every single city hall to obtain permits. As far as the drugs go, they weren't allowed. If you were of age, and wanted to have a few drinks after work, in my room, cool. If you were underage, you weren't allowed to drink on hotel property whatsoever. If an under-aged individual wanted to drink, they did it on their own time, off of my hotel property, at their own risk. I put a lot of time into working with kids that came from messed up family situations, or drug addiction, or whatever. I've received calls from those same kids' parents, THANKING me for the difference I made in their lives. Thanking me for providing some structure and instilling work ethic in a kid that never had it before. Only licensed drivers were ever allowed to drive the vehicles, and I would personally take a new driver out for lessons in driving a 15-pass van and towing/backing trailers. As far as clearing orders goes, my clearinghouse not only cleared 100% of their orders, they also filled other scam-orders. By this I mean that if a customer purchased a magazine from a scam company, never received any issues, and still had the original receipt, as long as said customer purchased a magazine thru our clearinghouse, we would fill that bad order as well. This was done in an effort to restore some integrity to a business that I will freely admit has many flaws. Once again, I only take offense to frivolous journalism as such in that it fails to take into consideration the honest, integrity-bearing organizations that actually DO things the way they should be done, and provide an opportunity for some of these kids to make a difference in their lives.
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Hellsing 07/29/2008 10:17:00 PM
I keep a copy of this article handy for people who ask why I don't have my dogs trained to be friendly to strangers. Ring our doorbell and you'll wonder if the Silent Hill 4 sniffer dogs are inside. It's truly a brave solicitor who hangs around long enough for a human to reach the door.
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Rob 07/29/2008 5:48:00 PM
I noticed the company who sold me magazines, AE Consultants (Michigan City, IN), has a company president (Albert Ellis Jr.) who donates thousands of dollars every year to the Republican party: http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/albert-ellis.asp?cycle=04
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Amanda 07/24/2008 9:11:00 PM
One thing this excellent article failed to mention is that the customers never receive the magazines! My husband and I both got duped by this door-to-door charity subsription scam on 2 separate occasions, and the magazines we ordered never arrived!
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htownbrown 07/23/2008 4:20:00 PM
STEVE
(MONOTONOUSLY) HELLO SIR. MY NAME IS STEVE. I CAME FROM A ROUGH AREA. I
USED TO BE ADDICTED TO CRACK BUT NOW I'M OFF AND TRYING TO STAY CLEAN.
PETER
Ok.
STEVE
That is why I am selling magazine subscriptions
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Catmanbob 07/22/2008 11:36:00 PM
Hats off to Craig Masilow and the Houston Press. A thorough and very professional job of reporting all aspects of a sick, depraved industry. A good looking, well-spoken young man came to my door last week. He claimed to be a neighbor but I know the neighborhood and told him he was no neighbor. He just said "Thanks" and moved on to the next house.
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R 07/22/2008 8:58:00 PM
I have a younger sister who is spending her summer selling reference books door-to-door with Southwestern Company. She was told she could make $30,000 in one summer doing this and she fell for it. From what I have heard about this company, it sounds exactly like magazine sales, plagued with all the same problems. I haven't heard from her since she left in May and I worry about her every day. I keep hoping she won't make any sales so they'll send her home or she'll quit. (And really, what kind of idiot these days is willing to buy reference books from some strange kid and write out a check in that kid's name for half the cost of the books and still have to wait till the end of summer to receive them... if they receive them at all? Same with the magazines. There's a zillion other better, quicker, and cheaper ways to buy books or magazines than from some weird kid knocking on your door.)
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Mitch 07/22/2008 5:00:00 PM
Excellent article! The same kinda thing happens with vaccuum cleaner sales as well.
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DL Foster 07/22/2008 8:28:00 AM
Reading this article ressurected the 3 week nightmare in the winter of 1981 I endured while a part of a d2d sales team in Houston. I was 19, foolish and from an unstable home life in a small Texas town. Their offer sounded too good to turn down.
I barely escaped with my life and the clothes on my back. Like the girl in the story I tried several times secretly to call my sister who lived 45 miles away for help but we could never connect and I was very afraid of being turned in.
After reading this article, at age 46 I am vowing to do something about this. A little girl came to my door the other day. Said she was selling the mags because she wanted to be a missionary. It was a new one (lie), I thought. She looked 16.
Thanks from the bottom of my heart. This left me stunned. That experience will never leave my mind.
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JC 07/22/2008 7:06:00 AM
I was at home one morning, it was about 10:30 or so...my mother was in the shower, I was catching up on some e-mails. A knock at the door, and the doorbell at the same time. Hmmm? I'm not expecting anyone, I yell to mom...expecting anyone? No....??? I had this strange feeling, so I got up to answer the door, I grabbed my pistol. I almost felt like there wouldn't be a need..I'm being paranoid or something. Walking through the hall to the door, I tuck it under my arm...no big deal right? Well, as I rounded the corner of the hall to get to the door, this FOOL!! starts pounding on the door...I immediately think...they are trying to make sure nobody is home!!! I rack one in the chamber...this is it...if somebody is going to try and kickdoor my house...I'm going to be ready for their ASS!! I open the door, pistol at my side...What the hell!! Why are you pounding on my door?!!! This dude was standing all the way at the sidewalk...he was just pounding on my door! He all of a sudden has diarrhea of the mouth...he starts talking about he heard the gun slide, and how he was just "selling magazines" to go on some trip. I was rude and told him I wasn't expecting anybody and I didn't want any...pistol is in plain site. He apologized and was on his way...but not before still trying to sell me some mags!!! Anyway, I wasn't aware of this scam until a few weeks after this occurred...the chron had something and channel 11 ran something as well. In this day and age you have to be responsible for your own safety. Please be careful everybody!! These guys are losers!
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Frank 07/21/2008 2:07:00 PM
Damn fine article.
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Larae 07/21/2008 10:17:00 AM
i got fooled once. there was a guy at the door with the same story. "i'm selling magazines and if i can get enough points i win a trip". he showed me a list and it was categorized by points. he had also said that there were other people going door to door and if i were to buy a subscription from him he would then put the stub on the door letting them know i had ordered and none of them would then bother me. anyways, i figured my moms birthday is coming up and i'd order a magazine for her. i wrote a check then and there. later that night it still felt a bit sleezy so i looked up the company online that was on the stub. couldn't find them. i looked up the address and it belonged to a flower shop. i canceled the check and closed my bank account the next day. a lesson i will never forget.
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Dessiree 07/21/2008 9:11:00 AM
This article was so interesting and informative. I must admit that I have purchased subscriptions from young people sell subscriptions door to door. Never again.
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max greenwood 07/20/2008 10:48:00 PM
My wife worked for an elderly white lady-one day she brought home a stack of black oriented publications.She said the lady had ordered Readers Digest from a black teenager [no doubt working her way through college] and received also Ebony, Jet Blender, Rap fashion magazines etc she had tried to have these turned off, but they kept on coming and she kept on paying for them-what a scam!
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Paddy 07/20/2008 7:09:00 PM
This is a fine example of what journalism *should* be. I have not seen one of this quality in months.
Aside from that, it is extremely informative. I was aware that D2D teams were sometimes run by shady operators, but I had no idea how extensive the problem could be. I will be certain to forward a link to this article to my friends.
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Justin Bean 07/20/2008 1:20:00 PM
Cool, so then the next time that cute young chick comes to my door trying to sell me a magazine, I should probably hit on her. hey now!!
JT
www.FireMe.To/udi
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Cristie Gibson 07/19/2008 11:34:00 PM
I found your article on www.fark.com and instead of browsing as I usually do, I read it top to bottom. I have met quite a few young people who travel with those companies. A close friend rode with them for over a year. I can can add my own truth to your words. He had been convicted of Malicious Wounding and had skipped out on probation to travel with those crews. He would often call telling me he was out of money, high on something, or nearly arrested for soliciting without a licence. A fake ID kept him from getting snaked for violating probation. I can validate every point you have made and more. I would like to say "Job Well Done" on an article well written.
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Steve McNally 07/19/2008 11:13:00 PM
Nice job, Craig -
I had no idea these operations existed.
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hivelozity 07/19/2008 7:59:00 PM
i traveled the continental states for an extended period of time in my youth...worked in all capacities in this scandalous industry...and learned firsthand the ins and outs of a business that has flourished since the end of the 2nd world war. the original godfathers...like joe edge, russel wood,and a few others were the designers of the present day magcrew as we know it. the spiel delivered at the doorstep was authored by experts who provided 'kids in a contest' a tool to both give the impression the young person lived just around the corner, and to never elicit a negative response on the part of the jones'. it is timeless, and most important...EFFECTIVE! i now host a website devoted to former magagents...who are left behind with whopping 1099 tax liabilities...on commisions they NEVER, ever are going to collect. the death of robert spruiell is an example of rare karma, let me tell you...these managers almost never are held accountable for the violence, rapes, and monies stolen from americas doorsteps. they insulate themselves in multi-million dollar enclaves, and protect themselves with a virtual battery of legal representation no kid in a contest could EVER do battle with...sad...but true. our government has made it crystal clear they have no intention of regulating this industry...and the only real solution is public awareness, facilitated by the relatively new advent of the much-hated {by this biz} internet. prior to the web, these mgrs and crews ran unabated, and even more out of control than most could imagine...it was...in a word...INSANE...they are just now beginning to feel the heat of public awareness/outrage for practices that would never be tolerated in any other work enviroment. in answer to the question if cleaner sales are somehow connected to the magbiz...emphatically...YES...same owner/mgrs...different crews. the answer to all this?? don't answer the door to anyone these days you do not know...that is sadly...the world in which we live...
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john 07/19/2008 4:54:00 AM
just the other day i had a couple young guys knock on my door here in colorado, They were dressed nice. very polite, also very funny, they were selling a all purpose cleaning product. It worked great. they were very nice . when I asked them if they were working thier way through school. One told me No! This was his job, and he was getting some great sales exp from it, the other said he was going back to school in august, but was not working d2d for any scholerships and said he was just working and travling to earn $ and have fun. I guess they are not all bad you have to judge for yourself. Did I mention the stuff works great!!!!
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Armed Homeowner 07/19/2008 12:41:00 AM
Jake from Indianapolis on Jul 18th, 2008, 13:12 pm wrote, "I would never knock on a door for more than 20-30 seconds, no answer, next house. I didn't have time to lollygag around waiting for every house to answer."
Good for you. That is a reasonable amount of time to wait when knocking on a door, before moving on. Do you also peer through windows to see if people are in the house moving about before you decide to move on? Because you should know: just because you knock on someone's door, doesn't mean they have to acknowledge you. Some people don't open the door to anyone they aren't expecting. Period.
Jake wrote, "Claiming your neighbor bought some mags from you is an excellent way to sell some. Because we all know that, 'we're keeping up with the Joneses' "
Sorry to burst your bubble, Jake, but that is a dead giveaway to me that my neighbor did NOT purchase anything from the salesperson who utters that phrase! Do you think that neighbors don't talk with each other? (I guess these days, some don't). I have heard that line from a salesperson and when I confronted him with the fact that my neighbors never buy anything from D2D salespeople, and suggested we just walk over and ask the neighbors... he called me a racist bitch and left. LOL!
I suppose, at least in my part of the state of NH, "keeping up with the Joneses" is something to avoid! Might be why we aren't having all the credit and mortgage problems as our spendy neighbors in MASS and CT, eh?
Jake wrote, "No Soliciting sign are put up by husbands who know that their wives cannot stop themselves from buying anything and everything that comes knocking at their door. These signs are a magnet for sales people."
BZZZT! Wrong answer there, sport. Go back to school. "No Soliciting" means "don't come to my door trying to sell me anything." Period. No cookies, magazines, religion, wrapping paper... nada! Get it?
I don't care what your sales manager tells you about housewives who can't control their spending. Those losers are OUT OF TOUCH and now so are you!
I ("the wife") put that "No Soliciting" sign up myself, after being harassed by D2D magazine salespeople back in 2003 when we moved into our house. That first young man also tried to open the (locked) storm door and enter my home after I said "sorry, I'm not interested", but I was able to close & lock the main door on him, and he did go away when I told him to leave my property.
See, after I had read a couple news articles about this scourge, I knew I had made the *mistake* of opening the door to him in the first place. So I don't do that any more. I don't want to be harassed, robbed, raped, abused, etc... when I tell the person that I am NOT interested in buying overpriced magazines from them. Not only do I have myself to consider, but my little children, too. This latest experience with a D2D magazine humper proved that to me.
That scumbag cost me $17.00 for a new screen for my storm door (he didn't just cut the screen, but the frame/form, too) and another $21.00 for the bent hinges on my casement window he was trying to yank open.
D2D magazine salespeople- or "agents," when you come up to New Hampshire, please understand that a "No Soliciting" sign means just that- it is NOT an invitation or "magnet" as Jake claims. And when you see a sign or sticker on the lawn or door which claims the homeowner/occupant will defend their domicile? Believe it.
And get the F off my lawn! LOL.
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Alex 07/18/2008 10:57:00 PM
Wow, what a tragically well-written article. There are reasons the Press likes to focus on the "negative," for one it's interesting to us, but more than that it's a great way to catalyze some change. It is unfortunate that so many of the wealthy people in this world get rich by taking as much advantage of as many people as they can.
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Hud 07/18/2008 10:24:00 PM
If there truly are "best practices" that are supposedly employed by some door-to-door magazine subscription companies, why is it that in the two decades I've had to deal with these people coming to the door, not one of them has given me any story remotely resembling the truth?
You'd think that at least once I'd get someone who wouldn't be peddling the "raising money for the school" or "I'm in a contest" or whatever.
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Steve O. 07/18/2008 9:34:00 PM
What about the peeps who come by selling soap or other products, are they under a similar program?
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bernz 07/18/2008 8:54:00 PM
This excellent article -- even if slightly depressing -- needs to be read by all. Good work, Craig!
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Jake 07/18/2008 8:12:00 PM
The article really paints a different kind of picture that I experienced. I guess I was lucky. My manager never gave us drugs and never supplied us with anything illegal. We ate everyday, because you have to eat. The guy was good and ran a tight ship. There were a few times we had people in our group that had been arrested, for solicting w/o a permit. The manager always came to bail us out, at his expense. From the article it sounds like those groups got the worst of the kids, we didn't have that high of a turnover ratio. If you didn't sell any mags for 2 straight days, you were sent home, with a paid greyhound bus ticket. Just goes to show you that the Main Stream Media will only show you the very worst side of a story. I would never knock on a door for more than 20-30 seconds, no answer, next house. I didn't have time to lollygag around waiting for every house to answer. Claiming your neighbor bought some mags from you is an excellent way to sell some. Because we all know that, "we're keeping up with the Joneses" No Soliciting sign are put up by husbands who know that their wives cannot stop themselves from buying anything and everything that comes knocking at their door. These signs are a magnet for sales people.
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Antonio 07/18/2008 8:07:00 PM
Outstanding journalism. Wish this was the norm across America.
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scott 07/18/2008 7:21:00 PM
One of the most entertaining, and disturbing, pieces I have read in a very long time. Excellent work.
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Joseph McMahon 07/18/2008 7:09:00 PM
This is an exceptionally entertaining, informative, and well-written piece. Thanks for the scoop.
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Armed Homeowner 07/18/2008 6:23:00 PM
Sorry, I neglected to mention I live in New Hampshire. I found this article while doing a Google news search for examples of what I experienced a few weeks ago in order to make copies to distribute to my neighbors at our Neighborhood Watch meeting next week. This article is excellent and illustrates perfectly what we need to be watching out for with door-to-door salespeople.
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Armed Homeowner 07/18/2008 6:20:00 PM
Thanks for the informative article about these predatory creeps and the people they hire. I have read, from time to time, stories about "agents" being arrested in my area for assaulting homeowners (and worse).
Three weeks ago, a pair of them were making their way down my street and I didn't answer the door when one got to my house. He wouldn't leave my porch. He rang the bell and knocked for almost 5 minutes, and then he cut the screen on my storm door, reached in and unlocked it. Then he opened it and began to work on the lock to my main door!
I sent my kids to lock themselves in the basement laundry room. I retrieved my pistol, and as I was returning to the door with the pistol and a phone to call 911, he was trying to yank open the crank-out window next to my door.
I yelled out that I was armed and calling the police, and he hoofed it out of there. I called the police, and minutes later I saw him trying to light my paper leaf bags (full of leaves) on fire out at the far corner of my property! He couldn't get the matches to stay lit long enough, I guess. The police never located him.
I am a small woman, home alone with two small children during the day and this not only surprised and frightened me, but it made me very angry. He's damn lucky he wasn't able to break in.
Oh, I also have a "no soliciting" sign and a warning to intruders that we will defend ourselves stuck right there on the door.
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RC 07/18/2008 6:15:00 PM
This is probably the best article I've read in a while. Good work there.
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Michelle Maple 07/18/2008 5:45:00 PM
WOW - what a great article!
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Brad Witzel 07/18/2008 5:37:00 PM
This article needs to get circulated everywhere. Great piece of journalism, very well written. I'm definitely walking away with a new perspective on the whole door-to-door mag sales industry.
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Visitor from Fark 07/18/2008 3:58:00 PM
Normally I never leave comments but I have to say how well written and researched this article is. I can't say I "enjoyed" reading how these kids and their "Joneses" are exploited but I am glad that you've given them a voice. I think it's despicable that large corporations continue to demonstrate such an appalling lack of concern for pretty much everyone. Sunlight is the best disinfectant so I hope exposure like this will lead to closing this abusive industry down.
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Jake 07/18/2008 3:40:00 PM
I sold magz and it was a great experience. It is all about connecting with the person you are trying to sell to in a matter of 10-15 seconds. You can tell by that time if you can close the deal or not. Not many people are that interested in buying an $11 subscription for $30, that was our cheapest. $11 for the actual magazine. Double that, for $22, then add $8 for process & handling. $5.50 went to the manager and the other $5.50 went to the salesperson. Great experience if you have nothing and would like to see your country.
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ttyp00 07/18/2008 3:31:00 PM
�bravo!
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Katie 07/18/2008 5:07:00 AM
I saw the link to this story on Gawker.com and am glad I took the bait. I knew that sales pitches about points toward college scholarships were total bullshit, but I had no idea how the subscription industry worked. Kudos from a fellow journalist.
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Lesley 07/17/2008 9:49:00 PM
This is one of the best articles I've read in a long, long time. Wow.
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Javier Santos 07/17/2008 4:57:00 PM
Great investigative journalism! As always, no one wants to take responsibility for the deaths and the families are the ones that suffer. All that just to make a buck.
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abe 07/17/2008 6:47:00 AM
The same stuff goes on in newspaper sales crews.
