Who buys meat from a door to door salesman?

[Rhumbline]

Just had this happen, 6 pm on a Saturday and a guy knocks on the door. He's wearing a uniform, has a nice looking vehicle fully wrapped, and gives me the "I was just delivering in the next housing development and have some product left over. Are you interested in some filet mignon?"

Am I the only person who thinks this is really weird? Have any of you ever done this?

It seems mighty peculiar.

 

[Yooper]

It happened to us a number of years ago, maybe 10(?). We did buy some, and were happy with the choice to do that.

Over the last few years, we've gotten more into buying our own grass-fed beef, lamb, and pork, and wouldn't do it now since we eat local, but we were satisfied with the quality and price.

 

[Hoppity]

Wasn't that uncommon in the '80s in suburban NY at office parks and door to door. Kind of like Omaha Steaks mail order without the postage. The idea was to sign you up for regular purchases and they would deliver meat like the milkman used to deliver milk. Someone must be resurrecting the model.

 

[MaxStout]

We had one of those come through our neighborhood several years ago. The guy looked sketchy, and I never buy things sold door-to-door, anyway. Later I found out it was some kind of scam--pay up front, never receive your meat delivery.

My city now has a "Green River" ordinance, that requires all commercial door-to-door solicitors to first obtain a city "peddler's permit." The number of door-knockers has since dropped dramatically.

 

[dkwolf]

Had a guy ring my doorbell a couple years ago with the same basic sales pitch - "We had a delivery to a restaurant here in town, and they accidentally loaded double the order. We're just trying to sell it before we head back to the shop"

IMMEDIATELY sent up red flags in my book

1) At the time, there was only three restaurants in town; one of them gets all of their food from Martin Foodservice, the second buys only local beef from area lockers (never frozen, etc.), and the third doesn't serve NEARLY the quality of meat he claimed to have - heck, they're probably two notches above horse meat.
2) It was after 7:00 on a week night. He seriously expected me to believe a restaurant - especially one supposedly ordering the top-grade meats you claim to have in your van - is going to allow a delivery during the supper rush? Yeah freaking right.
3) He was delivering in a van.
4) I live in a cul-de-sac over 1/2 mile through a residential area from the nearest restaurant. He did not just 'happen' to find your way to my door.

Dude was pushy and persistent (and I had not yet purchased my first pistol), so to get him off my doorstep I agreed to go out and at least look at the goods. Since it was already dark, I was on high alert - the coolers were in the back of the van, they opened the sliding door. Kept a constant eye on the two guys, figured I was just as likely to end up in a bag in the back of the van as I was to buy steak from them.

Big surprise, I didn't buy anything.

 

[brew_ny]

I do but he is my hay farmer and I get aged black Angus at 3 dollars a pound

so I am good with it

 

[Paps]

Back when i lived in Indiana,
had a guy in a small truck with a freezer (running) in it's bed.
Had several boxes of vacuum packed meats.
The quality was nowhere near what the dude claimed.
He wasn't trying to sell a `return service` like scwanns just w/e he had in his trucks freezer. I think he said they hit different cities each day on their `routes` I wouldn't buy from a salesman again. Buying locally you get to see the meat unwrapped and can freeze it if you choose to. You also have somebody you can see face to face if something is wrong with the product.

 

[mb82]

At my old place it was not that uncommon to get door to door meat sales people. I never bought it. Come to think of it my current place never has anyone do any door to door sales. Guess there is a perk to living a mile from the city limits.

 

[1977Brewer]

We have a local guy or two. They've knocked a couple times but I just knock really hard back for solicitors. They usually leave, quickly.

 

[Gameface]

I don't buy anything on my doorstep. Ever.

As soon as it's clear they're selling something I tell them I'm not interested and I close my door. My wife thinks it's rude. I tell her I don't need to waste their time and they don't need to waste mine. I won't be buying anything so they might as well get on their way.

 

[1977Brewer]

I don't buy anything on my doorstep. Ever.

As soon as it's clear they're selling something I tell them I'm not interested and I close my door. My wife thinks it's rude. I tell her I don't need to waste their time and they don't need to waste mine. I won't be buying anything so they might as well get on their way.

I only answer for kids. That sounds wrong.

I'd rather buy cookies or popcorn or candy than magazine subscriptions from recovering crackheads. That sounds better

 

[Zuljin]

I've bought a lot of shrimp from the back of a truck. Some right from the boat.

 

[TBC]

Had them stop a couple of times. Let them give you sales pitch and make them show you all of the product and then tell them your not interested. They will start dropping the price and then you can beat them up till your comfortable with the cost. I do this all the time. Wife always leaves till I'm done.

 

[Natdavis777]

We have a local guy or two. They've knocked a couple times but I just knock really hard back for solicitors. They usually leave, quickly.

That is a good idea. Now I want someone to knock on my door so I can knock back. Im kinda screwed though if they use the doorbell...

 

[dkwolf]

That is a good idea. Now I want someone to knock on my door so I can knock back. Im kinda screwed though if they use the doorbell...

Nothing a trip to Lowes and a loudspeaker can't fix.


The more I think of it, this could be really fun. I've got a wireless door chime system on my house - you can add chime boxes to it, as long as you "set" them all to the same channel. Put the button at the front door, and have about eleventy-teen of the chime boxes hidden in the bushes around the door, every one set to a different chime. Someone walks up, presses the button, and every annoying doorbell chime known to man goes off around them simultaneously. Bet they wouldn't ring twice....

 

[Billy-Klubb]

my mom buys meat from the vacuum salesman all the time!

he had trucks stop by the house. I tell them that we're vegetarians and they look confused but go away. it's a lie. my wife is a vegetarian, but me and our boys are not.

 

[konungr]

I do but he is my hay farmer and I get aged black Angus at 3 dollars a pound

so I am good with it

Ditto. We have the occasional meat truck roll up, but never purchase since they can't compete with old Nate in price or quality. It's a good feeling to have a freezer full of sirloin.

 

[chawn]

I did once years ago fresh out of college. The quality was poor, but a lesson learned. I now only buy meat from a reputable source that I can visually inspect.

 

[1977Brewer]

Nothing a trip to Lowes and a loudspeaker can't fix.





The more I think of it, this could be really fun. I've got a wireless door chime system on my house - you can add chime boxes to it, as long as you "set" them all to the same channel. Put the button at the front door, and have about eleventy-teen of the chime boxes hidden in the bushes around the door, every one set to a different chime. Someone walks up, presses the button, and every annoying doorbell chime known to man goes off around them simultaneously. Bet they wouldn't ring twice....

Even with the door bell, shave and a haircut, as hard as you can muster. Oh boy, they either getting scared or confused. Especially if you come out to the porch and wave goodbye.

 

[Dixon9717]

I never buy anything from anyone who knocks on my door uninvited but that's just me. I do drive down the river and buy salmon from the local native Americans though. Never been disappointed doing that.

 

[jtratcliff]

The Schwan Man used to stop by our place in rural Southern Ohio in the 70s and 80s. All kinds of frozen foods. Ice Cream, steaks, seafood, etc. My folks bought some on occasion. Seemed alright at the time

If some rando in an unmarked van showed up, I'd pass.

...It fell off a truck...

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Used to be fairly common for Schwan's drivers to try to pick up some extra sales by going door to door. I never buy anything from door to door sales people though, not even Schwan's. I spent $2 on a NO SOLICITORS sign & put it on my front door. You'd be surprised at how many people either can't read, don't know what a "solicitor" is, or just plain don't care. Once it's clear they're selling or soliciting anything else (like votes or my soul), I point out the sign & allude to their stupidity for knocking on my door & annoying me in the 1st place. Rude? I don't care. I made my wishes known by placing the sign on my door, they ignored the sign & thereby my wishes and disturbed me. They deserve far worse that what they get from me.
Regards, GF.

 

[madscientist451]

Who gets meat from a salesman?
The lonely housewife who has a husband out playing golf/fishing/going to beer festivals all the time.
Nothing better than a juicy steak when your lonesome.

 

[MaxStout]

If something has to be sold door-to-door (or over the phone, via email, etc.), there is something inherently wrong with it. If a product or service is truly worth the money, it will be discovered through normal channels of advertising and people will seek it out.

 

[Rhumbline]

If something has to be sold door-to-door (or over the phone, via email, etc.), there is something inherently wrong with it. If a product or service is truly worth the money, it will be discovered through normal channels of advertising and people will seek it out.

This has always been my thinking, especially with the sketchy guys in a pickup with a magnetic sign on the door.

What got me wondering is this was a very professional looking operation. I'm curious about the business model and I thought maybe it is moving into the mainstream.

It's interesting to hear the experiences of those who have bought.

 

[m1k3]

I bought 50 pounds of grass fed beef in a Starbucks parking lot. (but we paid in advance via PayPal) We knew some people that had done it before with these folks... but it still felt like a drug deal.

 

[Tin4]

Just had this happen, 6 pm on a Saturday and a guy knocks on the door. He's wearing a uniform, has a nice looking vehicle fully wrapped, and gives me the "I was just delivering in the next housing development and have some product left over. Are you interested in some filet mignon?"

Am I the only person who thinks this is really weird? Have any of you ever done this?

It seems mighty peculiar.

I have and will continue to do so, but don't let the salesmen fool you. Their steaks are so good because they treat them, it's not the quality of meat.

I've butchered some. I've cooked commercially a lot. I can tell when you MSG'd a steak. They MSG their steaks.

 

[Hello]

Growing up there was a guy and my parents, alongside many others in our neighborhood, bought from him. I can't recall the quality, I was a child who only ate well done meat until my 30s.

The other guy was the Charle's Chips guy...I sure miss that bastard.

 

[Grannyknot]

I don't buy meat from untrustworthy sources.
Then again, I don't eat meat from factory farms, so even if my brother in law was driving the van, I probably still wouldn't buy it.

 

[thekraken]

I had one knock on my door just last week. They seem to come by about once a year since we moved to this area.

Maybe I'm just a snob when it comes to steak... The first time the salesman came by my door I was somewhat curious so I invited him to show me the goods. He fanned out steak after steak of what looked like 1/2" thick cuts of junk that he claimed was the best money could buy. I had a Crocodile Dundee moment and said "That's not a steak, this is a steak" and pulled out this 1.5" thick marbleized monster ribeye we picked up the day before. That shut him up.

By the way, herms and rims systems make for awesome sous vide machines, and sous vide technique has made for some of the best steak I've ever cooked.

 

[soccerdad]

I travel a lot in my work, but often when I get home the wife tells me how those door to door salesmen have some fantastic meat. Funny thing is, there's never anything in the fridge or freezer. Can't figure out how she knows.

 

[Zuljin]

She must be gobbling it all up before you get home.

Hey. Hand me a straight line like that...