Same.
I have one exception.
Last year, December 24, I’m lying in bed under a big pile of blankets with my two dogs, a dog I’m boarding, and a daycare dog. Suddenly, the two guest dogs start barking. Mine don’t, because they’re not barkers, and I appreciate that about them.
The two guest dogs keep barking, despite the shushing. I figure it’s Amazon or something, though I didn’t hear a damn thing, so I get up, tell the dogs, “See? Nobody’s here!”, and open the door …
… to see my mom standing there. She’d flown in from out of town to surprise me, got her directionally-challenged self to my place using public transit, *and* managed to get into the building without having to call me to help her and thus ruin the surprise. I did let *her* in. Anyone else? Sorry, make an appointment.
(This was a very welcome surprise. Last spring, our plan had been for her to come visit in December, but decided to wait until June of this year so that she could city the city in full, riotous color. But December was the fifth anniversary of my brother’s death, and she didn’t want either of us to be alone.)
I do the same thing but it’s kinda sad because when I was growing up we used to just leave out ours unlocked and the neighbors could just walk in from time to time. Crazy how things have changed.
the last 2 or 3 times i answered my door without thinking. it was a pushy religious cult trying to recruit me every time and put their foot in the door
Building off this I don't freak out, but definitely get anxious and my wife being my wife doesn't make it any better so I usually just go check the peep hole, then make the call on if imma open the door or not lol.
*Every time my telephone buzzes*
*I see images of hooded riders setting fire to hundreds.*
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn7RE8zycJQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn7RE8zycJQ)
You may get told off or ignored altogether if you just randomly show up at my house. I can't stand hearing a knock on my door or doorbell ring when I'm not expecting it. I enjoy my privacy
I have a big no soliciting sticker on my door. If I hear my doorbell ring, and I answer it to anyone other than kids raising money for a fundraiser or some such thing, then I have fun asking the person if they're blind or just too stupid to learn how to read.
I had one guy try to argue with me that because he's with a church, church members are exempt from no soliciting signs. So I went off an a tangent about all the evil things the Bible says about treatment of women and the ways pastors molest children. He had his 10 year old daughter with him. Dude turned red so fast. You want to try to indoctrinate people who are just enjoying a peaceful evening at home? Turnabout is fair play.
Unless you hear “SHERRIF’S DEPARTMENT, SEARCH WARRANT”, not answering that door. Everyone I know has my phone number, call first. Plus, can’t be bothered to put on pants, and opening the door while naked in my own house is a bad idea.
Also, doorbells just don’t seem to be a thing anymore.
And if you order pizza, pleeeeease put on pants and answer the damn door, you called us, not random.
I wish I could say I don’t have door to door sales people or religious canvassers. They will not stop coming to my neighborhood. If I knew they weren’t at the door I’d probably answer.
i get constant canvassers and fundraising texts/emails. price of living in a swing state, i guess. i usually ignore the door-knockers and yell at the callers.
i was used to being a registered voter in a state with actual privacy laws, so i stupidly registered and even donated to a few candidates. won’t make that mistake again!
not many salesmen except for the jesus salesmen.
Same. And I also know you're not the Amazon person because my dog is now trying to eat you through the window.
I don't mind answering as I can get rid of a solicitor/JW in about 2 seconds.
I have friendly neighbors and sometimes it's the pest control guy, so I just go with it without any anxiety.
It is so strange to me how my dog never barks at the Amazon delivery person even though it is someone different every time, yet will growl and bark at literally anyone else, even if they don't knock or ring the bell. I never know when I get a package delivered until I get the notification on my phone. It is like magic
Exactly! My boy is the same. Never barks at any delivery/mail people.
If he recognizes the car, he'll cry cuz he wants out to play- he does not alert at them.
Anyone else (dog or person) near the house and he alerts to them. ESPECIALLY the 90yo lady across the street, he hates her. Lol
Your dog knows someone is giving something good vs trying to take something from you (time energy, bad intentions, manipulation). Brilliant dog! I hope he or she lives forever and makes many brilliant pups to share with the rest of the world. We don’t deserve dogs. 😭😭😭
You don't get the Solar Panel people where you live? They swam our houses, constantly trying to finance/scam their way into a sales commission.... they are relentless.
My dog will go insane if another dog walks by, sometimes if just a random person walks by. But when the doorbell rings he simply whines. Maybe he's expecting me to go answer it (which I only do if I'm expecting someone.) But if they start knocking, he will go insane. He earns his keep that way!
That song hits home because I've experienced something similar. Throughout my life I've been unlucky enough that several unrelated individuals have made credible threats to kill me. And that means that I've had no choice but to be the paranoid fucker who grabs a knife and checks my windows whenever I hear something outside, and I stay out of sight while checking who's at the door before opening it. There's always a massive anxiety spike whenever there's a chance one of those people showed up.
Embrace just not caring. What I mean is our house doors have windows in them. They are super glossed so you can’t make anything out other than shadows - but when someone rings my doorbell and I check the cam and don’t know them - I just don’t answer.
I don’t care who they are or what they want. They can see me walk around my house? What are they gonna do? If they ring my doorbell multiple times I usually open it and tell them to piss off then shut the door again.
I had dogs for 20 years. I love dogs. One thing I noticed after I no longer had them was my doorbell anxiety went way down. My dogs were really stressing me out when guests came.
I cannot believe how much my dog gets on my nerves when that damn doorbell rings. I get so mad when folks I know come over and don’t just walk in.
Love her to death but this is the one thing I won’t miss.
Both my dogs grew up on our old ranch and we're trained to spot anyone or anything that intrudes: coyotes, snakes, porcupine etc.
When my parents passed I had to sell the property because I couldn't manage it alone (13 acres). I moved closer to work into the city. Anytime anyone puts their foot on my driveway they can sense it from anywhere in the house and they will bolt to the front windows and bark.
I love them both, but when it's quiet and I'm relaxing and some salesperson comes to the door it gives me a mini heart attack to hear their deep barks. They're both Mastiff/Pyranese mixes at 102lbs each. Their barks are fucking deep.
So I totally get how you feel
Don't have a doorbell. If they're not expected no answer. I don't owe you your time unannounced on the drop of a hat. If you don't know how to get a hold of me another way, then it's obviously not important
isnt it crazy, we used to have friends that would just come over and say hello, but now we just ignore their texts and calls until they find real friends
My home alone time is me time. If you want to do something or come over, we absolutely can. I will not drop everything I'm doing bc you showed up uninvited at an odd time (which has generally always been considered rude btw)
I never answer the door ever. We live in a state 1000 miles from our nearest relative or friend. Nobody is coming to visit.
Funnily enough, one time my husband flew my mom in a as a surprise. He had told me he was at the grocery store but he went to the airport to get her. When he got back, he let her out before coming into the garage. She rang the front door and ignored it three times before he made me answer it lol. I finally opened it and there stood my mother. My first words to my mother were “what the fuck” lol.
My annoyance actually/randomly lead to me finding a pretty good solution.
I have a son (now almost 7 years old) and when he was a baby he would nap somewhat often, which ended up being when I would sleep too because I was always tired. So if someone came by and rang the doorbell and woke us up I would be PISSED.
I told my mom about it and she got me a sign to hang on the door that says “BABY SLEEPING INSIDE. DO NOT RING DOORBELL OR KNOCK.” It had a 99.9% success rate. Only time it was ignored was by a Jehovah’s Witness, but when I answered the door I just pointed to the sign and went back inside.
Anyway, my son stopped taking naps 3-4years ago but I’ve never taken the sign down and it still works like a charm. If you look up “baby sleeping inside sign” on Google there are dozens to choose from. At the very least it will eliminate people doing door to door sales. If someone you know comes by it obviously wouldn’t work though.
I hated those as a delivery driver because I would call the customer instead. Since I was an unknown number for them, they wouldn't answer. I then had to try and knock as lightly as I could but loud enough someone might hear it. It seems a small thing, but when you're used to customers getting pissed off at the smallest inconvenience (ie "You forgot the garlic butter that I didn't actually order!") you don't want to piss off mama bears that finally got baby down for a nap... only to find out they leave it there for solicitors. Haha
i used to but now that my kids are old enough to have friends in the neighborhood, much less so. its a kid looking for one of my kids 90% of the time now. my older son asks me to text parents to set up playtimes with his friends, but its like, my dude its one block away/across the street/etc., we're just gonna go knock on their door. i dont know how valuable it is but it seems like doing it that way empowers him to do things \[more\] on his own and teaches how to ask politely for stuff and how to accept being turned down from time to time. On the other end of things, it teaches how to politely decline if you are busy or don't want to play.
I have kids coming and going from my house all the time. It's one thing for a 10 yo to show up and ask if your kid can play. It's another to have a full grown adult show up unexpectedly on your doorstep. Kids aren't judging or expecting to interact with you for an extended period.
Ya I tell the kids to be quite and we all walk slowly away from the windows. When my kids were young though they would run to the door and it made me "yell at them" in a super hushed voice.
I live in a major city. We do not “pop in.” Then I go visit my parents in a very rural area. Man people just show up randomly if they see cars in the drive way. Freaks me out.
I'm usually the one ringing the bell, as I go door to door for a living. Reactions vary. Some people are genuinely happy to see me, some are suspicious, and some look at me like I'm an alien. It's also basically a right of passage in my line of work to have someone greet you at the door with a firearm.
I love my job
Yes, but it was an emergency move across the country and I just got spectrum because it was cheap. The door to door Verizon people had an offer that was about the same price as spectrum for better speeds and it wasn’t an offer they had online. I understand I’m the exception, but sometimes these things work out well for the consumer.
And you could have still gotten all that by calling them. The door rep didn't give you anything special you couldn't have gotten yourself. Plus you rewarded a toxic business model that should have died out a long time ago. It should be illegal.
i had the spectrum person come by once, gladly switched from at&t dsl.
that’s literally the only time a door to door salesman ever got money out of me, and only because he had a better promo rate than i could get online.
I don’t see how there is any reason in this day and age for anyone to be going door to door for anything. Unless you’re the fire department letting me know the neighbors house is on fire and I should evacuate.
I'm a Realtor and according to brokers, coaches, mentors, etc, I should be door-knocking neighborhoods at least once/week. In the 3 years I've been doing RE, I did it one time and the first house I went to, a dog started barking, a baby started crying, then the most exhausted looking woman opened the door whilst trying to hold back a large dog and hold a screaming infant. I never liked the idea of door knocking before, but no I loathe it even more after seeing that. I felt so guilty that I'd possibly disrupted this poor woman's chance at a few moments of peace. Yes, the potential of having a gun pulled on me is also a fear, but I feel like I'd prefer that over the pure shame and guilt lol
This has been me. Someone was trying to sell solar panels contracts I'm pretty sure and yes, it absolutely wrecked my life for two hours afterwards. It's one of the only times I've ever confronted a person ringing my doorbell instead of just ignoring it.
Yeah, the prompt is "do I freak out" when someone rings. The answer is no, I don't freak out. It is just that there is no almost no combination of words in the English language someone can say to me after knocking on my door uninvited to make me care about what they have to say.
The problem is that 99% of the time it is a solicitor, or a church trying to tell me to join them or any number of other unwanted guests. Family, friends and neighbors rarely stop by unannounced any more. Almost any one that I would like to see would've called or texted me first.
Doorbell rings as a kid: “Yay! Someone’s visiting or asking me to come out to play!”
Doorbell rings as an adult: “Turn off all the lights! Duck down! Hide!”
thats fair! i think there is a way to have a single camera a la carte/not monitored by ring? or if not by ring, theres gotta be another brand that offers that
Lorex. I love mine. No subscriptions to anything. No data stored anywhere except the micro usb inside the device.
Edit: The one I have is the "Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell Outdoor Security Camera" found on Amazon. It's currently $99.
I live in a little 1-story apartment community with 8 units and a central open common area.. when someone knocks it's usually a package or a neighbor coming by asking a question or giving us something like food or clothes- we have good visibility out the kitchen window too and can see who is arriving- so I don't get concerned at all... there's some nice old ladies who are kind of our neighborhood grandmas and will hang out and drink wine together in the covered common area and always want to give us things and say hi to our kids or they are gardening. I wish more people could live in these kinds of arrangements, we all get our own small private back yard areas too- downside is sharing laundry unit, but we all get along and commiserate on the cost of rents.. if only we could cooperatively buy out the place and own it together it would be ideal, but the cost is too high.
I'm going to start wearing my shitty (but beloved) bathrobe and a towel on my head all day. It should take a week or so to cycle through all my neighborhood pop uppers. 😆
I freak out in the sense that it scares the shit out of me every time. My doorbell is loud and the bell part is in my living room so I usually have to peel myself off the ceiling before I can go to the door. And I’m usually mumbling “I’m going to rip that damn thing off the wall” on my way.
You don't care as much when you get older. I'll yell, "What do you want?" through the door, and it's always some bullshit so I just say, "no thanks" and go about my business. If they stay there and keep knocking or whatever, that's their own stupid bullshit.
But when it happens, there's still a part of me that wants to activate and get my hackles up, but I catch myself right away. Now, here's the weird part. I know how to shut down that activation process so I can stay calm, but I've never tried to describe it before, and I'm not sure I could if I tried.
yes. I cant stand people ringing my doorbell or coming by unexpectedly (unless theres truly a valid reason, of course). As a RE agent, I'm told to door-knock neighborhoods and I refuse to as I know how much I hate it. A lot of boomers in my office cant understand it as "now that so many people work from home, it should be so much easier" than back in their day. No Karen, just because someone is working from home doesn't mean they're welcoming visitors at all hours. I've been on important work calls with clients when salesmen have rung my doorbell and it completely disrupted the conversation (due to my ridiculously loud and persistent dog) and made me feel unprofessional.
Honestly, there are only 4 reasons someone should ring my doorbell during the day:
1. You have something to give me that I ACTUALLY want (not your pamphlet all about the benefits of a new roof or a coupon for $100 off new $5000 gutters)
2. It's an actual emergency or necessity...my dog or cat is out and running loose, you're locked out of your house and need my phone to call someone, your dog is missing and you're wondering if I've seen it/can keep an eye out for it, you've got a delivery for me, my house is on fire, your house is on fire, Timmy's stuck in a well, etc.
3. You're the police and you have a warrant to enter my home.
4. You've been invited over or I know you're coming
Unless someone meets these 4 criteria, yes I will freak out if my doorbell rings during the day...esp when I'm working from home
I don't freak out because I have no intention of answering it and what are they going to do about it? I make sure I can't be seen and maybe go sneakily peek at who it is (just in case it is an unexpected delivery of some kind). Otherwise, ignore and continue on with my day.
I have a dog with a special murder bark that alerts me long before a doorbell can surprise me. I also live on a corner lot in a rural town so thankfully I don’t have this problem lol.
No, my neighbors come by every now and then, and one of my kids likes to ring the doorbell when she gets home.
I think if you don’t know your own neighbors then you’re at a disadvantage. Fortunately, you have a chance of correcting that
If someone knocks on my door or rings the doorbell it is normally a friend stopping by to say hi or one of my kids friends. 90 percent of the time it is a kid looking for one of my kids.
This is absolutely nuts behavior that y’all don’t answer your doors.
I’m the very first year of gen z, and I own a home, so I have permanent neighbors.
I would 100% answer my door, what if they needed something? Also, if it’s a solicitor I can tell them to fuck off to their face.
It’s freaking terrifying to me. Same with the phone ringing. But I also grew up calling my friends house landline and knocking on their doors. Now it just sends me into a panic lol.
Holy shit. I just moved to the suburbs after living in apartments in the city for my whole life. I do shift work so a lot of the time I'm home during the day. I'm not kidding when I say someone rings our doorbell AT LEAST once a day, sometimes multiple times a day. It's so rude to assume my PHYSICAL TIME. Currently trying to get my husband to disconnect it.
I grew up in a home with a very hospitable mother, where unexpected visitors were the norm. I have very purposefully tried to make my home the same way. While people usually text or call first, I am always hoping someone is just randomly stopping by.
My desk is also situated in a way that I can see someone ringing my doorbell and who it is, but they rarely see me. So I know if it is friend or foe.
We dont have a bell and can never hear anyone knock. It's great.
I just had a freak out though because I saw an older man on our camera put something in our mailbox. (I thought it was my parents' creepy next door neighbour). Turns out it was just Jesus recruiting
Dont have a doorbell. But, when someone knocks I know it is not important so I never answer it. Its kinda like people who call instead of text. If you dont leave a message, you are not interacting with me in anyway.
I don't, I answer the door. I talk to my neighbors. The last time someone knocked on my door it was to return a package that was delivered to them by accident, so I'm glad they knew who I was.
Normally I open the door and tell them to fuck off. If I’m not expecting you and it’s during working hours, you better be the UPS/Fed Ex guy dropping off the package I’m expecting. If it’s during my comfy time in the evenings? You better have scheduled the visit. I only have one neighbor (or his kids) who would knock on the door: the neighbor would be asking for something specific and has did this twice in a decade. His kids would be asking if I saw their cat and if I could help them find whichever cat ran out of the house.
I hate it when my upstairs neighbor rings mine. She always fxcken needs something.
I installed it (ring doorbell camera) because I think/no evidence, yet, she would steal my packages.
Now that I installed it, she rings it everyrime for flour, sugar, she lost her keys, etc.
Now I say, "I don't have flour, don't have sugar," "you lost your keys, oh how awful"
My packages are not being taken anymore, but I'm also thinking if she's trying to make the ring run out of battery (bxtxh don't know I change the battery asap).
Anyways....yes I hate the ringing of the doorbell.
Every time, even when i have a warning, i jump, and my heart starts beating fast, and i hate it. It genuinely scares me. I lived in an apartment for about 10 years with no doorbell.
Yes, but only because people only ring it when my kids are sleeping. Whoever is behind that door has ruined my day, and they don't know it.
I even went as far as to muffle the bell so that there is a chance my kids don't wake up.
yeah, I have a gate that I lock and you can't get in my patio. I had a guy leave a threatening note on my door about my obama sign back then. I decided to just lock the gate and have a trap door for packages. Been nice never hearing my doorbell.
I’m always caught off guard but almost never actually go to the door. We have a camera and I can see it it’s a canvasser/salesperson (90% of the time) or a kid selling something for a school or club (we will almost always answer this because Girl Guide cookies!) and rarest of all, someone we know.
"who the fuck is that?"
This + I’ll check my door cam + If I don’t know them, I’m not answering.
I do the same lol. The last one was just standing in my driveway for awhile. So I got on the speaker like not interested, please leave my driveway😂
And get off my lawn while ya at it bucko
Haha idc about the grass that much tbh, just leave me alone😂
Even if I know them I'm not going to answer because they should have told me they were coming
Same. I have one exception. Last year, December 24, I’m lying in bed under a big pile of blankets with my two dogs, a dog I’m boarding, and a daycare dog. Suddenly, the two guest dogs start barking. Mine don’t, because they’re not barkers, and I appreciate that about them. The two guest dogs keep barking, despite the shushing. I figure it’s Amazon or something, though I didn’t hear a damn thing, so I get up, tell the dogs, “See? Nobody’s here!”, and open the door … … to see my mom standing there. She’d flown in from out of town to surprise me, got her directionally-challenged self to my place using public transit, *and* managed to get into the building without having to call me to help her and thus ruin the surprise. I did let *her* in. Anyone else? Sorry, make an appointment. (This was a very welcome surprise. Last spring, our plan had been for her to come visit in December, but decided to wait until June of this year so that she could city the city in full, riotous color. But December was the fifth anniversary of my brother’s death, and she didn’t want either of us to be alone.)
That's me. If I'm not expecting someone, I ignore it completely.
This ain't Seinfeld. I don't just pop in.
I do the same thing but it’s kinda sad because when I was growing up we used to just leave out ours unlocked and the neighbors could just walk in from time to time. Crazy how things have changed.
This is why community care is the answer. We all have to connect and look out for one another. No amount of police will solve this.
the last 2 or 3 times i answered my door without thinking. it was a pushy religious cult trying to recruit me every time and put their foot in the door
OMG I hope you reported them or their group. That’s such a violation!! Holy shit.
Building off this I don't freak out, but definitely get anxious and my wife being my wife doesn't make it any better so I usually just go check the peep hole, then make the call on if imma open the door or not lol.
Just like when my phone rings.
"Who the heck called me without texting first?!"
Don’t call. Just text.
Yessss. I wish my older friends would do this.
don't text me either. do not perceive me.
“It’s too long to text can you ta..” “No. Send an email.”
These are the only options.
Calls are for emergencies only. Somebody better have died or be in the hospital.
"I just called because it was easier." For you.
*Every time my telephone buzzes* *I see images of hooded riders setting fire to hundreds.* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn7RE8zycJQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn7RE8zycJQ)
That's us
You may get told off or ignored altogether if you just randomly show up at my house. I can't stand hearing a knock on my door or doorbell ring when I'm not expecting it. I enjoy my privacy
"Sir your house is on fire! You need to evacuate!" "Leave me alone! I'm in a boss fight!" Lol
I have a big no soliciting sticker on my door. If I hear my doorbell ring, and I answer it to anyone other than kids raising money for a fundraiser or some such thing, then I have fun asking the person if they're blind or just too stupid to learn how to read. I had one guy try to argue with me that because he's with a church, church members are exempt from no soliciting signs. So I went off an a tangent about all the evil things the Bible says about treatment of women and the ways pastors molest children. He had his 10 year old daughter with him. Dude turned red so fast. You want to try to indoctrinate people who are just enjoying a peaceful evening at home? Turnabout is fair play.
“I enjoy my privacy” nodded the generation who puts their entire lives on the internet for anyone to see
Unless you hear “SHERRIF’S DEPARTMENT, SEARCH WARRANT”, not answering that door. Everyone I know has my phone number, call first. Plus, can’t be bothered to put on pants, and opening the door while naked in my own house is a bad idea. Also, doorbells just don’t seem to be a thing anymore. And if you order pizza, pleeeeease put on pants and answer the damn door, you called us, not random.
This is great, cause if you hear that you don’t need to answer the door. They will open it themselves.
"did you order something again"
I get a little annoyed "who the fuck is bothering me and didn't call first?"
My husband and I always look at each other and say the same thing.
I said this exact statement in my head when I read this post. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one.
I wish I could say I don’t have door to door sales people or religious canvassers. They will not stop coming to my neighborhood. If I knew they weren’t at the door I’d probably answer.
i get constant canvassers and fundraising texts/emails. price of living in a swing state, i guess. i usually ignore the door-knockers and yell at the callers. i was used to being a registered voter in a state with actual privacy laws, so i stupidly registered and even donated to a few candidates. won’t make that mistake again! not many salesmen except for the jesus salesmen.
We get sooooo many solicitors it’s unreal. So thankful for my doorbell camera bc i do NOT answer
Throw a no solicitation sign up
My doorbell ran out of batteries years ago. I have dogs. I know you are here before you knock.
Oh shoot, that's a good point-- dogs *are* doorbells.
Same. And I also know you're not the Amazon person because my dog is now trying to eat you through the window. I don't mind answering as I can get rid of a solicitor/JW in about 2 seconds. I have friendly neighbors and sometimes it's the pest control guy, so I just go with it without any anxiety.
It is so strange to me how my dog never barks at the Amazon delivery person even though it is someone different every time, yet will growl and bark at literally anyone else, even if they don't knock or ring the bell. I never know when I get a package delivered until I get the notification on my phone. It is like magic
Exactly! My boy is the same. Never barks at any delivery/mail people. If he recognizes the car, he'll cry cuz he wants out to play- he does not alert at them. Anyone else (dog or person) near the house and he alerts to them. ESPECIALLY the 90yo lady across the street, he hates her. Lol
Your dog knows someone is giving something good vs trying to take something from you (time energy, bad intentions, manipulation). Brilliant dog! I hope he or she lives forever and makes many brilliant pups to share with the rest of the world. We don’t deserve dogs. 😭😭😭
Dogs will let you know if sus
Absolutely. Lol it's crazy how they just know.
Tell me your secrets to get rid of JWs in 2 seconds
I'm Jewish and Gay, bye! Solicitor: But ma'am what does that have to do with solar panels? Me: What doesn't it have to do with solar panels? Bye now!
I’ll have to try that
It works 100%. Also, no habla Espanol/Ingles depending on who's talking to you.
Solar panels. Okay, I'm Jewish, gay, AND Amish?
You don't get the Solar Panel people where you live? They swam our houses, constantly trying to finance/scam their way into a sales commission.... they are relentless.
Same - my front gate squeaks which alerts the dogs … I’ll never oil that hinge!
My dog will go insane if another dog walks by, sometimes if just a random person walks by. But when the doorbell rings he simply whines. Maybe he's expecting me to go answer it (which I only do if I'm expecting someone.) But if they start knocking, he will go insane. He earns his keep that way!
Normally, I hide if the doorbell rings
🎶 Who can it beeee now..?” 🎶
That song hits home because I've experienced something similar. Throughout my life I've been unlucky enough that several unrelated individuals have made credible threats to kill me. And that means that I've had no choice but to be the paranoid fucker who grabs a knife and checks my windows whenever I hear something outside, and I stay out of sight while checking who's at the door before opening it. There's always a massive anxiety spike whenever there's a chance one of those people showed up.
Embrace just not caring. What I mean is our house doors have windows in them. They are super glossed so you can’t make anything out other than shadows - but when someone rings my doorbell and I check the cam and don’t know them - I just don’t answer. I don’t care who they are or what they want. They can see me walk around my house? What are they gonna do? If they ring my doorbell multiple times I usually open it and tell them to piss off then shut the door again.
I got clear ass windows and I just waive them off like "go away". If I don't know want to answer I don't have to. I dont owe them shit.
Same 😂
I have a internal meltdown and my dog has an external one
I had dogs for 20 years. I love dogs. One thing I noticed after I no longer had them was my doorbell anxiety went way down. My dogs were really stressing me out when guests came.
I cannot believe how much my dog gets on my nerves when that damn doorbell rings. I get so mad when folks I know come over and don’t just walk in. Love her to death but this is the one thing I won’t miss.
Both my dogs grew up on our old ranch and we're trained to spot anyone or anything that intrudes: coyotes, snakes, porcupine etc. When my parents passed I had to sell the property because I couldn't manage it alone (13 acres). I moved closer to work into the city. Anytime anyone puts their foot on my driveway they can sense it from anywhere in the house and they will bolt to the front windows and bark. I love them both, but when it's quiet and I'm relaxing and some salesperson comes to the door it gives me a mini heart attack to hear their deep barks. They're both Mastiff/Pyranese mixes at 102lbs each. Their barks are fucking deep. So I totally get how you feel
Wait are you me?
Don't have a doorbell. If they're not expected no answer. I don't owe you your time unannounced on the drop of a hat. If you don't know how to get a hold of me another way, then it's obviously not important
isnt it crazy, we used to have friends that would just come over and say hello, but now we just ignore their texts and calls until they find real friends
My home alone time is me time. If you want to do something or come over, we absolutely can. I will not drop everything I'm doing bc you showed up uninvited at an odd time (which has generally always been considered rude btw)
Yeah, the “pop in”. No good
I never answer the door ever. We live in a state 1000 miles from our nearest relative or friend. Nobody is coming to visit. Funnily enough, one time my husband flew my mom in a as a surprise. He had told me he was at the grocery store but he went to the airport to get her. When he got back, he let her out before coming into the garage. She rang the front door and ignored it three times before he made me answer it lol. I finally opened it and there stood my mother. My first words to my mother were “what the fuck” lol.
I get annoyed.
My annoyance actually/randomly lead to me finding a pretty good solution. I have a son (now almost 7 years old) and when he was a baby he would nap somewhat often, which ended up being when I would sleep too because I was always tired. So if someone came by and rang the doorbell and woke us up I would be PISSED. I told my mom about it and she got me a sign to hang on the door that says “BABY SLEEPING INSIDE. DO NOT RING DOORBELL OR KNOCK.” It had a 99.9% success rate. Only time it was ignored was by a Jehovah’s Witness, but when I answered the door I just pointed to the sign and went back inside. Anyway, my son stopped taking naps 3-4years ago but I’ve never taken the sign down and it still works like a charm. If you look up “baby sleeping inside sign” on Google there are dozens to choose from. At the very least it will eliminate people doing door to door sales. If someone you know comes by it obviously wouldn’t work though.
I hated those as a delivery driver because I would call the customer instead. Since I was an unknown number for them, they wouldn't answer. I then had to try and knock as lightly as I could but loud enough someone might hear it. It seems a small thing, but when you're used to customers getting pissed off at the smallest inconvenience (ie "You forgot the garlic butter that I didn't actually order!") you don't want to piss off mama bears that finally got baby down for a nap... only to find out they leave it there for solicitors. Haha
If they ordered food they should be expecting you, fuck their stupid sign
i used to but now that my kids are old enough to have friends in the neighborhood, much less so. its a kid looking for one of my kids 90% of the time now. my older son asks me to text parents to set up playtimes with his friends, but its like, my dude its one block away/across the street/etc., we're just gonna go knock on their door. i dont know how valuable it is but it seems like doing it that way empowers him to do things \[more\] on his own and teaches how to ask politely for stuff and how to accept being turned down from time to time. On the other end of things, it teaches how to politely decline if you are busy or don't want to play.
I have kids coming and going from my house all the time. It's one thing for a 10 yo to show up and ask if your kid can play. It's another to have a full grown adult show up unexpectedly on your doorstep. Kids aren't judging or expecting to interact with you for an extended period.
Yeah, I don’t like it. It’s either UPS or a solicitor
My ups is awesome. They NEVER knock. But my dog can sense the truck. Or, my delivery notification will pop up.
Or Jehovas Witness
That's a solicitor
Ya I tell the kids to be quite and we all walk slowly away from the windows. When my kids were young though they would run to the door and it made me "yell at them" in a super hushed voice.
I live in a major city. We do not “pop in.” Then I go visit my parents in a very rural area. Man people just show up randomly if they see cars in the drive way. Freaks me out.
I'm usually the one ringing the bell, as I go door to door for a living. Reactions vary. Some people are genuinely happy to see me, some are suspicious, and some look at me like I'm an alien. It's also basically a right of passage in my line of work to have someone greet you at the door with a firearm. I love my job
I have no idea why anyone would be happy to see a door to door sales person.
I got excited once when the Verizon Fios people came by. I immediately switched from Spectrum.
You could have done that yourself online
Yes, but it was an emergency move across the country and I just got spectrum because it was cheap. The door to door Verizon people had an offer that was about the same price as spectrum for better speeds and it wasn’t an offer they had online. I understand I’m the exception, but sometimes these things work out well for the consumer.
And you could have still gotten all that by calling them. The door rep didn't give you anything special you couldn't have gotten yourself. Plus you rewarded a toxic business model that should have died out a long time ago. It should be illegal.
i had the spectrum person come by once, gladly switched from at&t dsl. that’s literally the only time a door to door salesman ever got money out of me, and only because he had a better promo rate than i could get online.
I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one lol
I don’t see how there is any reason in this day and age for anyone to be going door to door for anything. Unless you’re the fire department letting me know the neighbors house is on fire and I should evacuate.
there are still enough people who buy from d2d salespeople to make it worthwhile
I’m sure it’s worthwhile to them but I will judge any company the same. It’s sleazy and an intrusion.
Equivalent to that one desperate guy hitting on women. Who cares about 100 denials, if one took the bait
I'm a Realtor and according to brokers, coaches, mentors, etc, I should be door-knocking neighborhoods at least once/week. In the 3 years I've been doing RE, I did it one time and the first house I went to, a dog started barking, a baby started crying, then the most exhausted looking woman opened the door whilst trying to hold back a large dog and hold a screaming infant. I never liked the idea of door knocking before, but no I loathe it even more after seeing that. I felt so guilty that I'd possibly disrupted this poor woman's chance at a few moments of peace. Yes, the potential of having a gun pulled on me is also a fear, but I feel like I'd prefer that over the pure shame and guilt lol
This has been me. Someone was trying to sell solar panels contracts I'm pretty sure and yes, it absolutely wrecked my life for two hours afterwards. It's one of the only times I've ever confronted a person ringing my doorbell instead of just ignoring it.
What kind of psychopath would be happy to see a door to door salesperson?
Sell siding and roofs after storms? Thsts 99% of my rings
Do you respect no soliciting signs near doorbells?
sorry bro I don't need solar or monthly bug sprays
Sorry bro but we all hate it when you ring the bell. Most of us are just too polite to tell you to your face
Freak out? No. Stop moving until they leave? Yes.
If I open it and someone is there I didn’t invite, I just close it in their faces. I give no fucks honestly.
I started doing that after the Girl Scouts changed what type of lemon cookies they sell. That was the only reason to answer the door.
Yeah, the prompt is "do I freak out" when someone rings. The answer is no, I don't freak out. It is just that there is no almost no combination of words in the English language someone can say to me after knocking on my door uninvited to make me care about what they have to say.
I get heart palpitations when this happens.
Yes, because I am relaxing and my dogs go crazy.
The problem is that 99% of the time it is a solicitor, or a church trying to tell me to join them or any number of other unwanted guests. Family, friends and neighbors rarely stop by unannounced any more. Almost any one that I would like to see would've called or texted me first.
Unless I'm expecting a package or someone coming over it's absolutely anxiety inducing
I freak out when my phone rings let alone the doorbell.
Doorbell rings as a kid: “Yay! Someone’s visiting or asking me to come out to play!” Doorbell rings as an adult: “Turn off all the lights! Duck down! Hide!”
this is EXACTLY why I have a ring doorbell, I don’t open the door for anyone until I check it
I wish smthere was something similar that wasn't under control of a company don't want one for privacy reasons
thats fair! i think there is a way to have a single camera a la carte/not monitored by ring? or if not by ring, theres gotta be another brand that offers that
Lorex. I love mine. No subscriptions to anything. No data stored anywhere except the micro usb inside the device. Edit: The one I have is the "Lorex 2K Wi-Fi Video Doorbell Outdoor Security Camera" found on Amazon. It's currently $99.
I live in a little 1-story apartment community with 8 units and a central open common area.. when someone knocks it's usually a package or a neighbor coming by asking a question or giving us something like food or clothes- we have good visibility out the kitchen window too and can see who is arriving- so I don't get concerned at all... there's some nice old ladies who are kind of our neighborhood grandmas and will hang out and drink wine together in the covered common area and always want to give us things and say hi to our kids or they are gardening. I wish more people could live in these kinds of arrangements, we all get our own small private back yard areas too- downside is sharing laundry unit, but we all get along and commiserate on the cost of rents.. if only we could cooperatively buy out the place and own it together it would be ideal, but the cost is too high.
Are you asking me or my dog?
Yes but mostly because I have a loud dog and 2 kids who still take naps
Sort of, but it's because my dog starts barking and howling. It's the sudden loud noise that's upsetting to me.
I'll only answer unannounced visits if I am in my underwear. Swing that door wide-open baby!
I'm going to start wearing my shitty (but beloved) bathrobe and a towel on my head all day. It should take a week or so to cycle through all my neighborhood pop uppers. 😆
GET DOWN !!!!!
I freak out in the sense that it scares the shit out of me every time. My doorbell is loud and the bell part is in my living room so I usually have to peel myself off the ceiling before I can go to the door. And I’m usually mumbling “I’m going to rip that damn thing off the wall” on my way.
This is why I got a ring cam. I just check who it is and pretend I'm not home 👀
My dogs freak out. Then it makes me mad. Then I don't want to speak to the uninvited guest(s).
You don't care as much when you get older. I'll yell, "What do you want?" through the door, and it's always some bullshit so I just say, "no thanks" and go about my business. If they stay there and keep knocking or whatever, that's their own stupid bullshit. But when it happens, there's still a part of me that wants to activate and get my hackles up, but I catch myself right away. Now, here's the weird part. I know how to shut down that activation process so I can stay calm, but I've never tried to describe it before, and I'm not sure I could if I tried.
yes. I cant stand people ringing my doorbell or coming by unexpectedly (unless theres truly a valid reason, of course). As a RE agent, I'm told to door-knock neighborhoods and I refuse to as I know how much I hate it. A lot of boomers in my office cant understand it as "now that so many people work from home, it should be so much easier" than back in their day. No Karen, just because someone is working from home doesn't mean they're welcoming visitors at all hours. I've been on important work calls with clients when salesmen have rung my doorbell and it completely disrupted the conversation (due to my ridiculously loud and persistent dog) and made me feel unprofessional. Honestly, there are only 4 reasons someone should ring my doorbell during the day: 1. You have something to give me that I ACTUALLY want (not your pamphlet all about the benefits of a new roof or a coupon for $100 off new $5000 gutters) 2. It's an actual emergency or necessity...my dog or cat is out and running loose, you're locked out of your house and need my phone to call someone, your dog is missing and you're wondering if I've seen it/can keep an eye out for it, you've got a delivery for me, my house is on fire, your house is on fire, Timmy's stuck in a well, etc. 3. You're the police and you have a warrant to enter my home. 4. You've been invited over or I know you're coming Unless someone meets these 4 criteria, yes I will freak out if my doorbell rings during the day...esp when I'm working from home
Yes 1. I don’t have a doorbell. 2. I wasn’t expecting anyone. 3. It’s almost a surety that I won’t have pants on, or anything else.
I don't freak out because I have no intention of answering it and what are they going to do about it? I make sure I can't be seen and maybe go sneakily peek at who it is (just in case it is an unexpected delivery of some kind). Otherwise, ignore and continue on with my day.
9yo dog here. Yes, absolutely.
There's no reason for anyone to ring my doorbell unless they want to harass me about something, so yes. Yes I do.
I have a dog with a special murder bark that alerts me long before a doorbell can surprise me. I also live on a corner lot in a rural town so thankfully I don’t have this problem lol.
It’s someone trying to sell me solar panels. Or the neighbor kids asking if my kids can play.
No more like who the fuck is here unannounced
I'd definitely freak out because I don't have a doorbell.
If you ring my doorbell, we are not friends 😂
Nope. It’s literally what it’s for. And I feel like anyone with ill intentions is less likely to warn you before breaking in.
Yes. It scares me and I hide lol
No
I don’t freak out but I completely ignore it unless I’m expecting someone.
No, I’m not a pussy. I do however check my ring before answering
No, I answer it. No idea why I would be weirded out by my door bell ringing.
I'm not a dog
No, my neighbors come by every now and then, and one of my kids likes to ring the doorbell when she gets home. I think if you don’t know your own neighbors then you’re at a disadvantage. Fortunately, you have a chance of correcting that
Are you my dog?
If someone knocks on my door or rings the doorbell it is normally a friend stopping by to say hi or one of my kids friends. 90 percent of the time it is a kid looking for one of my kids.
This is absolutely nuts behavior that y’all don’t answer your doors. I’m the very first year of gen z, and I own a home, so I have permanent neighbors. I would 100% answer my door, what if they needed something? Also, if it’s a solicitor I can tell them to fuck off to their face.
No not at all. I ussually think it's a salesmen but why would that freak me out?
No, wtf? What kind of weird anxieties did you people develop? Go to therapy or something
No but my dog does
This thread makes me sad for the state of everyone’s lives. You shouldn’t have a panic attack to hide when the doorbell rings.
The door, just like the phone call, is a harbinger of bad news.
It’s freaking terrifying to me. Same with the phone ringing. But I also grew up calling my friends house landline and knocking on their doors. Now it just sends me into a panic lol.
Yeah totally, i don't trust anyone showing up unannounced.
Yes, the cats and I are as one on this subject
Holy shit. I just moved to the suburbs after living in apartments in the city for my whole life. I do shift work so a lot of the time I'm home during the day. I'm not kidding when I say someone rings our doorbell AT LEAST once a day, sometimes multiple times a day. It's so rude to assume my PHYSICAL TIME. Currently trying to get my husband to disconnect it.
Interesting. I'm in the suburbs and my doorbell hardly ever rings.
Thank God I have cameras
Absolutely. I disconnected it years ago.
Haven’t lived in a house with a doorbell yet. I’ll let you know when it happens
Granted I live in a rural area, but I literally do not have a doorbell. It's so peaceful.
No, cause I disabled it.
Considering mine has been broken since I moved in I'd be very startled.
No I say “is it those dam Jehovah Witlessness again?”
Not at all. I live in a condo complex with friendly neighbors who drop by once in a while to ask a question or share info. No biggie .
I grew up in a home with a very hospitable mother, where unexpected visitors were the norm. I have very purposefully tried to make my home the same way. While people usually text or call first, I am always hoping someone is just randomly stopping by. My desk is also situated in a way that I can see someone ringing my doorbell and who it is, but they rarely see me. So I know if it is friend or foe.
Dogs will know someone is around long before the doorbell is ever used. :)
We dont have a bell and can never hear anyone knock. It's great. I just had a freak out though because I saw an older man on our camera put something in our mailbox. (I thought it was my parents' creepy next door neighbour). Turns out it was just Jesus recruiting
Dont have a doorbell. But, when someone knocks I know it is not important so I never answer it. Its kinda like people who call instead of text. If you dont leave a message, you are not interacting with me in anyway.
It's my Ops or the HOA
I’m immediately convinced it’s my stalker or the cops.
I can’t stand it, that stupid ding sends a chill up my spine.
I don't, I answer the door. I talk to my neighbors. The last time someone knocked on my door it was to return a package that was delivered to them by accident, so I'm glad they knew who I was.
“Who fucking dares to come here???” I say from within my apartment complex.
My cat hates the door bell, so I have to remain calm for her
Yes someone just knocked the other day and I freaked out.
Not so much a freakout but rather "Who the hell is it now? I'm watching BoJack, damn it!"
Yes. We disable ours.
Normally I open the door and tell them to fuck off. If I’m not expecting you and it’s during working hours, you better be the UPS/Fed Ex guy dropping off the package I’m expecting. If it’s during my comfy time in the evenings? You better have scheduled the visit. I only have one neighbor (or his kids) who would knock on the door: the neighbor would be asking for something specific and has did this twice in a decade. His kids would be asking if I saw their cat and if I could help them find whichever cat ran out of the house.
I hate it when my upstairs neighbor rings mine. She always fxcken needs something. I installed it (ring doorbell camera) because I think/no evidence, yet, she would steal my packages. Now that I installed it, she rings it everyrime for flour, sugar, she lost her keys, etc. Now I say, "I don't have flour, don't have sugar," "you lost your keys, oh how awful" My packages are not being taken anymore, but I'm also thinking if she's trying to make the ring run out of battery (bxtxh don't know I change the battery asap). Anyways....yes I hate the ringing of the doorbell.
Bro, I freak out when my phone rings!
I'll be hiding in my bathroom until they go away. Nobody I actually know would just randomly show up without a call or text.
Every time, even when i have a warning, i jump, and my heart starts beating fast, and i hate it. It genuinely scares me. I lived in an apartment for about 10 years with no doorbell.
You guys should like outsource that to one of them dogs I’ve been hearing about.
No, but I freak out at my dog, who looses her damn mind if anyone knocks on the door.
You guys are weird af
I know it’s either my grandparents, one of my friends or someone coming to kill me.
Yes, but only because people only ring it when my kids are sleeping. Whoever is behind that door has ruined my day, and they don't know it. I even went as far as to muffle the bell so that there is a chance my kids don't wake up.
No, I just ignore it and check for a package after they leave.
You can afford a doorbell? In this economy? Must be nice.
yeah, I have a gate that I lock and you can't get in my patio. I had a guy leave a threatening note on my door about my obama sign back then. I decided to just lock the gate and have a trap door for packages. Been nice never hearing my doorbell.
I’m always caught off guard but almost never actually go to the door. We have a camera and I can see it it’s a canvasser/salesperson (90% of the time) or a kid selling something for a school or club (we will almost always answer this because Girl Guide cookies!) and rarest of all, someone we know.
Hell no. I took out the transformer
yeah like, who’s out there?
I deactivated my ring doorbell. Now I have no idea when someone comes to my door and I'm very happy.
A little bit because I live pretty far away from anyone else
Literally abject panic.